5 Bargain Buys: Fantasy Football

With the upcoming EPL fixtures fast approaching we highlight some of the cheap snap ups you can select in your team to make the numbers. Whilst you boast the mighty likes of Aguero, Ibrahimovic and Vardy all up top who can you play in the centre valued at a measly fee but still rake in the points:

Some of the players who may have gone unnoticed are:

• Victor Valdes - Goalkeeper - Middlesbrough - £4.5 million - (Stoke, Sunderland, West Brom)

The former Barcelona man is just one among many big names to join the newly promoted team this season, he will be hoping to start ahead of Guzan and Konstantopoulous in net. Valdes is currently selected by 8.3% of teams since he is the best prospect in goal for £4.5 million, he outranks Mandanda (5.1%)of Crystal Palace and Boruc (6.7%) of Bournemouth in terms of cheap keepers. Middlesborough shipped in just 8 goals at home last season, their fans and Fantasy Football players alike will be hoping they can maintain such a respectable record.

• Neil Taylor  - Defender - Swansea - £4.5 million - (Burnley, Hull, Leicester)

Whilst Taylor may not be the finest left back around (as shown facing Kyle Walker for Wales) he is still an integral part of the Swansea set up. The Welsh team have faced a miserable transfer window, the loss of all forwards up front in addition to Ayew's imminent move to West Ham and Williams' rumoured transfer to Merseyside. However the prospect of facing two newly promoted sides early on should be encouraging for Guidolin, especially given Hull's dire situation, three Swansea clean sheets are not out of the question assuming Leicester can't replicate their free scoring abilities from last season. At £4.5 million Taylor is of good value and significantly cheaper than other full backs such as Bellerin (£6.5) and Walker (£5.5). On the other hand John Stones, now of Manchester City is a definite starter for the Blues and at (£5.0) is by far the cheapest in their back line.

• Sofiane Feghouli - Midfielder - West Ham - £5.5 million - (Chelsea, Bournemouth, Manchester City) 

The Algerian winger arrived at West Ham early this summer and as a result may have slipped under the radar hidden beneath the colossal shadows of Ibrahimovic and Pogba speculation. Bilic signed the 26 year old on a free, he's exceptional value both in real life and the FPL! Feghouli will most likely start since the position as a left winger is relatively unchallenged given Lanzini's injury. It may be a punt yet if the Algerian's inclusion doesn't pay off simply swap him out for Marc Albrighton (Leicester) or Jason Puncheon/ Wilfred Zaha (Crystal Palace) who all at £5.5 narrowly missed out on the shortlist. 

• Shane Long - Forward - Southampton - £6.5 million - (Watford, Manchester United, Sunderland)

Long has all put cemented his small yet powerful 5ft11 frame into Southampton's starting line up as a result of Pelle's departure to China. It's most likely that Long will play alongside former QPR striker Austin (£6.5) in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation under new manager Claude Puel, this will suit the Irishman as he is always eager to run onto flicks and knock ons that will be provided by Austin. Unsurprisingly strikers are by far the most expensive players on the game however expect a lot of value for Long as his persistence will never leave you feeling underwhelmed. Long is half Aguero's value yet expect the Southampton striker to finish much closer to the Argentine in the goal charts.

• Jordan Rhodes - Forward - Middlesbrough - £6.0 million - (Stoke, Sunderland, West Brom)

If Long's price tag is too heavy than why not throw Rhodes into the mix? The Scotsman has one of the most impressive scoring records around having netted 83 goals in 150 appearances for Blackburn until his arrival at Middlesbrough. The 26 year old is set to partner Negredo up top in what could be the most devastating strike force around! Rhodes is a clinical finisher and also has scored 15 spot kicks in his career, missing just three, he'll be sure to score goals in a Middlesbrough team who look ready to fight for their survival in the league. Stick him in!

Notable Mentions:

Steve Mandanda - Crystal Palace - Goalkeeper - £4.5
John Stones - Manchester City - Defender - £5.5
Marc Albrighton - Leicester City - Midfielder - £5.5
Saido Berahino - West Brom - Forward - £6.5