Fantasy Premier League

The endless checking of bonus points and assists, monitoring the rising and falling prices of potential additions, spying on mini-league rivals trying to find an advantage, it can only mean one thing: the return of the Premier League and its glorious fantasy game. Here is our guide to picking your team.

The luxury players

There are a few high-priced assets you should strongly consider building your team around, with the only question being how much of your £100m budget to allocate to one or two big-name players. Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) is the most expensive player and for good reason, having picked up 344 points last season with 29 goals and 18 assists. Erling Haaland (£14m), even after his worst season with Manchester City, will have his admirers.

The form of Cole Palmer (£10.5m) seems to be back after a poor end to last season. Alexander Isak (£10.5m) was a must-have but the uncertainty around his Newcastle future makes him one to avoid. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka also costs £10m. Picking either or both of Salah or Haaland is sensible, maybe a little safe. Leaving them out opens up a lot of your budget.

The differentials

With people honing in on reliable players such as Salah, this category will end up making the difference. If Salah or Haaland blank (score no points) and cheaper players bag impressive points hauls, it’s easier to leap up the table. One in that category last season was midfielder Morgan Rogers (£7m), a bargain at £5m who earned 161 points.

Each player’s profile features a Teams Selected By percentage. Palmer is currently top on 58.2%. Mason Mount (£6m), who finished last season well for Manchester United, is currently owned by only 0.2%.

The bargains

Goalkeeper is always popular here, with the likes of West Ham’s Alphonse Areola available for £4.5m. Goalkeepers in sides lower down the league tend to deliver returns because you earn extra points for saves and a match-winning performance may lead to bonus points. In other positions, Gabriel Gudmundsson (£4m), the new Leeds left-back, is a defender likely to get forward who can also take set-pieces. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5m) will be a key creator for Everton, while Marc Guiu (£4.5m) has arrived at Sunderland on loan from Chelsea.

Oh captain, my captain

Who will be the captain each week is a key decision given they score double points. The easiest scenario is to stick with the same player each week. But taking a risk on a different captain when most go for the likes of Salah can have a huge payoff. Today Palmer against Crystal Palace will be a popular option, but in the game at Old Trafford where Arsenal are favourites against Manchester United, backing a player from the home side – Bruno Fernandes (£9m) or Matheus Cunha (£8m) or Bryan Mbeumo (£8m) – could result in a big pay-off.

Play your chips wisely

The triple captaincy chip is tempting, particularly if you have a high-scoring player facing one of the promoted teams. But try to resist. When clubs are playing two matches in a single gameweek, it is the time to use it. The Bench Boost is another good option then. You may think after two weeks that your team are a disaster and you have to use a Wildcard (giving you unlimited transfers) and if so, fire away. But with only two per season, try to save them and the Free Hit (unlimited changes for one week) for weeks when some teams are not playing.