Jermain Defoe started the season at a price of 8.5 and in the second game he scored a hattrick followed by a goal in the second game his price rose to 8.8 his highest price has been 9.0. Defoe has an important year ahead of him he wants to go to the World Cup and his form is crucial for him and his club. He would be a good signing who should continue to score however Harry Redknapp likes to rotate his strike force so this should be considered.

Yossi Benayoun began the season in normal fashion with not many managers selecting him in their team however his hattrick against Burnley caused his popularity to rise along with his price, he eventually gained 0.5 to 8.0. Since his goals against Burnley he has scored only once and i think that for the price of 8.0 there are better alternatives such as Aaron Lennon and Antonio Valencia.

Richard Dunne moved from Man City to Aston Villa and was priced at 5.0 a few good performances and a contribution in terms of goals has increased his popularity. His price has increased to 6.0 however you could do worse that signing fellow Villa teammate Stephen Warnock who is priced at 4.9.

Goalkeeper

Craig Gordon (4.5 mil) is a good goalkeeper to bring into the side this weekend. The Black Cats are away to Birmingham this week and follow it up with a home match against West Ham. Although both teams have had some success in front of goal in recent weeks, look for Gordon to continue to post clean sheets.

Defender

Richard Dunne (5.5 mil) has rightly shot up in value by 0.5 million since the start of the season. In fact, he?s a clear leader in total points and form among defenders despite the fact that Villa still has a game in hand. With a visit to Wolves this week and an extra game on the cards next week, Dunne?s scores and value should continue to rise.

Midfielders

James Milner (7.1 mil) is another player, like team-mate Richard Dunne, who?s worth bringing into the line-up for the extra 90 minutes of play next week. He?s had a quiet couple of weeks, but that won?t continue for much longer. Look for Milner to start hauling in the points again very soon.

Niko Kranjcar (6.9 mil) has come into a bit of form over the last two weeks. With Tottenham playing three of the next four games at home, Kranjcar might be worth getting into the line-up. This week?s match is a home encounter against Stoke City. Although this is followed by the Gunners away, Kranjcar could find further success against Sunderland and Wigan in the weeks that follow.

Forward

James Beattie (5.7 mil) has a great schedule over the next few weeks (Tottenham away, Wolves home, Hull away and Portsmouth home). He?s a player that thrives on success, so his two-goal brace last week should be an excellent catalyst for getting him near the top-end of the form table.

Here are a list of Premiership defenders, who seem to be showing form this season, and should be at least on your watch list ?

Thomas Verlaelen is currently only owned by 15.7% of Fantasy Managers and averages 8.3 points a game. Having scored 3 goals and 1 assist, he is now the third ranked defender in the league with 40 points. His presence on set pieces has already reaped rewards, for those who have him on their team. He will no doubt score more goals for Arsenal this season, and along with the rest of the defense, should have a number of clean sheets against the lesser teams in the league. With a run of games against Blackburn, Birmingham and West Ham, coming up next ? this would be an ideal time to invest in this Dutch defender!

Glen Johnson is the Liverpool right back, who seems to be an integral part of their attack now. Since he started at Liverpool, he has scored 2 goals and assisted with 3. As the season continues, his assists will continue, as he continues to forage further up the field. With his price already at 7.9 million pounds, he is the most expensive defender in the league. 20% of managers already have him on their team, and this will continue to rise if he maintains his current form. With a hard run of games coming up for Liverpool ? Chelsea, Sunderland and Manchester United, I would wait before picking him up ? if you haven?t got him already.

Ashley Cole has started this season off in great form, and is Chelsea?s highest ranked defenders. He seems to have benefited from the new manager, with forays further up the field. 2 goals and plenty of bonus points have seen him become the 2nd ranked defender in the league so far. At 7.2 million he could be an ideal replacement for Glen Johnson, when Liverpool has a bad run of games. Chelsea has a solid defense, so I can see a lot of clean sheet bonuses for him as well. They play Liverpool, Aston Villa and then Blackburn, so it may be worthwhile waiting for one game before picking him up.

