Douglas Luiz outperforming Martin Odegaard, Luis Diaz, Bruno Fernandes and many other popular Dream Team midfielders

VERY few Dream Team managers would have predicted the extent of Douglas Luiz’s (£3.9m) success this season.

In his latest outing, the Aston Villa midfielder took advantage of a Nottingham Forest defence in disarray to bag a first-half brace on home soil.

The hosts eventually registered a 4-2 win on Saturday to strengthen their position in fourth place and Luiz was the biggest beneficiary as he banked a whopping 18 points by the final whistle.

At the time of writing, only hat-trick hero Jarrod Bowen (£4.5m) has scored more points in Gameweek 25.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND’S PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION – SOMEBODY MUST WIN £500 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Dream TeamAn underrated gem[/caption]

Naturally, Luiz’s season-best haul has propelled him up the Dream Team rankings.

The Brazilian is now sixth in his position having racked up 192 points in total this campaign.

The list of midfielders who have scored fewer points to date includes Bruno Fernandes (£4.8m), Martin Odegaard (£4.4m), Luis Diaz (£4.1m) and a host of other popular individuals.

Luiz features in 4.5% of teams and is currently the fourth most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 26.

Some gaffers may view this as a snap reaction to his 18-point haul at the weekend – chasing lost points is often futile – but a quick look at the schedule suggests it may be a viable strategy.

Unai Emery’s side face Luton and Ajax in Gameweek 26 in what has to be considered a favourable double header.

The Hatters fight tooth and nail but the reality is they’ve earned just 20 points from 25 league games since promotion while the Dutch giants have been way off it throughout 2023/24 – they’ve won ten of their 23 Eredivisie fixtures this term.

GettyA popular man ahead of Gameweek 26[/caption]

Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) will justifiably be the first port of call for many gaffers who intend to target Villa’s upcoming fixtures but adding Luiz to the mix may also be worthwhile.

The 25-year-old used to be an out-and-out defensive midfielder but his role has changed in the last year.

Having scored seven goals in 122 appearances under Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard, he’s scored 15 goals in 64 games under Emery.

The former Manchester City youth player is now encouraged to arrive late in the penalty box in support of Watkins – as evidenced by his first goal against Forest.

And of course, his improved goal tally is also down the fact he’s been instated as Villa’s primary penalty taker.

Add in seven assists, 27 bonus points plus a heap of tackles and it’s no wonder Luiz is mixing it with Dream Team’s top midfielders right now.

Leon Bailey (£3m) and John McGinn (£3.7m) are also worth a mention ahead of Gameweek 26 – the former now has 20 goal involvements in 2023/24.