Fantasy football tips: 5 goalscoring defenders you must pick this season

The new Premier League season is inching closer and closer, so it's about time you started thinking about your fantasy football team. 

Arsenal and Leicester kick things off on Friday, but you’ll need your Dream Team to be prepped and ready well before then to stand the best chance at winning that massive £750,000 prize pot.

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When it comes to , we all know that picking the right attack and midfield is the easy bit, while choosing a defence that is affordable and effective is the real challenge.

While it's definitely worth keeping one eye on the best defenders of last season, it's also wise to consider which boys at the back can do the business in front of goal as well.

So without further ado, here's the best goalscoring defenders you may need to consider...

James Milner - £4.0m

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Milner's days as a midfielder appear to be up.

But luckily, he's perfectly adept as a defender.

Playing mostly as a full-back last season, Milner notched seven goals and four assists from the left-flank, with most of his goals coming from the penalty spot.

As Liverpool's designated penalty taker, Milner managed 112 points on Dream Team last season, but he'll face plenty of competition from new boy and natural left-back Andrew Robertson.

Marcos Alonso - £5.5m 

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Chelsea snapped up Alonso for around £24 million last summer and he turned out to be a very fine investment indeed.

Playing as a left wing-back, Alonso and fellow winger Victor Moses were two massive cogs in Chelsea's title-winning machine.

How did Azpilicueta perform on fantasy football this season?

• 1 goal and 4 assists in all competitions
• WhoScored rating of 7.21 - higher than David Luiz and Pedro
• Highest scoring defender on Dream Team (118 points)

With six goals and three assists, the Spaniard proved to be just as effective going forward as he was defensively.

We expect him to be a very popular pick on Dream Team this season.

Gary Cahill - £5.5m 

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Another big part of Chelsea's Premier League success story last season was this guy.

In the absence of John Terry, Cahill often led from the back and even chipped in with the odd goal or two.

In fact, by May, Cahill had scored more Premier League goals than Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba.

Not bad for a centre-back, eh?

Gareth McAuley - £3.0m

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Here’s a big Dream Team favourite.

Veteran centre-back McAuley was essential to West Brom's top-half finish last season, notching six goals in the Premier League on his way to a fantastic 7.11 rating.

A fairly open secret this season, McAuley is still worth a pop at just £3.0m on the game.

Patrick van Aanholt - £3.0m

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We expect van Aanholt to have a big role under new boss Frank de Boer this season.

With five goals in the Premier League last season, PVA proved to be a major attacking force for both Sunderland and Palace, capable of raking in the points.

Coupled with a price of just £3.0m, the Dutchman could be a real gem in your side this season.

Which new players are on the game and how much will they cost?

Premier League clubs have been extremely busy getting deals done already this summer, with some of the fees agreed simply eye-watering.

While Romelu Lukaku’s mega move to Manchester United isn’t likely to be beaten financially, Alexandre Lacazette’s arrival at Arsenal might cause the biggest waves.

What will Lacazette offer on Dream Team?

• Highest rated player (7.57) in France last season
• 28 league goals in as many appearances for Lyon
• 61 points on Dream Team Europe after helping Lyon reach the semi-finals of the Europa League

Liverpool have splashed the cash on former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah while Manchester City, as always, have loosened the purse strings again.

Every new signing will be added to the Dream Team game, with Lacazette priced at an intriguingly cheap £5m.

Who are the best bargains?

While we'd all like to be able to pick a team of stellar names, that £50m budget means you also need to have an eye for a sly bargain.

This season there are quite a few intriguing options available, with Vincent Kompany (£3.5m) and Ander Herrera (£3.0m) both at eye-catching prices.

In attack, new West Ham darling and Manchester United favourite Javier Hernandez is £3.5m which seems like pennies for guaranteed goals.

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