Start early, our guide to the fantasy Premier League team

The English Premier League season is still a month away, but football fans can start thinking about their dream teams as the 2016-17 Premier League fantasy game will be launched this week.

The 2016 European Championship was truly a bittersweet moment for the football fans. On one hand, they were treated to a brilliant final where Portugal clinched their first ever international title. But it also meant that the 2015-16 football season officially came to an end with the fans facing the prospect of two entire months without any popular football competition.

Let there be no doubt. France’s Dimitri Payet should be your first pick for the fantasy team. He will reward you. (Reuters)

However, the fans have something to be happy about in this off-season.

The team (HT Graphics)

The English Premier League season is still a month away, but football fans can start thinking about their dream teams as the 2016-17 Premier League fantasy game will be launched this week. Around 33 million people take part in fantasy football every year, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. And that speaks volumes about the popularity of the ‘sport’.

However, this time, the fantasy football enthusiasts will face with a few challenges while choosing their team for the initial weeks. The league has seen huge managerial changes which will affect the possible team selections in the competition and there is a good possibility of big money transfers happening towards the end of August after the season has already started. But, the fantasy season will be as exciting as ever and players will be vying for the top prize in different fantasy leagues around the world.

So, it’s time for all the fantasy football enthusiasts to put on their thinking caps and decide on the team which they will field on the first week of the new EPL season.