• Mohamed Salah finished more than 100 points clear of the next best midfielder last season

• Robert Sanchez appears to have won back his starting place at Chelsea, who look to have a kind run of opening fixtures

• New rules rewarding "defensive contributions" could work in favour of Murillo and Gabriel

With the Premier League season fast approaching, it is time to start thinking seriously about players that should be included in your Fantasy Football team.

Goalkeeper - Robert Sanchez

Chelsea did enough to finish fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez played a big role in their success.

Although he lost his starting position and was criticised by boss Enzo Maresca, Sanchez was able to regain his place and he recently helped the Blues win the Club World Cup.

Sanchez is set to start in goal for Chelsea, who have a great first six fixtures to open the new campaign.

Last season, Sanchez earned 126 points and was the fifth-best goalkeeper in the game, so he should offer another great route into the Chelsea squad.

Defender - Gabriel

Arsenal defender was a mainstay in plenty of teams last season and should continue to be a major asset during the upcoming campaign.

The Brazilian suffered a season-ending injury with a few months left of the campaign and still picked up 117 points.

With FPL bosses now rewarding defenders for their "defensive contributions", Gabriel is a player that should not be overlooked by anyone.

He will be part of an Arsenal defence that is expected to get multiple clean sheets and offers a goal threat at set-pieces.

Defender - Murillo

The king of "defensive contributions" makes the shortlist and Murillo had a monster campaign for Nottingham Forest.

Murillo would have gained an extra 38 points last season had the new rule been in force, which basically rewards defenders for clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles.

Murillo made 378 in total and is a mainstay in Nottingham Forest's defence, which makes him a no-brainer in squads for the upcoming campaign.

Midfielder - Mohamed Salah

Even though Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been made the most expensive player in fantasy football, he has to feature in most squads.

The Egypt international scored a jaw-dropping 344 points last season, 108 more than the next best midfielder, Bryan Mbeumo.

Salah is expected to keep taking penalties for Liverpool, who have strengthened even as the defending champions. His ability to rack up points is unrivalled in fantasy football and he should be one of the first names on any teamsheet.

Forward - Ollie Watkins

With Erling Haaland priced at £14million this year in fantasy football, it is Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins who deserves consideration.

Watkins scored 186 points last season and he is practically guaranteed to start up front for a Villa side that has very few options in the final third.

Only Alexander Isak had more touches in the penalty box than Watkins last season and he had the fourth-most shots on target.

Watkins' price of £9million enables players to spend more elsewhere and he has what it takes to compete with the likes of Isak and Haaland.