With football agents busy calculating what car they can buy with their proceeds from the January transfer window, fantasy managers should be working out whose playing roles have changed for the better or worse. Here's a few pointers on who to look out for and who to avoid.
Winners
Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth): The forward goes from Robbie Keane's understudy at Tottenham Hotspur to Portsmouth's poacher-in-chief and should rack up goals and team points. Defoe has scored five times in the league - including four in December - in 627 minutes and has already got off the mark on the South Coast.
Gary Cahill (Bolton Wanderers): This is one for gamblers or those in larger leagues, or perhaps both. Cahill goes from a loan spell at Sheffield United and a reserve role at Aston Villa into the Bolton starting line-up. This may sound like a frying pan and fire scenario but Bolton have three clean sheets in a row, are shoring up under Gary Megson and it is hard to believe a £5 million defender will not improve their back four.
Radek Cerny (Tottenham): Even ousting Paul Robinson as the No 1 at White Hart Lane had questionable fantasy impact for the Czech given that Younes Kaboul was still in the back four. However, Tottenham addressed their defensive frailties in January by buying Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton and Gilberto and were immediately rewarded with a clean sheet away to Everton and nearly secured another against Manchester United. Factor in the occasional guest appearance from Ledley King and Cerny could be good for a few clean sheets and points in a strong run-in.
Losers
Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou and Claudio Pizarro (Chelsea): As if Didier Drogba was not a formidable enough obstacle to overcome in trying to earn playing time at Chelsea, Nicolas Anelka's arrival from Bolton pushes any forward at Stamford Bridge another notch down the pecking order. Drogba's return from the African Cup of Nations will damage any value these three players have.
Marcus Bent (Wigan Athletic): What little fantasy worth the forward had was diminished with Marlon King's arrival at the JJB Stadium. Bent, who has scored seven Barclays Premier League goals this season, was on the substitutes' bench for Saturday's victory at home to West Ham United and may have to get used to it with Emile Heskey and King up front.
Pascal Chimbonda (Tottenham): Playing right back for Tottenham this season hasn't appeared a great fantasy draw but the Frenchman is behind only Bacary Sagna of the regular right backs in PlayTheGame's Defence points category. Hutton's arrival shunted Chimbonda to left back against Manchester United but Gilberto, fresh from Hertha Berlin, will be expecting to claim that spot.
