START7: Top players, surprises and insider tips - the interim balance sheet

It's been the story of this season so far: MT Melsungen is at the top of the LIQUI MOLY HBL table thanks to seven wins in a row. This is also noticeable in the point rankings of the START7 top performers: Three MT players are represented in the top20 top scorers at START7 so far. Leading the trio with 198 total points (GP) is keeper Nebojsa Simic, who scored an incredible 130 points on the first matchday with his 21 saves and two assists. However, this also has its price, which currently stands at 1.27 million euros in the Fantasy Manager App. On the other hand, his colleagues Elvar Örn Jonsson (170 GP) and Ivan Martinovic (149 GP), whose market value does not exceed 600 thousand euros, can be bought for about half that.

Only the men from Füchse Berlin - the second absolute top team of the hour - are in an even better position than the men from the current LIQUI MOLY HBL leaders. With Mathias Gidsel (235 GP), Dejan Milosavljev (228 GP), Lasse Andersson (227 GP) and Hans Lindberg (187 GP), the men from the capital currently occupy places 2-4 and 9 of the highest-scoring players in START7. However, none of these top stars, as well as current top scorer Casper Ulrich Mortensen (201 GP), are likely to be affordable options for squad planners on a budget.

This leads to the surprises of the first match days: Göppingen's Josip Sarac has scored the most points (261) in START7 so far despite his team's mixed performances. The backcourt player is proving to be a real total package: He not only scores with goals and assists, but also collects points in defence with steals and blocks! In addition, the Croatian only makes a few missed shots and technical mistakes, which have a negative effect.

His market value of 644 thousand euros is thus certainly higher than at the beginning of the season, but still comparatively low - thus a good price-performance ratio for the users. Top keeper Nikola Portner (205 GP) also moves in similar monetary spheres, completing the duo of the cheapest options among the top 10 point scorers. If the price is to be under the 500 thousand euro mark, Niels Geradus Versteijnen from Lemgo (162 GP, 448 thousand euros) or the two from Balingen, Patrick Volz (158 GP, 345 thousand euros) and Mohamed El-Tayar (150 GP, 360 thousand euros), are recommended as point guarantors for all START7 managers.

It should be noted, however, that with only a few matches still to be played, even one outstanding day is enough to make a significant leap in the points standings. In terms of average points scored per match day, Silvio Heinevetter, Milos Vujovic, Joel Birlehm, Dainis Kristopans (all 20 points per match day) as well as the left wingers Emil Jakobsen and Christopher Bissel (both 19) are new in the top 20, in contrast to the table according to total points.

If you are quick, you can currently buy Vujovic and Bissel for less than 500 thousand euros on the transfer market. It is also possible that the buyer will have a lucky hand when it comes to filling the position of circle runner. Here, the previous top point scorer Johannes Golla with 120 points is only moderately convincing compared to players from other parts of the team, but Lemgo's Lukas Laube (74 GP) with 4th place at his position and a market value of 96 thousand euros is an absolute insider tip. Also running under the radar: right wingers Leo Prantner (90 GP, 163 thousand euros), Yannick Fraatz (74 GP, 209 thousand euros) and Domen Novak (97 GP, 326 thousand euros).

• G: Dejan Milosavljev (Füchse Berlin) – 228 points
• LW: Samuel Zehnder (TBV Lemgo Lippe) – 158 points
• LB: Josip Sarac (FRISCH AUF! Göppingen) – 261 points
• CB: Elvar Örn Jonsson (MT Melsungen) – 170 points
• RB: Mathias Gidsel (Füchse Berlin) – 235 points
• P: Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt) – 120 points