Fantasy football team of the week featuring Mohamed Salah, Gabriel and more

It was a week for defenders to shine in fantasy football

Fantasy Premier League is back for the 2020-21 season (Fantasy Premier League)

Football has returned and that means Fantasy Premier League is back, with all its anticipation and joy and frustration and downright fury when things go awry. 

The first gameweek is always tricky, and this season’s opener was particularly complex with the added factor of Manchester United and Manchester City not playing until gameweek 2. 

But these opening weeks are all about learning, a sometimes painful journey of discovery as you realise that midfielder you recruited in the final minutes of Saturday morning’s deadline looks about as likely to score as Conor Coady, and you find out which of the new signings you’d never heard of before might be worth signing up.

Here’s our standout players from the gameweek 1:

Vicente Guaita, Crystal Palace (£5m) – 10 points

Five saves, three bonus points and one clean sheet, this was about as good as it gets for a fantasy goalkeeper.

Gabriel, Arsenal (£5m) – 15 points

Arsenal’s new centre-back got off to the perfect start with a goal and a clean sheet.

Reece James, Chelsea (£5m) – 14 points

The Chelsea full-back smashed in a stunning goal and grabbed an assist for good measure to ensure all three bonus points.

Reece James scored a brilliant goal for Chelsea (Getty)

Timothy Castagne, Leicester City (£5.5m) – 14 points

Just like Gabriel, a goal and a clean sheet made for a debut to remember for Leicester’s Belgian full-back.

Romain Saiss, Wolves (£5m) – 12 points

The defender scored a towering header and went on to keep a clean sheet against Sheffield United.

Lucas Digne, Everton (£6m) – 12 points

A useful fantasy player ever since his arrival at Everton, and Digne showed it once more with a clean sheet and an assist, sweeping in a cross for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (£12m) – 20 points

Salah had a blistering opening day and proved to be the better pick over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the big captaincy debate.

Mohamed Salah is congratulated by manager Jurgen Klopp (Getty)

Jeff Hendrick, Burnley (£5.5m) – 14 points

The new signing made an impressive debut for Newcastle, grabbing an assist and a goal as well as a clean sheet and all three bonus points.

Willian, Arsenal (£8m) – 14 points

A hat-trick of assists and a clean sheet made for another impressive debut performance, this time by Willian, and with a home fixture against West Ham this weekend he is likely to make his way into many a fantasy team.

Jorginho, Chelsea (£12m) – 12 points

The midfielder scored from the spot and set up another to collect a 12-point haul. 

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City (£10m) – 13 points

A perfect start to the season for last year’s top scorer, racking up two goals from the spot as Leicester saw off West Brom.