The latest chapter in the Cole Palmer (£6m) storyline was nothing short of extraordinary.

On Sunday, Chelsea’s standout player racked up 25 points against Tottenham, demonstrating his Dream Team prowess in an impressive display.

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It’s important to highlight that he capitalized on some avoidable fouls by Spurs midfielders Yves Bissouma (£2.5m) and Pape Matar Sarr (£3m), leading to two penalties awarded to the visitors at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While Palmer converted both penalties—his second attempt being a cheeky Panenka—this only partially captured the essence of his overall performance.

The 22-year-old also garnered a ‘fantasy assist’ from Opta for his involvement in Enzo Fernandez’s (£4.3m) goal that gave Chelsea the lead in the second half.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Palmer collected five bonus points—the maximum available—thanks to his four successful dribbles, four fouls won, three precise crosses, one interception, and a pass completion rate of 79%.

By the weekend’s end, Palmer stood out as the premier performer of Gameweek 14, eclipsing his closest rival, Bryan Mbeumo (£4m), by an impressive ten points with a total of 25.

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In a broader perspective, the former Manchester City star now has an average of 11.1 points per game this season—the highest across all players.

Palmer is undoubtedly a stellar talent, raising the question: should Dream Team managers break one of the game’s fundamental rules to bring him in?

Conventionally, managers aim to maximize the number of matches for enhanced scoring opportunities.

This guideline is one of Dream Team’s essential principles, where more games equate to more potential points.

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For example, if Player A averages 8.5 points per game while Player B has 6.2 points per game, Player A appears to be the better choice for a single match.

Nevertheless, if Player A has three games scheduled over the next three Gameweeks, while Player B has five, then Player B stands to earn more points during that span.

This equation can get convoluted due to several factors, but the principle is clear.

Before the season kicked off, the expectation was that Palmer would play a crucial role, especially with the opportunity to increase his league points through European matches.

However, Enzo Maresca has opted for a careful management of his star’s playing time.

Palmer was even left out of Chelsea’s European squad for the group stage and did not feature in the Carabao Cup prior to the team’s exit against Newcastle.

This strategy has proven effective, as regular starters have stayed fresh while fringe players have thrived in the Conference League.

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Though Maresca’s rotational approach has led to a successful season for the West London side, Dream Team managers can only speculate about Palmer’s potential impact in these extra competitions.

He may have the highest points-per-game average, but with only 15 matches under his belt, he falls behind Mohamed Salah (£7.6m), Erling Haaland (£8.5m), and Bukayo Saka (£6.7m) in the overall scoring rankings, all of whom have played in at least 20 games this season.

That said, it’s notable that Palmer sits fourth overall despite only having participated in league matches.

Many top Dream Team managers tend to overlook players with such limited appearances, yet Palmer defies this trend, especially highlighted in the recent Gameweek.

With seven European fixtures lined up for midweek, the question remains—how many players will equal Palmer’s impressive score of 25 from the weekend?

Son Heung-min (£5.2m) is the closest contender, needing to secure 13 points away at Rangers on Thursday evening just to match Palmer’s total.

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Managers should continue to seek additional competitions, but if there’s a player who deserves an exception to an important rule, it’s Chelsea’s top performer.

It is evident that Palmer will be a crucial asset from Gameweek 16 onwards, particularly as the focus shifts entirely to the Premier League during the festive season.

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