“Fact Or Fiction” is a series that will be run every Friday. In this series, an assertion will be made regarding an impacting topic in the Premier League. EPL Talk writers Matt Hackenmiller and Earl Reed each offer their views on whether the statement is “Fact or Fiction.”

Fact or Fiction: Wayne Rooney will lead the Premier League in goals scored this season.

MH: Fact. Although Wayne Rooney has been slowed the past few weeks with an injury, he is still the odds on favorite to lead the league in scoring. By the way that Rooney has began the season, the goal-scoring drought of last season seems to be in the rearview mirror. He will continue to be the focus of the Manchester United attack as he remains one of the best players in Europe. Also, some of Rooney’s biggest competition, Carlos Tevez and Didier Drogba, either have personal issues or have fallen out of favor for their perspective clubs. The only other player to match Rooney’s start to the season is Sergio Aguero and he has not been tested over a full season in England. So as long as Rooney can stay relatively healthy, there is a pretty good chance that he will lead the league in scoring.

ER: Fiction. This is a tough one. While Aguero and Dzeko are both in the early running behind Rooney, I’m going to take a long-shot at another Manchester City-owned player: Emmanuel Adebayor. He’s had a tough ride over the last couple of years, with City continually burying him in the depth chart with forward after forward. After a loan stint at Real Madrid last season, I think he’s ready to return to prominence on the Premier League stage on loan with Tottenham. He has 3 goals thus far, and that’s considering he missed a couple of early fixtures before his loan move. He’s starting to bed in with the club, and Spurs have already gotten both City and United out of the way in their first half fixtures. With easier fixture list to close the first half, a club looking to return to the Champions League, and a player who needs to prove he is still a top-class striker, I think Adebayor has a great shot at the Golden Boot.

What do you think, is it fact or fiction that Wayne Rooney will lead the Premier League in goals scored this season?