It’s first match point time for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, $4.6m) at the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna, but who are you backing in your MotoGP™ Fantasy teams this weekend?

The World Championship leader and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team, $4.0m) are – unsurprisingly – the top two highest scorers in MotoGP™ Fantasy this season. Quartararo’s 428 points plays Pecco’s 371, and last time out at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli saw the duo finish 1-2.

It’s very hard to make an argument supporting not having either rider. Their form this season has been superior to everyone else, and Misano is a track they both love. Bagnaia will be going all out attack, knowing he must at least beat Quartararo to keep his title hopes alive – anything less than a second victory on home soil will be disappointing for the Italian.

Meanwhile, Quartararo will be wanting to wrap up the title as soon as possible. A 1-2 on the Adriatic coast earlier this year bodes well for both riders this weekend, and especially if you’re wanting to play it safe vs your friends in your Leagues, it’s a bit of a no brainer to have both riders somewhere in your teams.

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team, $3.5m) showed exactly why he’s dubbed the King of COTA a couple of weeks ago. It was a dominant display by the eight-time World Champion over in Austin, and Fantasy players who backed him would have enjoyed what they saw.

However, heading back to Misano, it’s worth proceeding with caution when it comes to bringing in Marc Marquez. Misano is a circuit that hinders the Spaniard physically a lot more than COTA, for example, while it’s also a layout that doesn’t best suit the RC213V’s characteristics.

The number 93 did claim a battling P4 at the San Marino GP a month ago though, and after two weekends of further recovery under his belt, don’t be surprised if we see a sprinkling of magic from Marquez. A victory is probably not on the cards, but a good result certainly is – see how Free Practice plays out for Marquez before making any decisions.

Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama, $2.3m) is arguably the stand-out rider over the past three races. A P6 in Aragon, followed by a maiden MotoGP™ podium at Misano, backed up with another P6 at COTA, has seen the Italian soar to a very good Fantasy option.

In the last five races, only Quartararo, Bagnaia, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marc Marquez have scored more Fantasy points than the 2020 Moto2™ World Champion. Cast your minds back to the San Marino GP and you’ll remember Bastianini had race-winning pace. Qualifying in 12th ultimately stopped ‘Bestia’ from fighting with Quartararo and Pecco, so there’s no reason why Bastianini can’t have a repeat performance this weekend – especially if he can qualify better. And even if he doesn’t, those places gained to a top six result equals a nice haul of points.

If you’re looking for a bit of a differential pick, whether it be just for fun or to try and reel in your friends, then look no further than Bastianini. He’s not in the top 10 owned riders, so getting him in could prove to be a canny move. 

After choosing to miss the Grand Prix of the Americas after the tragic loss of younger cousin Dean Berta Viñales, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, $2.1m) is back. The Spaniard topped FP1 at the San Marino GP and qualified P10, before finishing 13th a month ago. However, two days of testing at Misano was a huge aid to Viñales as he continues to adapt to the RS-GP, so can Viñales become a viable Fantasy option to boost your points this weekend?

That’s a question we’ll know more about on Friday afternoon. But the number 12 is definitely one to keep an eye on between now and the season finale in Valencia.

Remember to get your teams locked in before the deadline closes ahead of MotoGP™ qualifying – and good luck!