Chris Richards and other top Dream Team performers who feature in fewer than 5% of teams

INTERNATIONAL breaks allow Dream Team managers to reflect upon the season so far.

With that in mind, let’s shine a light on some players who have been unfairly overlooked.

In reverse order, these are the seven best performers who currently feature in fewer than 5% of teams.

Jaidon Anthony

• £3.5m
• 1.9% ownership
• 51 points

Talk about surprise packages.

Having scored two goals in his first 33 Premier League appearances, the Burnley winger has netted four in seven this season.

Among midfielders, only Antoine Semenyo (£4.9m) and Brighton’s Diego Gomez (£3m) have scored more goals than Anthony in all competitions at this stage.

His low ownership is understandable as it is logical for Dream Team bosses to be hesitant where the Clarets are concerned.

Scott Parker’s side are 18th in the table having earned four points from seven league outings since promotion.

But Anthony’s individual effort is worthy of recognition.

Iliman Ndiaye

• £4m
• 4.6% ownership
• 53 points

Everton’s No10 was very popular at the very start of the campaign but swarms of gaffers swapped him for Jack Grealish (£3.8m) when the latter raced out the blocks with a flurry of assists.

However, Ndiaye is just six points behind his team-mate having scored three goals.

The Toffees are due to face Manchester City in Gameweek 8 and Grealish is ineligible to face his parent club so there’s a chance the Senegal international leapfrogs the Englishman in the rankings after the break.

It’s worth noting that Ndiaye is Everton’s first-choice penalty-taker, always a useful attribute in a Dream Team asset.

Elliot Anderson

• £4.1m
• 4% ownership
• 53 points

Nottingham Forest are yet to win since Ange Postecoglou replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout but their tireless midfielder has reaped due reward for his individual performances.

Anderson leads Dream Team for bonus points with 16 as he ranks highly for successful dribbles and fouls won, not to mention a pass completion rate of 88%.

The England international is yet to score but he’s provided two assists and ranks fourth in his position for tackles.

Now joint-ninth among midfielders, Anderson is a strong option in his price range as he’s guaranteed plenty of minutes while Forest juggle domestic and European commitments.

Igor Thiago

• £3.6m
• 4% ownership
• 55 points

Bryan Mbeumo (£5.3m) and Yoane Wissa (£4.5m) have left the hive but Bees are not short of goalscoring pedigree up front thanks to their Brazilian No9.

In fact, Erling Haaland (£7.9m) is the only striker in Dream Team with more goals to his name in 2025/26.

Thiago will be hopeful of adding to his tally of five goals in Gameweek 8 when Brentford take on West Ham — the Hammers have conceded the most goals in the top flight this season.

The 24-year-old boasts an impressive average of 6.9 points-per-game.

Chris Richards

• £4.1m
• 2.6% ownership
• 55 points

The USA international ranks joint-seventh among defenders but it’s easy to overlook him because two team-mates are among those above him: Daniel Munoz (£5.6m) and Marc Guehi (£4.6m).

What Richards offers is a more affordable route into Crystal Palace’s tight defence.

Only league-leaders Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals to date and the Eagles are likely to add more clean sheets to their tally as they continue their Conference League campaign.

Richards and company are scheduled to face AEK Larnaca, AZ Alkmaar and Strasbourg before the end of November.

Bruno Guimaraes

• £5.1m
• 3.2% ownership
• 56 points

Prior to Gameweek 1, we highlighted Newcastle’s all-action midfielder as a smart selection for the first two months of the season and he’s repaid our faith in kind.

Last weekend’s 14-point haul propelled Guimaraes up to eighth in the midfield rankings.

The list of popular rivals below him includes Tijani Reijnders (£4.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£5.7m) and Declan Rice (£4.8m).

The tenacious Brazilian has contributed two goals plus three assists and he’s not exactly shy of a tackle.

Like the aforementioned Anderson, he plays every minute that matters and won’t be short of point-scoring opportunities in the coming months with plenty of European fixtures in the diary.

John McGinn

• £4.5m
• 2.6% ownership
• 57 points

Villa Park’s fan favourite has flown under the radar this season.

Many Dream Team bosses will be surprised to learn that McGinn is just two points behind Mohammed Kudus (£4.8m) at this stage.

One of the reasons the Scotland midfielder has not been lavished with headlines is because he’s yet to register a double-digit haul, the kind of return that demands attention.

But he has notched nine points in four separate fixtures this term and this gradual accumulation has added up to a very healthy total.

McGinn scored in three consecutive games against Bologna, Fulham and Feyenoord across Gameweeks 5 and 6.

He’s also earned bonus points in six of his ten outings.