It’s not even July and I’m sure that we’ve already had our fill of Spanish tax fraud controversies and phantom transfer links.  The Draft Fantasy footballer craves something a bit more tangible–rankings!

Without further ado, I offer that very tonic: a bold projection of the top five Draft Fantasy producers at each position for the upcoming season.  Discuss, disagree, disparage.  I, in the meantime, throw out a disclaimer–these are subject to adjustment once the real Premier League TV money starts flying around!

FORWARDS

5. Jamie Vardy

With the impossible championship dream and subsequent European adventure a distant but pleasant memory, Vardy can be focused again on terrorizing Premier League defenses.

4. Christian Benteke

I’m betting big that Frank de Boer will draw the best out of the enigmatic Belgian.

3. Gabriel Jesus

I have every impulse to give this spot to Aguero, but I’m buying into that rumoured spat with Guardiola.  Jesus takes advantage of a prime place in a City team that will inevitably produce goals.

2. Harry Kane 

Steady, consistent, class–but misses out on the top spot because I’m anticipating that the pressure to produce a trophy weighs on Spurs this season and somewhat curtails their champagne football.

1. Romelu Lukaku

Wherever the big man plays this season, he will take the next step into the stratosphere.  A true monster!

MIDFIELDERS

5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

His second season in England matches his second season in Germany and United reap the benefits.

4. Eden Hazard

Can he produce every season or does he only shine every other?  I’m predicting that he doesn’t hit the heights of last year, but will still be an absolute handful.

3. Paul Pogba

Pogba’s goal frame luck will drastically change for the better and Mourinho’s transfer business will liberate Pogba even further.

2. Kevin de Bruyne

Supremely skilled and always likely to rack up points in a City massacre; a touch of inconsistency keeps him from the top.

1. Phillipe Coutinho

This man was simply born to inflict damage on whomever lines up against him.  With virtually every touch, Coutinho is visibly scheming, fiending for his next goal.  He is an absolute assassin.

DEFENDERS

5. Victor Lindelof

Ambitious and cultured, the Swede brings his game to the next level at Old Trafford– who would bet against Mourinho turning him into an absolute world-beater?  It’s not hard to see a string of 2-0 United wins with Lindelof involved in one of the goals each time, either scoring from a corner, or a threading a precise ball forward to whoever ends up running the channels for the Red Devils.

4. Toby Alderweireld

I fully expect this rock at the back to sign a new contract at Spurs and continue to benefit from Pochettino’s mentoring.  It seems like every Spurs match at home against a bottom-half side finishes 4-0….

3. Marcos Alonso

Spectacularly steady last season, but I’m betting on a slight regression to the mean (as with most of the Chelsea squad); nonetheless, he’s still a vital cog in Conte’s system. (Alex Sandro may have something to say about this!)

2. Hector Bellerin

The lone Arsenal player that I am comfortable including in any top 5, the Spaniard showed maturity and professionalism to persevere through the intense criticism that threatened to detail the Gunners last season.  He has a career year that earns him his dream move to Barcelona after the World Cup…..

1. Kyle Walker

Whether he goes to City or stays at Spurs, I expect Kyle Walker to be more attack- minded than ever before.  With his trademark athleticism also peaking this season, goals and assists will follow in abundance.

GOALKEEPERS

5. Tom Heaton

Yes, this is a sleeper.  But Burnley will be extremely difficult to beat at home and Tom Heaton will have plenty of opportunities to accumulate saves.  Now capped thrice by England, he is a late bloomer poised to grow in stature even further.  He will be eyeing a place in the side headed to Russia next summer.

4. Hugo Lloris

Is his mistake against Sweden a precursor of an extended dip in form for the upcoming season? I don’t think so, but, like Kane, I just forsee that Lloris’ fantasy production will be somewhat negatively affected by a general loss of mojo for the entire North London club.

3. Jordan Pickford

Some moves just feel right, and this is one of them.  Koeman’s Everton revolution is gathering pace and Pickford had been rewarded for performing so admirably in a tough situation at Moyes’ Factory of Sadness.  His star is on the rise.

2. David de Gea

This one is a little tricky, because I do have some mild doubts that de Gea will be at Manchester United this season.  In fact, the case can even be made that he was slightly off his game last year. These reservations aside, it is just too tempting to accept the narrative that United will be back in a big way and de Gea is their best player.

1. Thibaut Courtois

I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Thibaut Courtois yet.  That comes this season.  Chelsea dominate most matches and even when the opposition manage to eek out a half chance, they have to somehow beat a man with such an imposing physique and such lightning quick reflexes.  Demoralizing.

Yes–conspicuously absent are Sanchez (bringing his talents to Paris, or Munich), Mane (devastating, but still recovering), Alli (due for a regression), Aguero (marginalized by Pep), and a host of other world class players, which just demonstrates the cosmopolitan depth of England’s top division.  And as noted above, the checkbooks have not yet been truly unleashed.  Roll on July.