Can Wayne Rooney put a poor World Cup behind him and turn it on again next season? Will Frank Lampard continue where he left off and pick up points for fun?

The start of the 2010/11 Premier League is nearly upon us, which means it’s time for you to pick your Fantasy Football team for next season!

How did you fare last season? Not great? Same here, but redemption in the form of the 2010/11 season is here my fellow competitor.

Before you take the plunge and pick your team for the coming season let us offer some words of distorted wisdom…

Goalkeepers

If you wanted value for money in goal last season Thomas Sorensen was your man. The Stoke shot stopper cost a paltry €5million to buy and in return served up 145pts, making him the 4^th best goalkeeper in the league. The Danish shot stopper is the same price this term, but will he prove as profitable? He’s certainly one for considering putting in your squad.

As for the rest, the trio of Pepe Reina, Brad Friedel and Huerelho Gomes all enjoyed successful campaigns last year and should be reliable point scorers next term, with the latter offering plenty of value at £5.5million.

Defenders

Buying players from the Big 4 is expensive, but clean sheets don’t come cheap and if you want a mean backline you have to be prepared to splash the cash on some quality. Throwing in either Ashley Cole, John Terry, Patrice Evra or Jamie Carragher may dig a slight hole into that transfer kitty, but you can be assured of points if you are prepared to invest.

What’s that I hear you cry? Who is going to be a bargain buy at the back? Well, with Rio Ferdinand seemingly made from glass, snapping up his likely replacement, in the form of Jonny Evans at £5.5 million, could be a shrewd piece of business. The Northern Irishman made 28 appearances in all competitions last season, regularly filling in for Ferdinand at the heart of the United defence, and could get even more opportunities in 2010/11.

Midfielders

In Fantasy Football terms Frank Lampard is Blockbuster’s Bob Holness, the man with all the points. Lamps is such a consistent high performer that it’s hard to leave him out of your XI, but the price tag of £13 million round his neck means you may have no choice.

If you’re not convinced about signing the Chelsea player you could do a lot worse than snap up Everton’s Mikel Arteta. Spain’s 8^th choice midfielder takes corners, free kicks and penalties for the Toffees, which makes him a regular points scorer and potential captain material.

Forwards

Goals, goals, goals… That’s the only real consideration when choosing your 3 forwards and how many of them are they going to score. Forget the big target man, dismiss that guy who links play up well, to succeed in Fantasy Football you need strikers that can find the back of the net on an almost weekly basis.

Take your pick from Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez as your expensive yet compulsory signing. Failure to do will see you slip behind your rivals in the race for Fantasy Football glory.

Join our league

To coincide with the start of the English Football Premiership season, we have joined forces with Poker Heaven to invite you to take part in our fantasy football league hosted on the official Fantasy Premier League website. We have cash bonuses as well as tournament tickets up for grabs for the top 10 players in each game week as well as prizes for the top 10 of the Poker Heaven league at the end of the month.

How do I play?

1. Open a Fantasy Premier League account. It’s completely free!
2. Choose your team name, design your kit, and then select your squad of 15 players
3. From the Fantasy Menu on the left hand side select the option ‘Leagues’
4. Click create/join, enter the code 482782-117537 and click on ‘Join Private League’
5. Once you have joined the Poker Heaven league please click on the button below to Opt In in The Player Zone

Visit www.pokerheaven.com/fantasy now for all the details and good luck!