Premium Player Picks

The transfer deadline is now behind us, and the curtain is now down on the first international break of the young season. Per usual , this period is guaranteed to be marked by a significant number of wildcards being activated. The question of whether an early wildcard is best course of action is debatable. However you decide to manage the power of the wildcard, it is worthwhile to remember that there will be a few fantasy studs whose playing and traveling schedule during the international break make them a selection risk for gameweek 4. To those of you that decide to unleash its power, may your points be abundant and exceed your best expectations.

In an effort to assist with your selection endeavors, let's take a look at some of the premium players that should be on our radar for the upcoming fixtures, the big money players who, regardless of fixtures, are likely to provide double digit returns and the security of consistent, plentiful minutes.

Alexis Sanchez (£11.9) & Hector Bellerin (£6.0)

Poor starts aside, the pair above are worthy of our attention, especially in light of Arsenal hosting the likes of Bournemouth, West Brom, and Brighton.

Seemingly forced to finish his contract at the Emirates, Sanchez does not seem the type to be a malcontent and should be chomping at the bit to show himself the best player for the Gunners.

Now that Oxlade-Chamberlain is taking up residence at Anfield, Bellerin should have limited competition for the wing-back role. This scenario should bring smiles to the faces of many fantasy manager, as the marauding wing-back now has a clear path to two quality finishers in Lacazatte and Sanchez to convert his many crosses into goals.

Alvaro Morata (£10.1)

Eden Hazard is fit again, but we'll be cautious and allow him a little more time to return to his razor sharp self. Morata has started his Chelsea career very positively. Despite Batshuayi's heroics over the preseason, the former Real Madrid striker is the undisputed main man up top. As evidenced by his play for Spain earlier this week, he is primed to continue these exploits when the Premier League resumes this weekend.

Gylfi Sigurdsson (£8.4)

The man Ronald Koeman sees as pivotal to his project, "Siggy" (not Wayne Rooney) will be the focal point of all things Toffee. Sigurdsson has the potential for both double figure goals and assists.

Riyad Mahrez (£8.5)

Didn't get the move he wanted, but Mahrez has shown the right attitude thus far. It appears that redemption from a relatively poor showing last season is a priority for Mr. Mahrez. With three assists and two bonus points in 3 games, he has started the redemption campaign in top drawer fashion. This is good news for us fantasy managers, definitely one to seriously consider.

Sadio Mane (£9.6)

With a goal in each fixture thus far, we could argue Mane should be the first name on this list. With leaky defenses on the horizon, there should be more goals to come.

Gabriel Jesus (£10.4)

With Champions League around the corner it's hard to predict Pep Guardiola's upcoming lineups. The Spaniard seems to love the young Brazilian, making him quite possibly the safest investment route into the squad.

Romelu Lukaku (£11.7) & Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£8.3) & Antonio Valencia (£6.5)

Goals, assists, clean sheets. They may not be able to keep up this pace over the entire season, but it is imperative for fantasy managers to strike while the iron is hot and get them in.

Ryan Bertrand (£5.5)

The most expensive route into the Southampton backline, Bertrand has started every game and looks to be assured of this role moving forward. Soton's clean-sheet potential and Bertrand's penchant for assists should make him an attractive option.

Harry Kane (£12.4) & Dele Alli (£9.5) & Toby Alderweireld (£6.0)

The Spurs have had an underwhelming start, but the upcoming schedule is kind. August is gone, and September has already ushered in a Harry Kane goal in International play. It would be very fair to assume that the reigning premier league golden boot is about to lead a Spurs resurgence with many, many, many, many goals.

The best defense in the league last season also has to step up, and I believe they will. Rotation is a threat in the wing back area so let's go for the safety of the Belgian stalwart who has an eye on a new lucrative contract.

These are some of the players who will be taking big bites out of our budgets. Do you agree with these picks or are there others you have in mind? Let me know in the comments section.