Premier League: Team of Round 31

This week's round of our Premier League fantasy game was a very low scoring one. Whilst this could well be because many of you will have struggled to field a full XI, it's also down to the fact there just weren't many points on offer even if you did manage to put out an entire team! Everton were the only team to keep a clean sheet in R31; an unexpected shutout against Chelsea which meant defensive points were hard to find and the many of us relying on points from the Blues were disappointed.

Community average score in Round 31: 20.9
Community best in Round 31: 62
TOTR score: 110
Theoretical best legal score: 110

Defence

The only exception to the above point is goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who did manage a useful points tally thanks to his penalty save against Everton. There's always an element of luck involved in picking a goalkeeper who happens to save a pen and those that own Kepa will feel especially fortunate to gain points given that Sigurdsson quickly tucked home the rebound anyway. That said, Arrizabalaga made plenty of other saves in this game and deservedly picked up bonus points as a result.

In front of the Chelsea number 1 is a back three consisting of Everton duo Lucas Digne and Michael Keane and Leicester City's Wes Morgan. As we've already mentioned, Everton were the only side to keep a clean sheet in this round meaning it is Morgan who is perhaps the more interesting member of this TOTR having scored a vital winner at Turf Moor for his side. Leicester looked in real trouble at Burnley after Morgan's centre back partner, Harry Maguire, was sent off after just 4 minutes but the Foxes dug in and managed a very impressive 2-1 away win thanks to the former Jamaican international's header late on.

Midfield

Much like this week's defence, it didn't take an awful lot for midfielders to get in this TOTR with the strikers standing out as the clear top performers. Each of these R31 midfielders managed 8 points after scoring a goal and picking up a bonus point in their respective fixtures. With Huddersfield's goal-scoring display a rarity and Newcastle facing Arsenal at the Emirates next, Sadio Mane and Dwight McNeil are perhaps the names to focus on here.

It's likely you'll already know about the incredible goal-scoring form Sadio Mane is currently in and Sunday's game at Fulham was another example of him out shining the preferred Liverpool fantasy option - Mo Salah. Unlike Salah, Mane is finding the net with ease right now though the Reds do face Tottenham at home after the international break.

Dwight McNeil certainly isn't a player that will rival Mane in terms of fantasy points between now and the end of the season but is a name to be aware of if you aren't already given his performances since breaking into the Burnley team this season. A young winger with trickery and pace, McNeil has been a very frequent starter in the second half of this Premier League campaign and is worth considering when the Clarets have a kind fixture.

Strikers

Finally, it's the strikers that brought the points to this TOTR with each of the forwards named in this XI finding the net twice in Round 31. The three tackles Josh King completed for Bournemouth in addition to his brace against Newcastle means he takes the captain's armband for this R31 team, as that bonus point ensured he scored slightly more than Karlan Grant who managed two nicely taken goals for Huddersfield at West Ham. Having signed for the Terriers from Charlton in January, Grant perhaps hasn't featured as much as you'd expect for his new club but looks relatively sharp in front of goal when on the field.

Incredibly, despite taking a 3-1 lead at the London stadium thanks to that Grant brace, Huddersfield still didn't win and that was down to West Ham's late comeback which was inspired by Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. Known for being an incredible goal scorer who just knows where to be when a ball comes into the box, Hernandez proved his worth once again at the weekend, scoring two headers that saved the Hammers blushes and earned them three points. He's understandably low in popularity at Superbru due to Marko Arnautovic being West Ham's preferred starter when fit.

Premier League ideal 5-a-side teams by daily round during R31:

Saturday: Boruc/Schmeichel, Morgan, Maddison, McNeil, King (37 points)
Sunday: Kepa, Digne/Keane, Milner, Richarlison/Mane, Firmino (34 points)

There's now an international break from the club football calendar meaning Premier League action won't return for the run-in until the 30th of March.

Click here to play Premier League Fantasy at Superbru

Click here to play Premier League 5-a-side Fantasy at Superbru