Like CBD oil, oat milk, and hazy IPAs, premium fantasy defenders are all the rage right now, and it’s easy to see why. A defender who can deliver attacking returns as well as clean sheets can stack up big points in FPL. Indeed, of the eight players who totaled more than 200 points last season, three were defenders. And importantly, those defenders cost only a fraction of their more expensive midfield and forward colleagues.

So it’s no surprise that rocking an all-star back line has become fashionable among FPL managers. But as valuable as premium defenders might be, your front three are no less critical. You must get your forward picks right if you want to succeed in FPL, and we’re here to help with that. Read on to learn about the cream of the crop in each price bracket.

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Budget (£4.5-£6.0):

Looking for a cheap route into Liverpool’s devastating attack? I offer you Divock Origi (£5.5), who is available at less than half the cost of his flashy teammates like Mohamed Salah (£12.5) and Sadio Mané (£11.5). His talent is undeniable — he scored a brace in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona to propel the Reds past the Spanish giants on aggregate, and then added another goal in the 2-0 defeat of Tottenham in the Final.

He has sustained that end-of-season form into the summer, too, with three preseason goals so far — the most of any Red. Check out this slick little piece of skill from earlier this month and you’ll understand why Jurgen Klopp puts so much faith in a player whose main role is deputy:

With Salah, Mané, and Roberto Firmino all on national team duty late into the summer, Jurgen Klopp will likely field Origi in the early season to allow his Terrible Trio some time to work back to full fitness after some much-needed rest. Indeed, Mané will not even rejoin the squad until next week, which means Origi is almost a lock to start GW 1. Go ahead and punch a cheap ticket for the Origi train and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Sheffield United forwards Billy Sharp (£6.0), and David McGoldrick (£5.5) are two other viable options in this cut-rate price range. Sharp is SHU’s captain and top scorer, registering 23 goals in the Championship last year. And he has picked up right where he left off, with four goals in four preseason games so far. A sure starter when fit, he’d make a great third forward in FPL, especially considering the Blades’ favorable early fixture list.

Sharp’s strike partner, McGoldrick, averaged one goal for every three league appearances last year, and he is SHU’s primary PK taker. With VAR expected to increase the number of spot kicks this season, that responsibility could bump up McGoldrick’s value even more.

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Mid-Range (£6.5-£8.5):

Troy Deeney (£6.5) netted nine times last season and assisted five. He is on pens for the Hornets, and as captain he will rarely be rotated. But for the same money you could own Gerard Deulofeu (£6.5), who registered the same number of assists as Deeney, but scored one more goal. Indeed, the Spaniard was Watford’s best FPL asset last year, outscoring Deeney by 17 points. The Hornets’ tasty opening schedule makes him an attractive option again this season even though he’s been reclassified as a forward.

For my money, Callum Wilson’s name deserves to be mentioned in any conversation about the EPL’s most elite strikers. The 27 year-old notched 14 goals and 9 assists last season, good enough to place him #5 among FPL forwards despite the fact that he missed eight games through injury. And unless he’s injured, he’s virtually nailed-on to start. Chelsea had targeted him before their hands were shackled by a transfer ban, but you are under no such restrictions. At £8.0, he merits serious consideration.

But if your budget can’t quite stretch that far, then his strike partner, Josh King (£6.5), is also a great option. The Norwegian registered only one goal less than Wilson, and he is on pen duty — a point that could have particular importance this year with the implementation of VAR. With a manager who insists on pushing forward and the creative genius of Ryan Fraser supporting him, King looks primed for another successful season (which will open against two newly promoted teams).

Raúl Jiménez (£7.5) was one of last season’s breakout fantasy stars. He put up 13 goals and 10 assists and started all but two matches. His 31 bonus points trailed only Eden Hazard and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and he ranked #6 for FPL ppg with 4.8. This performance did not escape the notice of FPL managers: He is currently in 34% of all FPL teams (for reference, Mo Salah is owned by 36%). At just £7.5 he looks a strong value again this year, but for now I must advise caution. The Mexican was brilliant in Wolves’ Europa League qualifying game on Thursday, bagging a brace to advance past Crusaders on aggregate. But he was forced off in the 55th minute with a foot injury, so his status for GW 1 is therefore unclear.

Fortunately we have a ready-made alternative in the form of his teammate, Diogo Jota (£6.5). Jota’s fantasy value soared after Nuno Espírito Santo switched from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2 midway through last season, shifting Jota to the center from the left wing in order to partner with Jiménez. The result was nine goals and seven assists for Jota in the 20 games that followed. Indeed, the Portuguese actually outperformed his Mexican strike partner over that period. A full £1 less expensive than Jiménez, Jota has already scored twice and added two helpers in preseason play. I like him a lot this season, even though he has been re-classified as a forward this time around.

Be aware that Wolves now advance to the third qualifying round of the Europa League and will make a 6,000 mile round trip to Armenia to face Pyunik on Thursday, just 3 days before they open their EPL campaign against Leicester City at King Power Stadium.

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Premium (£9.0-£12.0):

The February appointment of attack-minded gaffer Brendan Rodgers brought an uptick in the real-life and fantasy performances of Jamie Vardy, who finished the season with the EPL’s third-highest goal total. He must travel to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford in his first five, but he is assured of starts, takes pens, and has no European tournament commitments to worry about. Last year’s 4th highest-scoring FPL forward, he is priced at just 9.0, so I’m eyeing him pretty seriously for my GW 1 squad.

Last season Sergio Aguero (£12.0) was virtually locked-on to start whenever he was available — a key feature that separated him from almost all the other Manchester City attackers. And while it’s true that the Argentinian just turned 31, don’t fret that his young understudy, Jesus, will threaten his starts just yet. Kun finished just one goal behind the trio that shared last season’s Golden Boot, and was FPL’s 2nd-highest scoring forward. The only two caveats that give me pause are are his price — the highest of any forward in the game — and the fact that he tends not to perform as well away from the Etihad.

Harry Kane (£11.0) is a bona fide fantasy football superstar whose track record as an EPL assassin speaks for itself. Although he has been a notoriously slow starter in the past, this summer has seen his first time off in five years. He took the time away to relax (and get married!), and he now says “I’m going into this season as fresh as I have been for long while” (www.telegraph.co.uk).

King Kane will face two of the Big 6 in his first five matches, but the two-time EPL Golden Boot winner takes pens and can score from open play against anybody (he just netted against Real Madrid on Tuesday). He opens the season against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane, so I’ll buy and hold from the outset this year. He seems a relative bargain at £11M, at least until he rolls an ankle again.

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Join the Never Manage Alone FPL Private League

First sign into the official Fantasy Premier League 2019-20 fantasy game. If you don’t already have an account, register for one.

Then join the Never Manage Alone “Beat the Bloggers” (“BTB”) private league to test your mettle against our crack staff and veteran community members. To do so, first pick a team name and fill out your roster with all 15 players. Once you have built your team, simply click on this link to join our private league (Leagues -> Private Leagues) and enter the code below:

League Name: Never Manage Alone “BTB”

League Code: osvy55

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[Data used in this article was sourced from www.theguardian.com, www.radiotimes.com, www.fantasyfootballscout.com, www.fantraxhq.com, www.premierleague.com, and www.statsbomb.com.]

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Which of my picks will be in your GW 1 FPL squad? Are you wondering why prominent forwards like PEA, Alexandre Lacazette, Marcus Rashford, Firmino, Glenn Murray, or another of your favorites didn’t make my list? Ask me in the comments!

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