Official Fantasy Bundesliga Team of the Season so far!
Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mathew Leckie and Lukasz Piszczek all in the same side? It has to be the bundesliga.com Official Fantasy Bundesliga Team of the Season so far...
Naturally, early season pacesetters Borussia Dortmund dominate with five of the starting line-up from the Bundesliga pacesetters’ squad, plus USA international Christian Pulisic on the bench. Augsburg are not only surprise packages in the league — the Bavarian outfit are also the next most-represented side with two players in the first XI.
Lewandowski, meanwhile, is the only Bayern Munich man in the line-up...
Goalkeeper
Roman Bürki (Borussia Dortmund, 60 points)
With more clean sheets than a five-star hotel, it's no surprise to find the Dortmund No1 backstopping this Fantasy XI. The Switzerland international was the last ‘keeper to concede in the German top-flight this season, picking the ball out of his net for the first time 516 minutes into the campaign… in a 6-1 demolition of Borussia Mönchengladbach!
Watch: Bürki's Top 5 saves!
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Defenders
Lukasz Piszczek (Dortmund, 56pts)
Another beneficiary of Dortmund’s lightning start, the Poland right-back was ever-present before the international break, and surpassed Tomasz Waldoch as the Polish player with the most Bundesliga appearances in history with 250 when BVB beat Hertha Berlin 2-0 on Matchday 2. Poland's recent FIFA World Cup qualification was bittersweet for the 32-year-old, though: he damaged ligaments in his right knee and faces an uncertain amount of time on the sidelines.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos(Dortmund, 65pts)
Dortmund have found their very own Colossus in their Greece international centre-back. His pivotal role in Dortmund’s five successive clean sheets at the start of the campaign underpinned the Bundesliga pacesetters’ majestic form as well as his healthy Fantasy tally, while his goal against Cologne — one of only six he has scored in over 100 Bundesliga appearances for Die Schwarzgelben — gave it quite a boost.
Watch: Dortmund's defensive masterclass
Waldemar Anton (Hannover, 55pts)
Hannover conceded just four goals in their opening seven games, two of which came in the Matchday 7 defeat to Gladbach, and their miserly defensive record was in large part due to the immovable 21-year-old centre-back.
Philipp Max (Augsburg, 64pts)
A product of Schalke’s famed Knappenschmiede, Max is beginning to blossom into the complete left-back in the unlikely surrounds of Augsburg. An Olympic silver medallist with Germany last summer, Max has helped his side to three clean sheets so far, but it is at the opposite end of the pitch — where he has weighed in with a goal and three assists — where he has accumulated useful points for his Fantasy bosses.
Midfielders
Mathew Leckie (Hertha Berlin, 74pts)
Along with Aubameyang and Lewandowski, the Australia international has been the top Fantasy performer by producing the goods on the green stuff for his new club following his summer move from Ingolstadt. Four goals in his first seven games in the capital have already given him his best-ever top-flight return, and you can rub your hands at the prospect there is surely more to come from the 26-year-old.
Caiuby (Augsburg, 64pts)
If Augsburg have been the biggest surprise of the season so far then no player better encapsulates their recent rise than Caiuby. Without a goal since April 2016 when the campaign kicked off, the Brazilian has enjoyed a new lease of life under Manuel Baum. Two strikes – one of them a goal of the season contender against Eintracht Frankfurt – have helped lift the Swabian Bavarians to sixth, whilst his battling qualities in midfield help him wrack up extra points, on and off the pitch.
Maximilian Philipp (Dortmund, 69pts)
The fleet-footed wide man has hit the ground running — and fast! — since his summer move from Freiburg. A pair of braces in his team's big wins over Cologne and Gladbach helped bring him 40 points from those two matches alone. Dortmund also boast Andrey Yarmolenko, Pulisic and a returning Marco Reus as options in the wide areas, but at this rate Philipp figures to be first choice for much of the season to come.
Watch: Philipp's Top 5 goals!
Forwards
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund, 74 points)
Last season’s leading goalscorer has — true to form — raced out of the blocks, trading goal-for-goal with Lewandowski. He would have been trailing the Bayern man, though, but for his bumper Matchday 6. Three goals in Dortmund’s 6-1 crushing of Gladbach brought him — and you — an incredible 25 points. But for the missed penalty against Augsburg before the international break that cost him five points, he would have been out on his own…
Watch: Auba's hat-trick magic against Gladbach!
Sebastien Haller (Eintracht Frankfurt, 70pts)
The French forward’s imposing 6ft 2in physique has been one of the pillars on which Frankfurt’s early-season success has been based. It has also been the solid foundation of his impressive Fantasy showing. Two goals, an assist, and a combativeness worthy of leading any line, Haller has also shown a flair for the spectacular, with two overhead-kick goals in the space of a week recently…
Watch: Haller, a September Rookie of the Month nominee
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, 74 points)
There’s a good reason Bayern’s prolific Pole is a Fantasy fan favourite: he’s just so good! His joint-league-leading eight goals so far have contributed to him racking up a spectacular 74 points, putting him at the head of the Fantasy scoring charts too, along with fellow sharpshooter Aubameyang and the fast-starting Leckie. The Pole recently completed World Cup qualifying with a European-record 16 goals. If ever there was a time to capitalise on a world class striker enjoying a purple patch…
Substitutes
Philipp Tschauner (Hannover, 56pts)
Four clean sheets have brought Tschauner 20 points in addition to helping Andre Breitenreiter’s men surprisingly find themselves near the top end of the table.
Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig, 53pts)
Those of you who picked any Leipzig player might have expected more in return given their bountiful 2016/17 campaign, but Halstenberg has been a solid performer. He would have been better still but for missing the Matchday 4 draw with Gladbach.
Christian Pulisic (Dortmund, 55pts)
Aside from his two goals this term, the 19-year-old’s USA international’s all-round performance with and without the ball make him invaluable for his club, country and Fantasy bosses. A goal and an assist in the opening day 3-0 win over Wolfsburg saw him seal bundesliga.com’s inaugural Man of the Matchday. Just how good will he be when he’s older?!
Watch: Pulisic's star-turn on Matchday 1!
Leon Goretzka (Schalke, 55pts)
Another formidable young talent, the Schalke midfielder’s commanding performance in the 1-1 draw with Leverkusen on Matchday 7 brought a hefty 13 Fantasy points, including four each for his goal and duels won.
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