We all want to cram as many premium players into our Fantasy Football lineups as fiscally possible so here are some bang tidy bargains you can slot into your lineup to make room for all those Galacticos.
Bradley Smith (4.0) -- Bournemouth
The left-back signed from Liverpool for £6m and is sure to slot into the starting line-up. Whilst Bournemouth are one of the worst defences in the league, they still produce clean sheets if you rotate it juuuuuust right and a 4.0m starter is a real Fantasy gem. Anyone not owning this guy on 13 August may as well give up now.
I wonder whether he got it
Bojan (6.0) -- Stoke
Stoke's own superstar signing hasn't exactly taken them into orbit yet. The one-time wunderkind has been in a state of arrested development since he left Barca.
He was hamstrung by a nasty ACL (knee) injury which sidelined him for six months in 2015 and last season his diminished playing time was the inevitable result. But despite only playing 1697 minutes in 2015/16, Bojangles got more goals (7) or bonus points (17) than any 6.5 or under midfielder. He is almost certain to see more time on the pitch and the retention of Shaquiri Shaquiri and Marky Mark Arnautovic mean Stoke remain full of attacking quality. The one-time Messi prodigy remains supremely talented and - here's the really good part - is classed as a midfielder. It's almost unjust to put him in your team but justice is for the weak. Grow some cojones and pick up this twinkle-toed middle-aged wonder-kid.
John Stones (5.0) -- Everton / Man City
If, as expected, Stoney boy makes the move to the Etihad, he'll be a steal at 5.0. City's defence weren't half as bad last season as is commonly thought. In fact they were tied for third in fewest goals conceded per game. They rotated a lot so there weren't any Fantasy standouts but Stones would slot in as a nailed on CB. Plop him in your Fantasy side and you'll have one of the better defenders in the game at a knock-off price. Magic.
Eldin Jakupovic (4.0) -- Hull
No, I'd never heard of him either but let me help you out - He's the new Hull goalie and for 4.0 you won't get a more likely starting GK. Steve Bruce's side only conceded 36 goals last season, more than other promoted sides Burnley (35) or Middlesborough (30), but that 0.5m could be the difference between Bolasie and Kante, and there's no reason to superfluously spaff coin on a reserve goalkeeper now is there? Keep your shit tight.
Salmon Man Rondon (6.5) / Diafra Sakho (6.0) -- West Brom
Many are touting Burnley's Dorian Gray (6.5) to burst into the prem this season and he's certainly lighting up the friendlies but I like a bit of top-shelf experience me.
It's hard to get too excited for West Borem strikers but consider that in his debut Prem season for a side with the third worst attack in the league, Rondon was top of his price bracket in points (115). He has pedigree for scoring 20+ goals per season, albeit in mostly village leagues, and his fixtures to kick things off are cookies and cream:
13 Aug 15:00
1
Crystal Palace (A)
1
20 Aug 15:00
2
Everton (H)
3
28 Aug 13:30
3
Middlesbrough (H)
1
10 Sep 15:00
4
Bournemouth (A)
1
17 Sep 15:00
5
West Ham (H)
3
24 Sep 15:00
6
Stoke (A)
2
01 Oct 15:00
7
Sunderland (A)
1
Meanwhile Sakho looks to be the new kid on the block - commanding £16million he's a big money signing (well, by monetary standards anyway) and more assured of playing time than Rondon at a 0.5m discount. Diafra's 5 goals last season for a potent Wham attack isn't exactly stellar, and he's constantly injured. In fact, you could do worse than pop a few quid on him failing the medical. But it could be tricky to find a striker with Prem pedigree this talented for £6.0m or less.
If you're looking for a budget stud to stick on your top end, grab a hold of one of these guys and squeeze him for all he's worth. Did that come out right?
