The World Cup was a haze of goals, gaffes and glorious entertainment – but for fantasy football fans the Premier League is the pinnacle.
England fans have been on emotional rollercoaster this summer, so a return to the bread and butter will be a welcome comfort.
As the Premier League season draws ever closer, so does Dream Team – the UK’s biggest fantasy football game – is back and better than ever to make your experience of it all even more compelling.
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- Dream Team is back and better than ever ahead of the new Premier League season
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- £400k jackpot up for grabs across the season
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As much as you would love to jam-pack your Dream Team full of the very best strikers in the league, your budget makes this almost impossible to do.
One way around this is by taking a gamble on a name which might not be as glamorous as a Mohamed Salah or Sergio Aguero, but could prove just as important to your fantasy football team.
By selecting one of these five bargain strikers, it gives you the chance to free up some of your budget to pick the very best players elsewhere.
1 Richarlison – £2.5m
Richarlison had a barnstorming start to his Watford career and looked every part like the real deal.
The Brazilian was signed by Marco Silva and impressed in his first few months in England, with his early season form where he picked up most of his 87 points in fantasy football last season.
The 21-year-old however then had a sharp decline in his form and looked nothing like the player we all thought he could become.
Richarlison will hope that his £50million move to Everton could be the spark which reignites his Premier League career.
The transfer is a risk for Everton, just as he would be for your Dream Team, however at just £2.5m it seems like a risk well worth taking.
2 Ashley Barnes – £2m
Barnes was one of the most important players in Burnley’s brilliant last season which saw them finish 7th in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old is unlikely to play the most attractive football you will see all season, however he is certainly effective.
He netted nine Premier League goals for Sean Dyche’s side in their last campaign and was even linked with a shock transfer to Chelsea in January.
Burnley are expected to have another good season with the tenacious forward likely to feature heavily, just as he did last season when he made 36 appearances.
At just £2m, Barnes is definitely an option worth considering in your Dream Team.
3 Laurent Depoitre – £1.5m
Depoitre was one of Huddersfield’s most important players in their survival winning campaign.
The 29-year-old scored six goals for the Terriers last season, including one in a memorable victory against Man United and also the dramatic survival clinching goal against Chelsea.
The towering striker picked up a respectable 66 points in fantasy football last season and will hope to improve on that tally in his second year in English football.
Priced up at £1.5m, Depoitre is one of the cheapest strikers in this year’s game but could still do the business in your fantasy football team.
4 Troy Deeney – £2.5m
Famously not lacking in ‘cojones’ Deeney can often be a defender’s worst nightmare.
His bull-dog like style saw him pick up a modest 63 points in last year’s fantasy football game, a total he could well better this season.
The 30-year-old is also the main penalty taker for the Hornets, making him even more of an enticing prospect.
With a price in this year’s game of £2.5m, Deeney could be a smart pick for Dream Team managers who have spent the bulk of their budget elsewhere.
5 Marcus Rashford – £3m
We’ve saved the best till last.
Rashford is perhaps a surprise inclusion on this list considering his ability and the fact that he plays for United.
The 20-year-old scored himself a spectacular 150 points in last season’s fantasy football game, even after his playing time was limited.
Rashford is expected to have another fight on his hands for regular minutes at Old Trafford, but the departure of Anthony Martial could free up more opportunities for the striker.
The Man United man is a steal at just £3m in this year’s fantasy football game and is surely a player who the majority of Dream Team managers will be snapping up this season.
How does Premier League fantasy football work?
Every single season the Premier League gets more intriguing – and playing Dream Team really is the perfect way to enhance your experience of it.
You’ll be assigned a total budget of £50m for each side you pick and you’ll be able pick a maximum of 10 free teams.
The Game Weeks run from Friday to Thursday, effectively meaning the new Game Week starts after the last Europa League games are completed.
You get three transfers a month on the first Friday of every month so using them wisely is essential.
Every player on the game will be assigned a price at the start of the season which will then vary and fluctuate on a weekly basis dependent on their performances.
For example, last season we valued Mo Salah at £4m at the start of the season but the Egyptian King rocketed to over £11m by the end after his stunning goalscoring form.
Make sure to check out our website or app to see how our simplistic points system works.