The new cinch SPFL season is almost upon us.
But before champions Celtic kick off the 23/24 cinch Premiership campaign against Ross County on Flag Day, there’s the small matter of perfecting your Fantasy Football squad for Matchday 1.
Managers will be scouring the game for reliable top performers, balancing their budget with hidden gems and calculating who could enjoy a real breakout year this time around.
We sat down with some of our cinch Premiership captains to get their tips for good additions and some under the radar talent to give you a helping hand before Saturday’s deadline (12.30pm, Saturday 5 August).
Graeme Shinnie
- Club: Aberdeen
- Position: Midfielder
- Fantasy Football Price: £9.5m
"I would have to go either Duk (£14m) or Bojan Miovski (£13m) due to their form last season. Kelle Roos would also be a good shout after the number of clean sheets that he kept too. If I had to choose just one then I’d go for Bojan because he takes penalties so that could swing it.
I think our new signing Ester Sokler (£11m) has looked good in pre-season. It is going to be a different kind of season for us because of Europe so there could be more squad rotation. Ester could be one that could play in games if we rotate our forward players or there are some injuries. He’ll be determined to get in the team so he could be a dark horse to select."
Callum McGregor
- Club: Celtic
- Position: Midfielder
- Price: £13m
"Kyogo (£17m) would be the obvious answer but if he’s the most expensive player in the game then not all the players will be able to afford him. I think Liel Abada (£14m) will get you goals and assists and he plays a lot of games as well so he would be my pick.
Matt O’Riley (£13m) will also get you plenty of goals and assists too so he could also be worth having a look at."
Joe Shaughnessy
- Club: Dundee
- Position: Defender
- Price: £10m
"£10m for me! I will take that (laughs).
In terms of choosing a team-mate to score points and since it is Fantasy Football then I’m looking towards a midfielder who will score a few goals. From what I’ve seen so far then Luke McCowan (£9m) fits that description. He always looks threatening and tries to get forward so he gets my vote."
Craig Gordon
- Club: Heart of Midlothian
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Price: £12m
"Based on last season, the obvious points scorer in our team would be Lawrence Shankland (£16m). Hopefully the defensive side of things will be good for us this season and someone who played a lot of games last year was Alex Cochrane (£12m).
Players might want to take a chance to some of the new players coming in who they might not have seen before. We have signed the Japanese forward Kyosuke Tagawa and depending on his price in the game then he could be one to look out for."
Paul Hanlon
- Club: Hibernian
- Position: Defender
- Price: £11m
"Martin Boyle (£13m) is back so in terms of goals, assists and the chance of taking penalties too then there are points to be won there.
In terms of a good value pick then I’m going to say Lewis Miller (£6m). He didn’t get much game time last year but could get a lot more this year. He’s quite an attacking defender and he has a big long throw and could be a threat at set pieces."
Kyle Vassell
- Club: Kilmarnock
- Position: Forward
- Price: £10m
"I have to go for Danny Armstrong (12m). He’s been really good on penalties and we tend to get a few of them and he provides assists too.
Fraser Murray (£7m) could be a good addition to a squad. I would also mention Matty Kennedy (£9m) but he’ll already have a bit of value after playing in the league for a number of years."
Mikey Devlin
- Club: Livingston
- Position: Defender
- Price: £9m
"For me Noubz (Joel Nouble, £12m) will chip in with some goals and assists this year and Stephen Kelly (£11m) will also contribute to the assists and he takes set pieces too. Bruce Anderson’s goals will always make him a decent choice as well.
In terms of a consistent performer, Sean Kelly (£9m) is very rarely injured, is an important player for our team and hits free kicks. He can play in defence and midfield so might get some clean sheet points too so that’s another bonus."
Liam Kelly
- Club: Motherwell
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Price: £12m
"I will take my price (laughs). That makes me a good pick. In terms of team-mates, I would go for Blair Spittal (£11m). He takes our set pieces and contributes with goals too.
I think Jon Obika (£9m) could score a good amount this season – it is all about the team creating chances for him."
Jack Baldwin
- Club: Ross County
- Position: Defender
- Price: £10m
"That’s a good question and I’m going to think about this far too much. I’m trying to choose between a striker and a creative midfielder. Simon Murray (£9m) has started the season on fire in the Viaplay Cup so I will go for him.
In terms of defenders, Connor Randall (£7m) will get good minutes when fit and he’s known as Mr Reliable at the club. This year, I think he’s had a word with the coaching staff to get up for more corners because he’s usually the one left back at set pieces.
He’s already scored in the cup so it might be a good move to add him to your squad."
Liam Gordon
- Club: St Johnstone
- Position: Defender
- Price: £11m
"Drey Wright (£10m) posted good numbers last season. I know he’s a midfielder but he played as a defender at times and he popped up with a number of goals and assists which helped us.
Our new striker Luke Jephcott (£8m) has come in and he looks like a natural finisher so I’m sure he could add some points through his goalscoring.
Graham Carey’s (£8m) fitness levels in pre season have been through the roof and everyone knows what a good left foot he has. Graham could rack up goals from set pieces or open play so maybe he’s another one that I would watch."
Mark O’Hara
- Club: St Mirren
- Position: Midfielder
- Price: £12m
"I’d be going straight for Ryan Strain (£11m) – he produces an assist more or less every other game so he’s my pick right away.
I also think Greg Kiltie (£9m) could be a good investment. His stats maybe don’t always do him justice in terms of just how creative he is so I feel that he could definitely be good value."
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