Jimmy Bullard looks certain to be back in Hull City’s squad for their trip to Fulham on Monday, with Phil Brown indicating that he could even start at the Cottage.

The former Fulham midfielder returned to reserve action last week, his first appearance for Hull since damaging knee ligaments nine months ago. Bullard played for 45 minutes, long enough to score a spectacular goal in a 2-1 win over Bolton.

Earlier this week Brown revealed that Bullard would step up his recovery by appearing for the reserves against York in a behind-closed-doors encounter on Tuesday evening. Brown intimated that the chances of Bullard starting at Fulham would be influenced by his time on the pitch against York.

“Whether or not Jimmy will be able to start against Fulham will depend entirely on how he does against York and how he trains for the rest of the week…if he comes through unscathed again, fingers crossed he could play some part in the Fulham game, but I’ll be keeping my cards close to my chest with regards to how much.

Bullard completed an hour of last night’s game, scoring from the spot in a 2-2 draw. Provided Bullard trains well this week then, we can expect some action from him at Fulham. Brown will be sorely tempted to throw him straight into the action, although he admitted that the win over Wigan last time out has eased the pressure enough for him to consider his options…

“It is tempting of course it is, but the beauty of the win against Wigan buys him and me more time.”

Right now, my bet is that Bullard will start on the bench as an option to influence the game should things start going against the Tigers. In fantasy terms then, it’s perhaps too early to be considering investment in the curly-haired grafter, although Bullard’s potential is unquestionable.

Bullard’s impact over the past two seasons have been limited severely by injury but we’ve seen enough of him in the past to know that, at his best, he’ll dominate set-pieces and have a major influence on his side from midfield. Given that he will be a big fantasy fish in a small fantasy pond at the KC Stadium, there is every chance that Bullard will offer decent returns, particularly in the Fantasy Premier League game where bonus points should be plentiful with positive Hull results.

Sitting comfortably in the low-to-mid price bracket, you can currently recruit Bullard for 5.9 in the FPL. There he keeps the likes of David Dunn, Wade Elliot and team mates Stephen Hunt and Geovanni for company – all of which have been subject to increased investment in the past couple of weeks.

It’s questionable as to whether Bullard can hit the ground running on his return, although he certainly has the platform to deliver. Hull have a strong run of fixtures to come (ful POR bur STK WHM EVE), including four home games in six and a double fixture in gameweek 13. It’s little wonder that Hunt and Geovanni have some attention of late then.

One thing to consider however, is not only how Bullard will perform on his return but how his presence on the pitch will affect the returns of both Hunt and Geovanni. To this point, Hunt has largely dominated set-pieces. That will likely change with Bullard available. Similarly, we’ve seen in the past that Phil Brown will not think twice about dropping Geovanni to the bench, despite his potential impact in games. Will Brown put out a side with Bullard, Hunt, Barmby (his captain) and Geovanni for both home and away games? It seems questionable given that he also has Ghilas, Altidore and Vennegoor of Hesselink to accomodate as forwards.

Rather than give us more options at the KC Stadium then, Bullard’s return might actually dilute the point profits available from Phil Brown’s principle fantasy prospects. Personally I’m still sitting on Stephen Hunt for my squad. One set of flowing locks in a gold shirt is enough for me for now.