With the new Premier League season edging closer by the day, it really is time to start thinking seriously about your fantasy football line-up.
After all, Dream Team is LIVE right now, ready and waiting for you to get your team in ahead of the first game of the season; Manchester United versus Leicester on August 10.
- Dream Team is back and better than ever ahead of the new Premier League season
- Completely free to play
- £400k jackpot up for grabs across the season
- PLAY DREAM TEAM 2018/19 HERE
We’ve already thrown plenty of tips in your direction, and today we thought we’d have a look at the best goalscoring defenders you can pick this season.
After all, when it comes to fantasy football, it’s definitely worth looking at which defenders can do the business in front of goal, as they’re usually the ones who score the major points.
7 Jamaal Lascelles – £3.0m
What a campaign this guy had.
Captaining Newcastle in their first season back in the Premier League, the young defender netted three times and was named Star Man twice, with most of his 103 points coming from his consistent tally 7+ ratings.
A danger at set-pieces, expect him to be keen to press on this term as he looks to break into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
6 Danilo – £3.0m
Getting into Man City’s starting line-up is always going to be tricky, especially considering how much Pep Guardiola loves a wing-back.
But Danilo did a decent job of it last season, starting 23 times and playing 33 times overall, notching three goals and three assists despite being widely considered a back-up option.
He picked up a knock playing for Brazil at the World Cup so might not be 100%, but is well worth considering as we get underway.
5 Chris Smalling – £4.0m
Please don’t laugh at us, because Smalling is actually a pretty decent fantasy football option.
In fact, last season, he finished up as the fourth-best player you could’ve picked – averaging 4.3 points per a game – and netting four times; including the winning goal in Man United’s extraordinary comeback win over Man City in April.
What’s more, with a large selection of United’s playing squad still recovering from the World Cup (it’s all Jose Mourinho has talked about so far) we reckon Smalling will get a good run in their opening fixtures of the season.
4 Nicolas Otamendi – £4.0m
If you’ve been reading our tips pieces for the last year or so, then you’ll know by now how much we love Otamendi.
Honestly, the Man City bruiser is an amazing player to pick for Dream Team, scoring an impressive five goals last season, as well as taking home five Star Man awards and accumulating an incredible 30 ratings of 7+.
Remember, a 7+ rating gets you three points, and they all add up, don’t they?
3 Patrick van Aanholt – £2.5m
Here’s a left-field option for you.
Crystal Palace’s wing-back only notched 67 points last season, meaning he wasn’t even their best points-scoring defender – with James Tomkins finishing up ahead of him with 109 points.
But if goals is your currency, then van Aanholt is your man.
He notched five goals and one assist in the Premier League last term, helping Palace finish well clear of the relegation zone.
2 Nacho Monreal – £4.0m
Before last season, Monreal hadn’t scored a goal in the Premier League since March 2013.
That unwanted dry-patch soon cleared up however, when the Spaniard went on a bit of madness through the winter months of last season.
In fact, following his first-half opener in Arsenal’s Europa League clash against Ostersunds back in February, Nacho was involved in five goals in the previous six games in all competitions, eventually ending the season with six goals in all competitions.
We want more of the same from you this season, Nacho.
1 Marcos Alonso – £4.5m
It was a season to forget for Chelsea last term, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
The likes of Eden Hazard and Willian proved to be fantasy football heroes, but special praise belongs to Alonso.
The Spanish wing-back was once again one of the best defenders to pick for your Dream Team, coming in as our second-best points-scoring defender behind Otamendi.
But best ofall, he managed an incredible eight goals and four assists in all competitions, making him one of the most-picked players on Dream Team.
Will he be making your team this season?