Goalkeepers

José Manuel Reina - Liverpool - 120pts

The Liverpool keeper has one of the safest pair of hands in the Premier League. In the first season of Vital Fantasy Football he was the only keeper to break the 100 points mark, operating behind a solid Liverpool defence. Expect a number of clean sheets from the Spaniard if you include him in your side this year.

Tim Howard - Everton - 99pts

The 2007/2008 season was a stellar year for Everton and it was thanks in part to the American stopper's performances between the sticks. He first played in England under Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United, but the arrival of van der Sar meant he lost his first team place. The Everton move has so far been a complete success and he'll be a big part of Everton's push to break into the top 4.

Edwin van der Sar - Manchester United - 96pts

The giant Dutchman is enjoying something of a Indian summer late in his career at Manchester United. Edwin has announced that this will be his final season in the Premier League so this is your last chance to get this great keeper in your side; expect plenty of clean sheets if you do.

Defenders

Joleon Lescott - Everton - 150pts

Joleon is the kind of defender that every Vital manager wants in their side. Not only does he keep numerous clean sheets, but he also seems to score every time he finds himself in the opposition penalty area. He scored 8 times in the Premier League last season, which is the same as Chelsea striker Didier Drogba managed. A number of managers will be keen to see if he can maintain that form this season.

Rio Ferdinand - Manchester United - 121pts

United kept a massive 21 clean sheets in the Premier League last season and Rio was there for almost all of them. He may be quite costly but he is bound to give you great value for money at the heart of an excellent defence, 121 points last season is certainly not to be sniffed at.

Nemanja Vidic - Manchester United - 110pts

The other half of the United defence that kept out some of the best strikers in the world last season as United swept away all before them to win the Premier League and European Cup title. Much like Rio, he won't come cheap, but you can't win Vital without a high scoring defence so he could prove to be a wise investment.

Midfielders

Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United - 274pts

The Portugese 'winker' was a must have for anyone who wanted to be taken seriously in Vital Fantasy Football last season. Ronaldo weighed in with a whopping 31 Premier League goals and 7 assists, which gave him a massive total of 274 points, more than 100 points better than any other player. With his future uncertain at the time of writing it is currently unclear whether he'll be available for selection this year but, if he stays in England, get him in your side!

Steven Gerrard - Liverpool - 167pts

11 goals and the exact same number of assists in 07/08 underlines just why 'Stevie G' is so revered by the Anfield faithful, and Vital Fantasy Football managers should seriously consider including him in their side. There really is no finer sight in football than seeing Gerrard smashing one in from 30 yards - unless of course he does it against your club!

Gareth Barry - Aston Villa - 154pts

Gareth is quite simply Aston Villa's most important player, taking penalties, corners and free kicks; no wonder they're so keen to keep hold of him! 154 points last season was the result of 9 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League as Villa performed well above expectation. Vital Fantasy Football managers will be keen to see whether he completes the much talked about move to Liverpool this summer though, he's unlikely to score as many points if he does.

Strikers

Emmanuel Adebayor - Arsenal - 169pts

In a difficult year for Arsenal, Adebayor certainly represented a highlight. He netted 24 times in the Premier League and finished the season as the top Vital striker. Another player whose future looks uncertain but, if he stays, expect plenty of Vital bosses to include him in their side.

Fernando Torres - Liverpool - 161pts

Pace, power and a great scoring touch, Torres was a sensation in his first season in the Premier League and he was only narrowly pipped to the Vital top strikers award by Adebayor. He capped a great season by scoring Spain's winner in the European Championship Final during the summer and will be looking forward to terrorising more defences during the 08/09 season.

Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn - 160pts

One of the surprises of last season, Roque bagged 19 goals during his first season in England and would have been a bargain at a Vital Fantasy Football price of £4m. Whether he'll be able to maintain that form under new Blackburn boss Paul Ince remains to be seen though and Vital managers will be hoping that second season syndrome doesn't set in for him this year.