Joleon Lescott is a new Manchester City player. He made his reputation at Everton, where he was their best central defender for at the last 2 years. A constant threat off set pieces, he has yet to score this season. The inevitable will happen soon, and his new partnership with Kolo Toure looks set to blossom as well. Whether this is sooner or later is anybodies guess right now, but looking at their up-coming fixture list, it may be worthwhile picking him now, because their next 5 games are against Aston Villa, Wigan, Fulham, Birmingham and Bunley, which I fully expect them to win.

Richard Dunne is the new Aston Villa central defender. Having been at Manchester City for a large proportion of his career, the Irishman is now plying his trade for Martin O?Neill. He has started for Villa since his move from Manchester City, and looks likely to play regularly for them. Having accumulated? the most amount of bonus points as a defender last season, he has regularly been ranked in the top 5 for the last 5 years. I fully expect this to continue, and with Villa playing Manchester City, Chelsea and Wolves next it may be a good idea to wait for at least the first 2 games before purchasing him for a measly 5.3 million.

Leighton Baines the Everton defender who is profiting from set pieces because of the absence of Mikel Arteta has already scored 31 points this season. He has scored once and set up 3 goals so far, making him the 5th ranked defender in the league. At 6.3 million, he is relatively cheap. With games against Stoke, Wolves, Bolton, Aston Villa and West Ham, coming up and a double game week in week 13, he is definitely my current hot pick out of all defenders.

1) Niko Kranjcar moved from Portsmouth to Spurs to provide cover in midfield, after Luca Modric fractured a bone in his leg during the win over Birmingham last Saturday. Kranjcar will be able to slot into the playmakers role quite easily with the mighty Palacios providing defensive cover behind him. At 6.9 million he could quite easily pick up a number of points, if he links up with the in-form players at the club, who right now are Defoe and Lennon. With Manchester United and Chelsea their next 2 opponents, it might be worthwhile waiting until after these 2 games before picking him up. Then they have an easier run of games with their opponents being Burnley, Bolton, Portsmouth and Stoke.

2) Richard Dunne moved from Manchester City to Aston Villa on the final day of the transfer window. The player was Manchester City’s best defender and had been their club captain since 2006. Aston Villa have needed a central defender since the retirement of Martin Laurson last year. He can be a threat from set plays, but picks up the majority of his points from defensive clean sheets, and bonus points. His price is currently 5 million pounds, and with an easy run of games for Villa next – Fulham, Birmingham, Portsmouth and Blackburn – he could well have some clean sheets and extra points in the Fantasy game over the next 4 game weeks.

3) Michael Turner moved from Hull to Sunderland, to help tighten up their defense. He is often regarded, as one of the best defenders, outside the ‘top four’, and was voted Hull City’s player of the season, for two seasons in a row. An interesting fact is that Turner was only one of two players that played every minute of every Premier League game last season. The other player was Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin. Michael is also a threat from set plays and has scored 12 goals over 3 years, while he was at Hull. At 4.5 million and a relatively easy run of games with Stoke, Hull, Burnley and Wolves, the Sunderland defender could potentially have some clean sheets, and possibly a goal over the next 4 game weeks.

4) Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has moved to Hull City on a free transfer after being released by Scottish Premier League giants Celtic in July 2009. The 6 foot 3 forward started his career at FC Twente before moving to PSV in 2001. He moved north to Scotland in 2006, and made 80 appearances for the Bhoys in his three years at Parkhead. He averages around about a goal every 2 games and scored 38 for Celtic while he was there. I would fully expect him to start for Hull in the next game week. With their following opponents being Wolves, Sunderland and Birmingham, I would expect at least 2 goals from him in those games. His price has not appeared in the Fantasy Football database yet, but when it does – take note. He could potentially prove to be a value striker option!