FPL Budget Picks: The Best GK Under £5.0

That's despite Manchester United rolling into Elland Road first up. Average fixtures, best points. That's the value equation sorted before we've started.

Quick sweep of the bracket, one line each, in our order of preference:

• Trafford (LEE, £5.0m) — top of our projections, average run, ~1 in 20 own him. Not yet a proven Premier League number one, which is the honest caveat.
• Kelleher (BRE, £5.0m) — proven, about 22 points projected, average fixtures. Liverpool at the Gtech first isn't a party, but keepers get save points against good sides.
• Verbruggen (BHA, £4.6m) — the template pick at roughly 2 in 10 ownership. Proven, cheaper, starts with Palace at home — but a tough run after that drags him down our list.
• Tzolakis (HUL, £4.7m) — very tough fixtures. Unproven. Pass.
• Kinsky (TOT, £4.5m) — tempting price, average run, Coventry at home first. Still unproven; minutes are the whole game at £4.5m.
• Lammens (MUN, £4.9m) — proven but tough fixtures, and Leeds away immediately.
• Martinez (CHE, £5.0m) — proven, barely owned, tough run. Fine, not better than the options above.
• Leno (FUL, £4.5m) — reliable old boots, Hull at home is lovely, then the fixtures turn.
• Roefs (SUN, £4.9m) — proven but tough run, ~1 in 50 own him for a reason.
• Petrović (BOU, £4.5m) — average fixtures, lowest projection of the realistic starters.
• Suzuki (AVL, £5.0m) and Rushworth (COV, £4.5m) — unproven, tough runs, no thanks at full budget price.

One general health warning: none of these is carved in stone as a guaranteed starter yet, so check your man is actually between the posts before the deadline passes you by.

The call: buy Trafford if you can stretch to £5.0m — best projected points in the bracket and nobody owns him. If you want the proven pair of hands at the same price, Kelleher is the sensible alternative. If every £0.4m matters, Verbruggen does a job — but Trafford's the pick.