Why what you see with your own eyes still remains a powerful fantasy football resource?

In this digital age, fantasy football managers are tasked with the job of sifting through a plethora of readily available data before finalising their selections, making it easy for them become a victim of information overload.

They are bombarded with endless statistics such as big chances created, shots on target per 90 minutes, expected goals, expected assists and so on. While all of this is most welcome, it does tend to gloss over a very important tool that should be part of your armoury – what you see with your own eyes.

Let’s take a look at Paul Pogba as an example. The Frenchman has played 1497 minutes in the Premier League this season, registering 7 goals and 6 assists compared to xG and xA figures of 8.35 and 3.05 respectively (courtesy of Understat).

He’s played the full 90 minutes in each of Manchester United’s last 4 Premier League games since Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over, scoring 4 times and assisting 3. In these 4 games he has contributed 10 key passes which sits well compared with 28 for the season from 18 appearances. His shot volume has also increased from 3.28 to 4 per match since the Norwegian took charge.

However, any fantasy football manager who has had the good fortune to see with their own eyes how Pogba has performed in these last 4 games will appreciate the freedom he is now playing under and the positions he is getting into.

United face a much sterner test on Sunday when they take on Spurs at Wembley and the size of the Red Devils’ task is reflected by our GW22 goal projections.

However, if Pogba delivers again, he will surely enhance his claims of joining some esteemed company in that ‘must-have’ fantasy bracket.

While it many not be practical for everyone to watch a large number of games live due to time constraints, taking advantage of any highlight reels that are available can be worth its weight in gold. Try to identify the players that are making those telling runs or playing key passes, even if it does not immediately translate to fantasy football points.

A player that passes the eye test should never be overlooked!