The Premier League season is around the corner, and over 2 million of you will be playing fantasy football.





Most of us know the star names we want in our fantasy football teams. You’ll do well to find a West Ham fan who hasn’t picked Dimitri Payet, an Arsenal fan who hasn’t opted for Özil and a Manchester United fan who hasn’t decided David de Gea should be their goalkeeper.

These are the players who will be the cornerstone of your team, hopefully achieving high point scores week in, week out, through their clean sheets, goals, assists and/or performance bonuses. However, your team cannot of course be filled with stars, and in order to balance the books, fantasy football players will often look to the bargain basement of the division for their subs.

It is here where people are often a little less knowledgeable on the players, many perhaps having come up from the Championship or being new obscure additions to the top flight. The cheapest band of goalkeepers are £4m, defenders £4m, midfielders £4.5m and forwards £4.5m, it is the players in these price brackets we focus on here.

Goalkeepers





There are only five goalkeepers available for the cheapest price of £4m, two from Burnley and one each from Hull, Sunderland and Swansea. The two outstanding candidates are Eldin Jakupovic and Jordan Pickford.

Eldin Jakupovic

The Hull City goalkeeper is the only one of the five goalkeepers likely to see regular first-team football. Usual number one Allan McGregor has been sidelined until at least Christmas, making Jakupovic the obvious choice. Hull may be in disarray but Jakupovic has the ability to play a blinder making him a decent option as your backup.

Jordan Pickford

Vito Mannone is likely to be Sunderland’s first choice, but the Italian is prone to some poor patches of form, and Pickford could easily capitalise at certain stages of the season. At £4m he’s good value and worth considering for your bench.

Defenders





There are rather more options in defence within the cheapest bracket of £4m, with 21 players there in total, although the hidden gems are still difficult to find. The main task here is actually picking a defender who will play, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.

Brad Smith

Having forked out a reported £6 million on the former Liverpool defender, one would expect Brad Smith to see a fair amount of game time at Bournemouth. The Cherries may ship goals but at least Smith should get you appearance points when called upon.

Juan Carlos Paredes

The Watford defender was the highest scoring £4m defender last season, clocking up 30 points over the season. The Ecuadorian international managed 17 Premier League outings last term, but has been linked with a move away from Vicarage Road so fantasy players ought to look out for any movement there.

Jordi Amat

Also with a price of £4m is Swansea defender Jordi Amat. The accomplished Spaniard only got on the pitch four times in the league last season, but the departure of Ashley Williams could give him a route back into the team. New signing Mike Van der Hoorn is likely to start at centre-back, but Amat will be ready to stand in if necessary.

Midfielders





There are more options in midfield at the lowest price of £4.5m than any other position, with some genuinely good options.

Darren Fletcher

Arguably West Brom’s best player last season, Darren Fletcher is likely to be a mainstay under Tony Pulis and although he is unlikely to set the world alight, he will score regular points.

Jack Rodwell

He managed only 35 points last season, but reunited with former boss David Moyes, Jack Rodwell could become an integral player at Sunderland next season. If he can get back to his best he’s a bargain at £4.5m.

Lewis Cook

Bournemouth new boy Lewis Cook is a special talent. Although he is only young he should play a lot of football and he has a thunderous long shot in him which could score you some points.

David Meyler

If it’s guaranteed game time you’re looking for in your bargain buy, David Meyler may be your best option. Hull’s tiny and injury-plagued squad means virtually every fit first-team player will play, and Meyler is 100% fit as we speak.

Forwards





The trickiest position on the game in the cheap £4.5m bracket, strikers at that price are really scraping the barrel.

Lewis Grabban

Lewis Grabban reportedly cost Bournemouth £8 million, so he should surely see some game time. The striker played 15 league games in half a season last campaign, but failed to score a goal. Unlike the others, he should at least feature.

Adama Diomande

The big Norwegian didn’t prove himself in the Championship, let alone the Premier League, but Hull’s depleted squad and an impressive pre-season means he could be a wildcard option and a better shout than most £4.5m-rated strikers.

Did we miss any? Which bargain basement players have taken your fancy in this years fantasy football?

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