OLLIE WATKINS (£5.2m) was a top-flight Dream Team signing last season.
The Aston Villa striker was selected wide in the 2023/2024 season as he scored 24 goals in all competitions (27 including the Conference League qualifying play-off), but he has not enjoyed the same popularity this season.
Watkins started the campaign slowly after joining his club teammates late following England's run to the Euro 2024 finals.
In fact, his minutes have dropped significantly this season due to the playing time gains of Jhon Duran (£2.9m).
The England and Colombia strikers have played together on occasion, but Unai Emery typically replaces one with the other when changes are made in the second half.
Dream Teams managers are understandably reluctant to support players who regularly leave the field with half an hour to go, but it could be time to assess Watkins' viability.
The 29-year-old has amassed 45 points in his last five appearances in a productive spell with three goals and three assists.
There is no doubt he has benefited from Duran's recent suspension, but Emery will not have missed the positive impact Watkins' performances have had on the Villains' results.
Some Dream Team bosses may be surprised to learn that Watkins actually has a better strike rate this season compared to 2023/24 in the Premier League.
Last season he averaged a goal every 169.8 minutes, while this season he is scoring a goal every 154 minutes.
However, he lags behind in European points this season, a reflection of Villa being upgraded from the Conference League to the Champions League.
Emery's side are currently fifth out of 36 in the Champions League and are therefore well positioned to automatically secure a place in the round of 16.
They play Monaco on Tuesday before hosting Celtic in Gameweek 21, with a Premier League match against West Ham in between.
While Watkins' current ownership of 12.9% is significantly lower than last season, it is far from negligible; at the time of writing he is the fourth most popular striker.
But is he still overlooked by too many people?
News of Dominic Solanke's injury (£4.3m) has left a significant proportion of players in need of a replacement.
Elsewhere, Alexander Isak (£6.3m) has been in productive form of late, but Newcastle's lack of European commitments means he has just one match in hand in Gameweek 21.
Granted, it's a favorable match against Southampton, but generally two games are better than one.
One possible tactic is to back Watkins for Gameweek 21 (vs. West Ham and Celtic) and then replace him for Isak in Gameweek 22 (vs. Fulham and Arsenal) to take full advantage of the schedule.
At the very least, Watkins should be closely monitored amid a sharp upturn in form.
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