If you had Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team, $3.4m) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team, $2.9m) in your MotoGP™ Fantasy teams for the Aragon GP, then you probably had a nice haul of points land. But who should you be eying up for this weekend’s Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini? A couple of names stick out above the rest…

Unsurprisingly, Pecco and Marc Marquez – the best rider to chuck a Motul300V Boost on – were the riders to have in your Gold section. With a P1 and P5 finish, Ducati came out on top in the Constructor battle, while classic comeback rides from Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar, $3.9m) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing $4.1m) saw the duo boast spots in the optimal Silver places.

Gold: Marc Marquez
Gold: Francesco Bagnaia
Constructor:  Ducati
Silver: Joan Mir
Silver: Brad Binder
Motul300V Boost rider: Marc Marquez

Just before setting pole position by smashing the lap record in Aragon, 624 managers decided to transfer out Bagnaia. The probability of those managers wanting to buy the Italian back this weekend will be high – and rightly so. Pecco is the third most-owned rider in the game with 21,226 picks, second only to Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, $4.5m) and teammate Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team, $2.7m), with his stock likely to increase.

Misano is a track Pecco and his fellow VR46 Academy riders know like the back of their hand. It’s a stone’s throw away from The Ranch, and the Italians are often training there on Superbikes between GPs. In addition, and probably more importantly, Pecco already has podium pedigree at Misano in MotoGP™. A P2 finish while nursing a broken leg sustained in Brno was a sensational effort from Bagnaia, who a week later, crashed out of the lead.

A special homecoming is on the cards for Bagnaia in front of his home fans. Misano is a circuit he knows, is fast at and now that illustrious first win is pocketed, Pecco could be very hard to stop this weekend. If you’ve not got the Italian in your team, he should be on your watchlist.

After a disappointing outing in Aragon, Quartararo should be bouncing back with a vengeance at Misano. Yamaha are the most successful manufacturer at the Riviera di Rimini layout with eight wins, with the current World Championship leader bagging a P2 at the circuit in his 2019 rookie season.

Like Pecco, Quartararo should be top of manager’s agendas if they aren’t already in your team. The top two in the title race have been consistently fast pretty much everywhere in 2021, Misano – on paper – shouldn’t be any different. Ahead of the weekend, a Gold set-up of Pecco and Quartararo looks about as good as it gets.

It won’t come as a surprise to know that the number 93 was the second most transferred in rider at MotorLand. A five-time premier class winner at the venue, Marquez looked strong – and so it turned out. But Misano will present more difficulties than Aragon did for the not yet fully fit Marquez and Honda. Don’t write off the Spaniard though. He’s a three-time winner at Misano, so make sure you keep a keen eye on how he’s looking in Free Practice before making any decisions on the Repsol Honda star.

The most transferred in rider ahead of the Aragon GP? Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, $2.2m). If you were one of the 1,514 managers to bring the Spaniard into your team, then you were rewarded with a solid 22 points from the British GP podium finisher. Espargaro and Aprilia are in the form of their lives at the minute and it doesn’t look like changing any time soon. If you’re feeling a bit of an outside pick, Espargaro is probably your man – the number 41 is just the ninth most selected rider in the game.

Having notched up two podiums at Misano in 2020, Mir is most certainly one to watch. Last year’s MotoGP™ King is the second-highest Fantasy points scorer this season behind Quartararo on 315, and the San Marino GP will be his 100th Grand Prix start. Is it written in the stars for Mir to win then? We’ll find out on Sunday afternoon, but the Suzuki rider is definitely one to think about before the deadline.

As always, try and leave your transfers and switches as late as you can, in order to have the most information possible. Enjoy the San Marino GP and good luck with your Fantasy teams this weekend!