Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser were the Premier League’s ultimate double act last season.
Combined, the Bournemouth duo netted 23 goals in 2018/19, with seven of those coming from a direct link-up between the pair — which was the league’s most potent assist-to-goal partnership.
It made them both extremely popular with fantasy football managers.
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In total, Wilson finished the campaign with a tasty haul of 14 goals and 9 assists — his best tally in the Premier League to date — while Fraser notched 14 assists, just one below Eden Hazard at the top of the chart, while his record for creating goal-scoring opportunities was the best around.
Naturally, much was expected of them again this season — especially as Bournemouth were able to keep hold of both players, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal — but their individual campaigns have reflected the Cherries’ overall struggles so far.
Wilson hasn’t scored a league goal since September but finally broke his duct in the FA Cup against lowly Luton Town earlier this month.
Fraser has also under-performed, with a woeful tally of just three assists — all the more damning considering his haul last year — which is mirrored by his WhoScored rating of just 6.49 in the Premier League.
With each player terribly out of form at the minute, it means Bournemouth’s attacking engine needs an oil change — and fast.
But it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong.
While the number of passes between the two has remained constant this season and reflects their numbers from last term, the amount of chances created by Fraser has dropped considerably.
Wilson is simply not receiving the quality of service he usually thrives on and it’s harming his confidence.
This is most likely down to the system Bournemouth are playing this season, which is much more defensively-minded and evident, perhaps, by the fact that Diego Rico is their best points scorer on Dream Team with 57 points.
At this stage of the campaign, Wilson has just 45 points to his name on Dream Team, having finished last term with 151.
Fraser’s numbers are even worse, with the Scotsman picking up a measly 14 points — a far cry from the 158 he finished up with in 2018/19.
Both players made it onto our list of the best players on fantasy football from outside of the top six, but on current showing it would take a miracle for them to be included this time around.
Thankfully, the majority of you are already well aware of the pair’s decline and, combined, less than 4% of Dream Team managers are currently selecting Wilson or Fraser.
The question is, can they turn it around?
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