Scottish Premiership: Who are the best fantasy league picks?

Negotiating world peace, studying to become a rocket scientist and discovering life on Mars are all time-consuming and tricky endeavours.

Yet for many at this time of year, the minefield of picking a fantasy football team on a deceptively small budget trumps the lot.

Here, we have done the leg work for you with our very own Scottish fantasy football scouting report. Just don't blame us when it goes wrong...

Big names & big hitters

It would be easy to say "fill your team with Celtic and Rangers players", but often budget and league rules don't offer such a luxury.

However, there are a few obvious faces you really cannot do without.

Allan McGregor kept 14 clean sheets in the top flight for Rangers last term, although he may face competition from summer signing and Scotland cap Jon McLaughlin.

Tavernier has 26 Premiership goals to his name

Ibrox captain James Tavernier was the defender with most assists last season after setting up nine league goals, and he is also a penalty taker of note. Across the city, Christopher Jullien weighed in with four Premiership goals and 14 clean sheets.

A debate that rages is whether Ryan Christie is a midfielder or a forward. If listed not as a striker this season, he could be one of the highest scorers in your team. Eleven goals and 11 assists was his league contribution for Celtic.

His team-mate James Forrest might be your man, too. He scored 10 and laid on another 17 in the league last season. Last term's top scorer with 22 strikes, Odsonne Edouard is an obvious contender as your main forward.

So too are Jermain Defoe and Alfredo Morelos, although with the former potentially out injured and the latter perhaps on the move, maybe stay clear for the first couple of weeks.

Bang for your buck

So you have a lavish skeleton, now to add some meat to the bones.

In a similar situation to Christie, Motherwell's Liam Donnelly is one player that could give a hidden advantage. The Northern Irish international was often listed as a defender last season despite playing in midfield, making him one of the season's top point-scorers given all seven of his goals and his assist last term were boosted.

Sticking with last year's third-placed team, Liam Polworth chipped in with 11 assists. Worth a punt again?

In fantasy football, clean sheets can be just as important at times, so you should not overlook your goalkeeper.

The three shot stoppers with the best records behind McGregor last term have left their clubs, meaning Aberdeen's Joe Lewis is next in line. He had nine clean sheets for Aberdeen last year, plus three penalty saves. Benjamin Siegrist of Dundee United may also be worth a shout after his 12 shout-outs last season in the Championship.

In attack, another United player is surely a source of goals worth investing in. Lawrence Shankland netted 24 goals in just 26 Championship games last season. Yes, it was the second tier, but even half that amount from the 24-year-old should have you sitting pretty.

There are plenty choices to consider leading your line without dipping into Celtic or Rangers budget territory. St Johnstone's talented forward Callum Hendry, 22, netted nine in all competitions, averaging a strike every 93 minutes.

At Livingston, you have the rainbow-haired assassin that is Lyndon Dykes. If Livi keep hold of him, they will be looking for him to build on his nine goals and eight assists in the league.

Aberdeen's Sam Cosgrove and Christian Doidge of Hibernian are also going to be popular picks, as will Easter Road new boy Kevin Nisbet and Ross County's Billy Mckay.

Bargain buys & burgeoning stars

Right, you have blown 80% of your budget on three players, you now need to fill half your team. Finding goals and clean sheets on a shoestring is not just a talent for the likes of Brian Rice and Stephen Robinson. It's a fantasy football art.

In goal, Robby McCrorie must be a pick. On loan again from Rangers at Livingston, he had two clean sheets in eight Premiership games last season, and will be part of a side who were incredibly hard to beat on their own patch.

A stand-out for Hamilton last year was Lewis Smith. The 20-year-old midfielder scored five in 28 games which, while a modest return in fantasy football, could be a marker of what's to come.

Plenty of hope is also being pinned on St Mirren's Kyle McAllister. Brought back to Paisley after a spell at Derby County, the 21-year-old forward undoubtedly has plenty of ability. If Jim Goodwin gets him going, he could be a star buy.

And he may not be a burgeoning star, but Kilmarnock veteran Chris Burke is still a top performer. Six goals and five assists last term, will the 36-year-old add more this term?