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It’s the time of year again as we all put together what we believe to be the strongest possible fantasy football XI, before most of us panic and play our wildcards by GW3.

Whether you’re a seasoned FPL pro or a casual manager who often forgets to pick their team after a few weeks of the season, now’s the time to get your squad locked in before Friday’s 6:30pm GW1 deadline.

Last season, West Ham players were popular assets to have, with eight bringing in more than 100 FPL points over the course of the campaign.

Given how well pre-season has gone, there is the expectation of much of the same this time around, despite a severe lack of business in the transfer window thus far.

The only player to arrive is PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who joined on loan with an option to buy next summer, making the goalkeeper situation in east London a bit of a conundrum as Lukasz Fabianski remains in the squad.

But regardless of that, here are five Hammers players you should consider for your FPL team ahead of GW1.

But remember, you can only pick a maximum of three players from one team, so you’ll need to pick wisely…

Vladimir Coufal – £5.0m

The Czech Republic right-back was a revelation last season, with his work rate and eye for a good cross quickly turning him into a fan favourite, for both Hammers supporters and neutrals alike.

In his first season in the Premier League, Coufal notched nine assists and nine clean sheets, earning 12 FPL bonus points along the way.

With 128 FPL points in total, Coufal was the fifth-highest scoring West Ham player and, now he’s settled in London we should expect him to continue those kinds of returns in 2021/2022.

Said Benrahma – £6.0m

On the face of it, Benrahma appears to be criminally underpriced by FPL this season, despite his struggles for regular game time last term.

Having started just 14 of his 30 Premier League appearances in 2020/2021, the Algeria international wasn’t a safe pick for anyone’s FPL team, even though he still managed to notch one goal, six assists, three clean sheets and four FPL bonus points.

That gave him an overall FPL points total of 73 last season and, having impressed heavily in pre-season, the attacker is now a player you should be looking to bring in your team as he begins to cement his place in David Moyes’ starting XI.

Tomas Soucek – £6.0m

Another really underpriced West Ham asset, and definitely far more surprising than Benrahma given his returns from midfield in 2020/2021.

The midfielder delivered 10 goals, two assists, 11 clean sheets and 16 FPL bonus points on his way to an impressive 147 FPL points last season.

We all know about the Czech Republic’s threat from set-pieces and with West Ham’s style of play not expected to change this term, Soucek is a cheap midfield option absolutely everyone should have in their team this term.

Aaron Cresswell – £5.5m

The left-back has been given a price increase at the start of this season, having started last summer at just £5.0m.

That’s because he ended 2020/2021 with 11 assists, 11 clean sheets and 21 bonus points, totalling 153 overall FPL points over the course of the season – a career-best for returns so far.

Given he can play in a back four or back five and still retain his dead-ball threat either way, Cresswell is a very safe bet for any FPL manager looking to hold a player who has assist and bonus point potential without having to break the bank.

Jarrod Bowen – £6.5m

The winger’s impact on West Ham’s success in 2020/2021 went slightly under the radar, having delivered eight goals, six assists, nine clean sheets and eight FPL bonus points.

Without his goals and assists, West Ham wouldn’t have finished anywhere near the top six yet, obviously, it was Jesse Lingard and Michail Antonio who were earning most of the plaudits at the end of the season.

But Bowen is a player worth considering for your FPL team this term, with a relatively respectable price point of £6.5m and a guaranteed place in David Moyes’ starting XI, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him improve on last season’s numbers and return 150+ FPL points in 2021/2022.