Best Forwards in EURO 2024 Fantasy
With the tournament days away from kick-off, it’s time to look at the best forwards of EURO 2024 Fantasy.
Highlighting the game’s best forwards can prove hugely beneficial when it’s time to settle on a Matchday 1 squad. It will help managers get an early lead on mini-league rivals and shoot up the general rankings.
As could similar articles on outstanding goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders.
KYLIAN MBAPPE (FRANCE, €11.0m)
By far the most owned player of Euro 2024 Fantasy, it’s no surprise to see Mbappe be so popular. As France seek to reach their fourth final from the last five major tournaments, investing in someone who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup Final is wise.
During qualifiers, he accumulated the most penalty area touches (85) of everyone and a total of nine goals. Included in this were Mbappe’s two braces against the Netherlands, who he’ll reconvene with in Matchday 2.
The new Real Madrid man was limited to a midweek cameo versus Canada because of a slight knee issue. But he should be fine for the big stage.
HARRY KANE (ENGLAND, €11.0m)
At the time of writing, three of Euro Fantasy’s most-owned eight individuals belong to England, with the Three Lions aiming to go one step further than Euro 2020’s second place.
Sat alongside Mbappe at the game’s highest price, Kane is a safe source of returns, as shown by being the current Golden Shoe recipient. His debut campaign at Bayern Munich yielded 44 goals in all competitions.
It’s strange to see that the 30-year-old only took 16 shots throughout qualifiers but, impressively, he was able to score a high 50% of them.
CRISTIANO RONALDO (PORTUGAL, €10.0m)
What else is there to say about Cristiano Ronaldo? The top all-time European Championship scorer (14) is about to play in his record-breaking sixth tournament, on the back of netting 10 times during the qualification stage.
Portugal arrive confident, as one of the strongest-looking contenders. They won all 10 matches en route to Germany, with more goals than all other nations (36).
Individually, the 39-year-old ranked best for attempts (46), efforts inside the box (33), big chances (15) and shots on target (19). He also bagged two goals against Ireland in midweek.
ROMELU LUKAKU (BELGIUM, €9.0m)
Meanwhile, the fourth premium forward is well-known to all domestic and international Fantasy managers.
Lukaku finished ahead of everyone else by scoring a whopping 14 times from just eight qualifiers. It means that his rate of 39.0 minutes per goal far exceeded Ronaldo (72.2), Mbappe (73.6) and Kane (76.6).
Handed a favourable Group E, the Belgian talisman warmed up with two Saturday goals at home to Luxembourg.
KAI HAVERTZ (GERMANY, €7.5m)
For Arsenal, Havertz had a fruitful end to 2023/24. With nine goals, eight assists and six double-digit hauls in his final 14 matches, only Cole Palmer recorded more points between Gameweeks 25 and 38.
Even though he’s classified as a forward in Euro 2024 Fantasy, the German is still an excellent option for those opting against a heavyweight front three.
The hosts have no qualification data but a recent strike versus Greece should ensure Havertz starts over Niclas Fullkrug (€7.0m).
ARTEM DOVBYK (UKRAINE, €7.5m)
Let’s end with a differential. Dovbyk signed for La Liga minnows Girona in 2023 and – incredibly – led them to Champions League qualification thanks to 24 goals, which was enough to win Spain’s Pichichi Trophy.
The 26-year-old took a while to get going in his career but things have escalated since 2021/22. Perhaps it was triggered by that summer’s Euro 2020 when he came on to score Ukraine’s 120th-minute winner to dramatically eliminate Sweden in the Round of 16.
This time, it’s an even-looking group that could go either way. Although Dovbyk grabbed a goal and assist on Tuesday against Moldova, it came from the bench. But a few days earlier, there was a strike past Poland too.
