Fantasy Premier League 2013: Stars Who Will Shine in Opening Fixtures

The Premier League campaign gets underway over the weekend. At the same time, fantasy owners begin the process of building a championship roster. Getting off to a strong start during the early stages of the season is crucial to long-term success.

As always, finding players who can serve as productive cornerstones is the first stage of the process. Without production from your main attacking players, it really doesn't matter if an owner finds a couple gems in the rough elsewhere for their squad.

So let's examine three players who should get off on the right foot in their club's first match of the campaign. These players can be the building blocks for successful fantasy teams both this weekend and throughout the 2013-14 season.

Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

Any lingering concerns about Van Persie after a preseason where he lacked his usual finishing touch were quickly eliminated in United's Community Shield triumph. The veteran striker was the most dangerous player on the pitch en route to a pair of goals.

He's coming off a campaign where he led the Premier League with 26 goals. And, despite the managerial change to David Moyes, nothing is going to change with the focal point of the Red Devils' attack. Van Persie is still going to lead the way.

The defending champions start the new campaign with a match against Swansea. The Jacks ranked in the middle of the pack in goals allowed last season, which should allow Van Persie to build off his success in the Community Shield.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Hazard is already the complete package and he's just 22. The dynamic winger racked up 13 goals and 25 assists across all competitions last season. He should only continue to improve after experiencing a full season of Premier League action.

The reason he's so valuable to both Chelsea and fantasy owners is his ability to impact matches in various ways. Whether it's getting on the end of a Juan Mata cross or delivering a pinpoint pass to Romelu Lukaku, he's going to create and finish a lot of chances.

Players who are that heavily involved in the attack are terrific fantasy options because they are consistent. Hazard should find plenty of room to operate against Hull City, which mark their return to the Premier League with a tough matchup against the Blues.

Rickie Lambert (Southampton)

Lambert entered last season, his first in the Premier League, with mixed expectations. He handled the top flight extremely well, scoring 15 goals to rank in a tie for seventh. It puts him firmly on the fantasy radar heading into the new campaign.

At 31, he's not a flashy player who's going to score highlight-reel goals on a weekly basis. Instead, he's a straightforward striker who always finds a way to create a couple chances per match. And that often results in good fantasy production.

Southampton open with a match against West Bromwich Albion, an average defensive squad. Expect Lambert to get his season off to a strong start as he begins the process of proving last season wasn't a fluke. Overall, he could make a run at 20 goals in league play.