As Fantasy Premier League managers can now select their 15-man squads, The Scout analyses standout budget and premium players in each position.
Adam Smith (BOU) £4.5m
A price of only £4.5m raises the early-season appeal of AFC Bournemouth's defender.
Smith is cheaper than Cherries centre-backs Nathan Ake and Steve Cook, who cost £5.0m apiece.
And with uncertainty over their first-choice goalkeeper for 2019/20, full-back Smith offers a cut-price route into a defence that claimed 10 clean sheets last season.
Early platform
AFC Bournemouth's initial run of matches is another big draw.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), six of their first nine opponents score only two.
AFC Bournemouth first 10 Gameweeks
| GW | Opp | FDR | GW | Opp | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHU (H) | 2 | 6 | SOU (A) | 2 |
| 2 | AVL (A) | 2 | 7 | WHU (H) | 2 |
| 3 | MCI (H) | 4 | 8 | ARS (A) | 4 |
| 4 | LEI (A) | 3 | 9 | NOR (H) | 2 |
| 5 | EVE (H) | 2 | 10 | WAT (A) | 3 |
Eddie Howe's men face only two of last season's top six in their opening 10 Gameweeks.
These matches are in Gameweek 3 when they host Manchester City, and in Gameweek 8 when they visit Arsenal.
Smith was limited to 25 appearances last term due to injury, managing only one goal and one assist.
So, although expectations of attacking returns may be low, his prospects of clean sheets in the early stages are very encouraging.
That can make the AFC Bournemouth right-back a handy option for managers in need of a budget defender for their opening squads.
