Hindsight is a wonderful thing in fantasy football. But for each one of us that had the foresight to bring in players like Heung-Min Son or Dominic Calvert-Lewin, an equal number will have got burned with expensive players like Anthony Martial or Gabriel Jesus. It isn’t always easy, but that’s the art of the game. Similarly, taking a risk on a cheap player can seem like a masterstroke – or complete foolishness – after the fact.

But some relatively cheap players have been doing the business early on in the 2020/21 Premier League season. And, below we are going to pinpoint five who have impressed us across September and early October.

Patrick Bamford, Leeds, 5.8 Million

Almost everyone thought that Bamford was that typical striker who was too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League. We have seen it countless times down the years with players like Michael Chopra, Leroy Lita and David Nugent. But the signs are good for Bamford, a player who has already netted three goals and an assist in Leeds’ first four games. Perhaps more importantly, though, Leeds have been tipped to score goals regardless of the opponent this season. The cavalier approach by Bielsa (they have been involved in two 4-3 games already) is going to be entertaining, and players like Bamford could capitalise.

Neal Maupay, Brighton, 6.6 Million

Brighton have been a lot better than their league position suggests, and Neal Maupay has been in the thick of the action for the Seagulls all season. The Frenchman is involved in the good – and the bad – for Brighton, and generally makes them tick. Four goals and an assist so far make him great value, though. Moreover, Maupay is Brighton’s penalty taker, and, as we have seen so far this season, penalties are being given much more frequently by referees.

Ben Chilwell, Chelsea, 5.6 Million

After Chelsea played four games this season, new signing Ben Chilwell had clocked up 18 points. Not bad for a defender, but not great. However, those points all came from Chilwell’s first Premier League start for Chelsea, where the former Leicester man opened the scoring against Crystal Palace in a 4-0 rout. Chilwell is going to be a key player for Chelsea, offering an attacking threat down the left-hand side. Clean sheets might be an issue, but that’s a problem for every team at the moment.

Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa, 5.9 Million

For a striker signed for £28 million (possibly rising to over £33 million), Ollie Watkins is a very cheap buy in fantasy football. The fear, of course, is that he – like so many others – could not make the transition from Championship to Premier League level. The early signs are that Watkins has what it takes, and he seems to be settling in nicely. A hat-trick against Liverpool is the stuff of dreams, and we do not expect that level of performance every week. But Watkins can feed off the servive from Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley, becoming Villa’s main goal threat this season.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham, 5.9 Million

Fulham are in deep trouble. Bottom of the Premier League without a point, and there doesn’t seem to be any blueprint coming from boss Scott Parker to dig the team out of this hole. It would be a shock if they didn’t get relegated. To be fair to Parker, he simply does not have the players at his disposal – with the exception of Mitrovic. The Serbian is just coming into his prime at 26, and his goal-scoring record for club and country is fantastic. He looks like he is going to be one of the bright spots for the Cottagers during a bleak season.