New-boys gear up for tilt at the big time after second tier jump

Last season was something of an anomaly for the Premier League, as all three promoted clubs held onto their seats at English football's top table.

They will be joined this year by Southampton, West Ham and Reading, and the fresh batch of potential fantasy football aces and flops that fill their squads.

Promoted players often offer great value, as shown by the likes of Grant Holt, Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair last season.

And there's one name amongst the new arrivals that will attract more attention than most.

Rickie Lambert showed last year that he's a real force to be reckoned with, topping the league's scoring standings and instilling fear into the hearts of any defence he came up against.

His size, strength, aerial prowess and eye for goal all make him an asset upfront, while a total of 27 goals and 15 assists last season would have been enough to earn him a monstrous 111 points in the Fantasy League Classic game.

Alongside Lambert at Southampton is his 26-year-old strike partner, Billy Sharp.

Coming in third in the Championship's goalscoring list last year, Sharp managed an impressive 19 goals and three assists, the equivalent of 63 fantasy football points.

If you're worried about the Saints' duo's lack of Premier League experience, Ricardo Vaz Te provides an interesting alternative.

He scored 20 goals last season, although half of those were for Barnsley before his January move to Upton Park.

You may be put off by his paltry three goals in 58 appearances for Bolton between 2003 and 2010, but his form over the last season points to a completely different player who is now ready to face top flight defences.

Others who will bring valuable knowledge of the higher division include the West Ham midfield duo, Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan.

Nolan has captained both Bolton and Newcastle in the Premier League and his leadership qualities show no sign of abating.

Last season he scored 12 goals and registered six assists for the Hammers, while team-mate Noble tallied eight and six.

Southampton also have a pair of goalscoring midfielders in the shape of Adam Lallana (11 goals, 10 assists) and Guly do Prado (10 goals, seven assists).

While West Ham and Southampton blasted themselves to promotion, Reading's strength lay in their miserly defence.

Kaspars Gorkss and Alex Pearce formed a formidable partnership in the centre of the eventual champions' defence, as they conceded just 41 goals in the season.

The pair were involved in 19 and 20 clean sheets respectively, while both also proved their danger in front of goal, registering eight goals between them.

Those figures would have earned Pearce 64 fantasy football points and Gorkss 53 points had they been a part of the Fantasy League Classic game.

Another defender who likes to get forward is the legendary Ian Harte.

His playing style has hardly changed since his glory days at Leeds United and the deliveries from his left foot are no less accurate.

He created eight goals and scored four more last season for Reading which, combined with his total of 11 clean sheets, would have given him the equivalent of 50 fantasy football points.

Alternatively, Southampton's Danny Fox is a decent option up the left.

His 12 assists would have helped him towards 55 Fantasy League points.

Picking a promoted goalkeeper is obviously a risk, but if you're looking for value then it'll be hard to look past Reading's Adam Federici and the 20 clean sheets he registered last season.

West Ham's new No. 1 Jussi Jaaskelainen has almost as much Premier League experience as anyone else having stood between the sticks for Bolton for 15 years.

However his slowing reactions may have had something to do with his eventual replacement by Adam Bogdan last season.