There's only one question on the lips of MotoGP™ Fantasy managers ahead of the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain: should I trade in Marc Marquez? The return of the Repsol Honda man has created quite the conundrum with his 3.7M price tag requiring a bit of pre-planning in order to find space for him in your team.
We've already seen 4460 managers take the punt on the eight-time World Champion for the Portuguese Grand Prix and he's only going to improve over the next few weeks. But who do you remove? Well, the top three most traded out riders following Portimao were Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT). Those three certainly haven't enjoyed brilliant starts to 2021, with Morbidelli's fourth place in Portugal at least offering a glimmer of hope for owners of the Italian.
Marquez was by and away the most popular transfer of the past week and, unsurprisingly, the man sitting second on the list is back-to-back Grands Prix winner Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The Frenchman is on fire at the moment but that means his price has skyrocketed as a result, now up to 3.1M. Don't be put off by that price though, as Quartararo should be a top priority ahead of Jerez if you haven't already got the MotoGP™ World Championship leader in your team.
Now back to the question of Marc Marquez. If like most MotoGP™ Fantasy managers you have the likes of Quartararo, Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) or Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in your team already, it means you're going to have to look at a budget option in order to squeeze Marquez in. So, who's an option under 2M?
Top of the list is Aprilia Racing Team Gresini's Aleix Espargaro. At just 1.7M, the Spaniard is going to deliver some great returns. He's already cemented himself as a regular top eight finisher in 2021 and he's even gone as far as saying a podium this year is a certainty. He's not only going to enable big-name transfers like Marquez or Mir but could well outscore them at some rounds this year.
Next on the list is Alex Marquez. It's fair to say the LCR Honda Castrol man isn't in his greatest form at the moment but he's the perfect MotoGP™ Fantasy rider at 1.9M. The former Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Champion very rarely grabs headlines on a Saturday but nearly always pulls something out of the bag on a Sunday, making sure he collects a big number of bonus points for making up positions. He's definitely worth considering.
Finally, at just over the 2M mark at 2.1M, is Enea Bastianini. The Italian rookie has been sensational so far, showing incredible consistency in his opening three MotoGP™ races. He once again hasn't sparkled on a Saturday but that's perfect for MotoGP™ Fantasy managers as the Moto2™ World Champion then rises through the field, picking up valuable bonus points. 57 points from three rounds make him the seventh-highest scoring rider of 2021 so far and at just over 2M that is the definition of value for money.