Affordable Morgan Rogers to claw back popularity after marking return from suspension with FA Cup goal

MORGAN ROGERS (£3.5m) marked his return to Aston Villa’s starting line-up with a goal against West Ham on Friday night.

Resplendent in the Villains’ special all-black kit, the 22-year-old scored the hosts’ winner at Villa Park to remind Dream Team managers of his credentials.

Rogers missed Villa’s favourable Gameweek 18 match-up against out-of-form Leicester but a nine-point haul against the Hammers will urge many gaffers to bring the midfielder back into the fold.

The ex-Middlesbrough man has been among the most popular value-for-money options in Dream Team this season and with good reason.

Having been a second-string alternative for Unai Emery in 2023/24 following his January transfer, Rogers has firmly established himself as a first-team regular this campaign.

Now one of the most trusted favourites, only Youri Tielemans (£3.7m) has played more minutes among the squad’s outfield players in 2024/25.

Rogers quickly made a mockery of his £2.5m starting price and even now he’s relatively affordable at £3.5m.

The goal that condemned Graham Potter to his first defeat as West Ham boss was his seventh of the season in all competitions, to go with his five assists.

His total of 144 points puts him 12th among midfielders at present but of those above him in the rankings, Alejandro Garnacho (£2.9m) is the only man available for a cheaper price.

Away from the stats, Rogers passes the eye test with flying colours too, mostly because of his silky dribbling.

MOST SUCCESSFUL DRIBBLES AMONG DREAM TEAM ASSETS THIS SEASON (ALL COMPS):

• 66 – Morgan Rogers
• 55 – Iliman Ndiaye
• 55 – Savinho
• 52 – Jeremy Doku
• 45 – Mohammed Kudus
• 44 – Bukayo Saka
• 43 – Antoine Semenyo
• 40 – Kaoru Mitoma
• 39 – Matheus Cunha
• 39 – Dejan Kulusevski

Having been the most transferred-out player prior to Gameweek 18 (because of his suspension) Rogers was among the most popular recruits for Gameweek 19 and he’s currently among the early selections for Gameweek 20 as well.

Villa travel to Goodison Park on Wednesday night to complete the first of three consecutive double Gameweeks.

The imminent return of the Champions League means Emery’s men will also face Arsenal, Monaco, West Ham (again) and Celtic before the end of the month.

Given that Rogers averages 5.5 points-per-game this season, there’s every chance he adds another 20 points to his tally by the end of January.

Fixtures, form, price… he ticks a lot of boxes.