We’re back! After a summer of rest and recuperation, a new Fantasy Premier League season is upon us.
Due to the month-long break to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar, this will be a season like no other.
We’ll have unlimited transfers between gameweeks 16 and 17 to cope with the fall-out, plus the usual two wildcards – one for the first half of the season, one for the second.
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But since Friday’s 6.30pm deadline is now looming large, it’s time to start building your squad. Here’s 30 players who we recommend starting with…
Dropping their maximum price down to 5.5m has put premium goalkeepers back on the menu. With Manchester City being the tightest defence in the league, counting on Ederson’s clean sheets until the best budget option emerges is a sensible play.
Ramsdale had a season of two halves last year but was the best goalkeeper pick in the game for a while, with decent clean sheet potential boosted by a habit of picking up saves and bonus points. Arsenal’s fixtures are favourable to start with.
Picking a 4.5m goalkeeper has traditionally been the smart thing to do but there is not really an outstanding option among this year’s cohort. Sanchez is probably the best of the bunch as Brighton keep things relatively tight but do not expect more than the odd clean sheet.
Selecting a back-up goalkeeper from the cheapest bracket is usually the way to go and interestingly, we have one who looks likely to play. Kasper Schmeichel’s departure to Nice should thrust Ward into Leicester’s starting line-up.
With Ward’s back-up Iversen also priced 4.0m, we have the rare prospect of a viable 8.0m pairing. It is definitely worth considering if you need an extra 0.5m, but you’ll run into a problem if Leicester sign a first-choice goalkeeper between now and the end of the month.
As close to essential as it comes, Alexander-Arnold surpassed the 200-point barrier again last year but is still priced at just 7.5m. Though that makes him the most expensive defender in the game, it’s what you pay for a mid-price forward who’ll get you only half the points.
Cancelo finished with only seven points fewer than Alexander-Arnold and offered more on average per million spent. To score just one goal was disappointing – a lot of his many shots were from range – but he was that rare thing: a rotation-proof player in a Pep Guardiola side.
James could make a mockery of his 6.0m tag. The Chelsea right-back was prone to following a double digit-haul with zero-pointer last season, making him hard to predict. The easiest thing to do might just be to set him in your squad and wait for the points to roll in.
An alternative route into City’s defence for those tempted to go without Cancelo. Injury-permitting, Dias should be as close to a permanent fixture in City’s side as is possible and also carries an aerial threat for the team with the most set-piece goals last season.
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
Wing-backs playing under Antonio Conte tend to be brilliant fantasy assets and Perisic should be no exception. As a 33-year-old, there will be a lot of rotation and early substitutions along the way but, if you can cope with that, he could be a game-changer.
Locked in as one of Arsenal’s starting centre-halves, Gabriel opens the season with a set of decent fixtures from a clean sheet perspective. The Brazilian carries an aerial threat too, while Crystal Palace and Leicester have been known to struggle on set-plays.
The budget Perisic. Doherty’s minutes on the opposite flank are a little less certain, where he faces greater competition for a regular start. Still, he appears to be first-choice for now and his underlying statistics before an injury at the end of last season were fantasy gold.
Going big at the back is popular this year but there are still potential bargains in the 4.5m bracket. Dunk will be a mainstay in a Brighton defence that should keep a few clean sheets to begin with and he pops up on corners every now again too.
Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland
