Bundesliga
Which strikers should you pick in Fantasy?
Should you look for sharpshooters like Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick and Eintracht Frankfurt's Jonathan Burkardt to lead your Fantasy Bundesliga line or are you willing to place your faith in an attacking bargain? Read on for our take...
Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt, 12.9 million)
Frankfurt certainly have a track record in recruiting immense strikers, and after Hugo Ekitiké's departure for Liverpool, Burkardt looks poised to become the next big attacking thing in the metropolis on the River Main.
The Germany international smashed 18 goals for Mainz last season and will be looking to challenge the likes of Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Serhou Guirassy in the goal-scoring charts. He will be hoping to start the campaign with a bang at home to Werder Bremen, bringing points to his new club and Fantasy managers alike.
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Watch: All of Jonathan Burkardt's 2024/25 Bundesliga goals
Nelson Weiper (Mainz, 7.1 million)
While Burkardt appears primed to step into Ekitiké's shoes, his spot leading the Mainz attack is ready to be filled by Weiper. The 20-year-old showed last season he is a dependable attacking threat, with three goals and two assists despite just seven starts.
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Those figures could explode this season. Mainz coach Bo Henriksen has shown to be a shrewd judge of players and says Weiper "can score 15 goals." For a price of just over 7 million, that would help to provide quite a return for Fantasy managers!
Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen, 11.4 million)
Schick is a striker who guarantess goals as a classic centre-forward. His 21 efforts last season incredibly came from just 19 starts, and under new Leverkusen head coach Erik ten Hag there is no telling how high that tally can climb.
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The club have shown their belief that the 29-year-old's humungous appetite for goals is far from sated by handing the Czechia international a new contract running until 2030. Should he stay fit and fire on all cylinders in the new season, his price tag of around 11 million could quickly look like an absolute steal!
Shuto Machino (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 9.3 million)
Tim Kleindienst grabbed the chance to lead the line last season for Gladbach superbly, but will be out for at least the start of the season with a knee injury. That could allow new signing Machino to make his mark on the Bundesliga again, having fired 11 goals and provided two assists last season while seeking in vain to keep Holstein Kiel in the top flight.
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The versatile 25-year-old Japan international has all the attributes needed for a seamless start with his new side. He wouldn't have to improve much on his output in the last campaign to rack up some seriously big Fantasy points.
Lucas Höler (Freiburg, 7.8 million)
Höler is the kind of player you could easily overlook when first considering your Fantasy options, which could be the perfect reason to take him on as a wildcard option for a very reasonable price.
Following their fifth-placed finish last season, Freiburg could fly again under Julian Schuster, and the centre-forward fits the mould as someone who could step into the limelight under their patient approach.
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Six goal contributions in four pre-season friendly matches show just what the 31-year-old could contribute as Schuster seeks to remodel Freiburg's attack following the departure of Ritsu Dōan. He managed 10 goal contributions (six goals and four assists) in last season's Bundesliga - a platform, perhaps, for becoming an unlikely star of the new campaign...