The new Fantasy Premier League season is fast approaching, with the deadline to register your details, pick your team name and draft your squad coming this Friday.

As usual, The Independent will be writing a weekly tips column, picking out a handful of players worthy of your attention for that particular round of fixtures.

We will also pick our 30-man shortlist for the forthcoming season. Last year, we picked out the likes of Matt Doherty, James Maddison and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as must-haves.

And we will scan through the first few weeks on the fixture list, identifying which teams should be targeted for their favourable starts and which are best avoided.

For now though, we look at which players may prove to have been under-valued by the pre-season price-setters, while also picking out a few others to stay clear of.

Under-priced players

Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool, £6.5m

Van Dijk scored 208 points at the heart of Liverpool’s defence last season. That, in context, was more than any forward managed. A price of £7.0m or higher would not have been unreasonable. At £6.5m, he is almost essential.

Andrew Robertson - Liverpool, £7.0m

They might be the two most expensive defenders but they still represent value for money. Robertson and fellow £7.0m full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold scored 213 and 185 points respectively last year, more than all but five players in midfield and attack.

Wilfried Zaha - Crystal Palace, £7.0m

Zaha’s £7.0m price tag is unchanged, even though he has been reclassified as a midfielder. The move back down the pitch means an additional point for every goal scored and rewards for keeping clean sheets. Keep an eye on any potential move to Everton.

Josh King - Bournemouth, £6.5m

Whereas Callum Wilson will now cost £8.0m, strike partner King comes in £1.5m cheaper having only scored 27 fewer points. King takes penalties for Bournemouth, whose first two games come against newly-promoted clubs.

Leander Dendoncker - Wolves, £4.5m

Dendoncker became a regular for Wolves in the second half of last season, pitching in with two goals, and underlying statistics suggest he could have scored more. The Belgian is the pick of the £4.5m budget midfielders.

Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Show all 11 1 /11 Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Alisson Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Andy Robertson Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Virgil van Dijk Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Raheem Sterling Manchester City Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Eden Hazard Chelsea Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Mohamed Salah Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Sadio Mané Liverpool Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Ryan Fraser Bournemouth Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal Getty Fantasy Premier League: Dream Team 2018-19 Sergio Aguero Manchester City Getty

Over-priced players

Gabriel Jesus - Manchester City, £9.5m

Jesus’ performances at the Copa America may have caught the eye, but £9.5m is a steep price to pay for Sergio Aguero’s understudy. If he becomes Manchester City’s first-choice striker again, then it’s a different story.

Roberto Firmino - Liverpool, £9.5m

Jesus’ Brazil team-mate Roberto Firmino is the first-choice at Liverpool but his unselfish style of play does not translate into a number of points worth a £9.5m price tag. Firmino was fantasy gold when under-valued two years ago. Not anymore.

Matt Doherty - Wolves, £6.0m

One of the best budget picks this time last year, Doherty is anything but now. His £6.0m price tag is only slightly cheaper than Van Dijk, yet he delivered 64 fewer points and was less effective as the campaign dragged on. He is has also struggled with an injury during pre-season.

Ricardo Pereira - Leicester, £6.0m

An adventurous full-back, similar to Doherty, but struggles to justify his price when there are more consistent alternatives for only £1.0m more. Questions remain over how solid Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City will be.

Alexis Sanchez - Manchester United, £7.0m