Despite the strict £83m budget for our Fantasy Premier League XI, both Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane (£12.5m) make the cut in the first Scout Selection of 2017/18.
Ben Foster (WBA) £4.5m
A home encounter with AFC Bournemouth could be a tight contest, but we are backing Foster to emerge with a strong FPL return. With good fixtures to come, the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper is among the best value £4.5m options for the opening months.
Antonio Valencia (MUN) £6.5m
The priciest pick in our back four, the Ecuadorian looks a certain starter in a Manchester United defence that topped the ranks with 17 clean sheets last season. Valencia could even be deployed as a wing-back against visitors West Ham United, boosting the prospect of attacking points.
Ryan Bertrand (SOU) £5.5m
Like Valencia, the left-back is the most secure and attack-minded selection in a Southampton defence that looks well-placed for a clean sheet. Bertrand topped the Saints' ranks with 4.4 points per match last season and faces a Swansea City attack without key men Gylfi Sigurdsson (£8.5m) and Fernando Llorente (£7.5m).
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV) £4.5m
The 18-year-old is poised to replace the injured Nathaniel Clyne (£5.5m), as Liverpool visit Watford. A short-term selection, he can deliver real value in Gameweek 1 having impressed in pre-season. Jurgen Klopp’s side conceded only four goals over eight pe-season matches, keeping four shutouts.
Scott Dann (CRY) £5.0m
Backed for a clean sheet at home to newly promoted Huddersfield Town, the Crystal Palace centre-back provides a menacing threat from set-pieces. Dann fired 19 headed attempts last season – only Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi (£5.5m) recorded more among FPL defenders.
Kevin De Bruyne (MCI) £10.0m
De Bruyne topped the ranks with 21 assists last season and maintained that over the summer with four more. Deployed behind Man City’s strikers by head coach Pep Guardiola, we are predicting big things for De Bruyne this season, starting at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah (LIV) £9.0m
Four goals in pre-season suggest that the Egyptian winger will take little time to adjust to life on Merseyside. Adding his pace to an already vibrant Reds attack, Salah will be a major threat to Watford and we fully expect him to maintain that sparkling summer form.
Willian (CHE) £7.0m
The Brazilian is expected to start for the champions against Burnley in the absence of the injured Eden Hazard (£10.5m). Willian created chances and fired shots at a faster rate than the Belgian last season, while his set-pieces will be a major threat to a Clarets defence that ranked second for shots faced away from home in 2016/17.
Wilfried Zaha (CRY) £7.0m
The winger has been handed greater attacking freedom in new manager Frank de Boer’s 3-4-3 system. We expect him to exploit that against visiting Huddersfield Town and demonstrate early on that he can deliver outstanding FPL value over 2017/18.
Romelu Lukaku (MUN) £11.5m
Backed by an intimidating 49% of FPL managers, it is almost impossible to ignore the claims of the summer signing against West Ham United. Lukaku has scored in nine of his last 10 matches versus the Hammers in all competitions and will sport our Gameweek 1 armband.
Harry Kane (TOT) £12.5m
The challenger to Lukaku for the captaincy, Kane heads to Newcastle United having ended the season with seven goals in his final two away matches. His 7.5 points per match bettered every other FPL player in 2016/17, ensuring his selection in our opening Gameweek line-up.
Reminder - GW1 deadline is Friday 11 August, 18:45 BST
