Fantasy Football - Part 4, Strikers

The final piece of the jigsaw. It's more Amr Zaki or Michu - less Afonso Alves.

Strikers

And finally, the money makers. This is ultimately where your points come from. All it comes down to is goals. Who cares if you're conceding a hatful if you've got Rickie Lambert or Adam Le Fondre up front? And with this in mind check my first pick.

Gary Hooper - Norwich - 6.5 million

Definitely a punt but he has scored for fun for Celtic. As part of a new look Norwich frontline with Ricky van Wolfswinkel, I feel Hooper will be clinical in front of goal this season. By this stage of picking, my budget is really stretched so picking a player like Hooper, while a punt, makes sense. He could be this seasons Lambert or Grant Holt. I hope so.

Arouna Kone - Everton - 7 million

There are other strikers out there available for a similar price but I think Kone, coupled with Everton's attacking service will outscore his previous tally of 11. He's a big strong player and I think he can be the perfect foil for Jelavic. Again, possibly a risky one but I was saving to make sure I could afford…

Robin van Persie - Man Utd - 14 million

There's flushing your money and then there's this. RVP is streets ahead the most expensive player in the game but you can guarantee that, injury free, he will score you goals. And a lot of goals. Especially if Man Utd sign that mysterious creative midfielder, van Persie will enjoy great service all year. Also, if he is injured it means I have a LOT of money to replace him with another quality striker, possibly Aguero.

Strikers are scored by goals. Anyone who is in the right place at the right time, sticks a leg out and gets a lucky bounce will get you points so you'll know who to pick. Strikers often experiences random bursts of form and then unexplainable goal droughts which can never be anticipated. Bobby Zamora was a prime example of a moderately priced forward who scored a lot of goals.

Smart picks
Gabriel Agbonlahor - very consistent striker, never particularly prolific but will get you goals.
Dimitar Berbatov - considering his skill, he's pretty cheap. Played well for Fulham last season
Daniel Sturridge - Had a great season for Liverpool and last year and I expect him to build on that, potentially up there with the top scorers this season

Avoid
Dzeko/Negredo/Jovetic - I believe Aguero is the only automatic pick for City next season. You don't want 9-10 million worth on strikers rotating. Jovetic isn't really a striker either.

Worth a punt
Kevin Phillips - You can't keep a great goal scorer down
Nicolas Anelka - Again, we know he has scoring quality
Andreas Cornelius - Cardiff's record signing could surprise us all!

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Yes there are a few players in this team that could potentially cost me points so I will have to remain vigilant. For example, gameweek 1 sees Hull travel Chelsea, while Tottenham are away to Crystal Palace. This means both Robbie Brady and Allan McGregor are sat on the bench while Eden Hazard is handed the captaincy. Mannone starts in goal as they face a comparatively easier game in Fulham. Meanwhile, Darcy Blake sits on the bench while Younes Kaboul is started in preference as I feel Palace will struggle to score past Spurs.

We'll see how it turns out through the season. Thanks for reading (I so hope I win my leagues).