This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
FanDuel is treating us to a fun five-match slate to open the Premier League season. The pricing is a bit softer than usual, with several viable bargain bin options at $5 projected to start at FWD/MID and DEF that allow us to afford whatever plays you want in the rest of your team.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Everton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Nottingham Forest vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 12:30 pm: West Ham United vs. Aston Villa
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Bukayo Saka (ARS vs. WOL, $22): Saka figures to be the focal point in Arsenal's after averaging 2.79 chances created and 1.14 shots on target in Premier League play last season. He is just behind Kai Havertz ($20) as Arsenal's second most likely goalscorer. Arsenal have an implied team total of 2.4, and stacking them is easy given the value options available. Martin Odegaard ($19) takes some free kicks and reliably plays 90 minutes. He has a solid floor to pair with +190 anytime goal scoring odds. Gabriel Martinell ($18) is a likely substitute, but I think most of the field will be aware of this and he might be relatively low owned compared to his teammates. Declan Rice ($16) is cheap as well and take set pieces. Arsenal's set pieces are a team strength, which gives Rice some solid assist equity. His goalscoring odds of +340 are impressive considering he is not primarily an attacking midfielder.
Alexander Isak (NEW vs. SOU, $21): Newcastle's implied team total is 2.34, just shy of Arsenal's. It's a great matchup against newly-promoted Southampton at home. Isak is the slate's most likely goalscorer, boasting impressive -155 anytime goalscoring odds and he'll be one of the most popular options. We currently project Kieran Trippier will not start on Saturday, which thrusts Anthony Gordon ($19) into a set piece split. That gives him some more upside for chances created and crosses. His goalscoring odds are quite close to similarly priced Arsenal options. If you want a contrarian option on Newcastle, Bruno Guimaraes ($18) is intriguing, he's a bit too expensive, but salary doesn't particularly matter. His goalscoring odds are the same as Rice's, and Guimaraes regularly gets floors just shy of 20 points on Fanduel. He makes sense in a lineup that stacks several Newcastle players looking for a three- or four-goal performance.
Joao Pedro (EVE vs. BHA, $18): All of the other matchups are essentially toss-ups, and no individual team has an implied goal total close to Newcastle or Arsenal. Those two teams are the clear priority, but the other matchups have some options I'm considering. Pedro has a solid floor based on shots and reliably played over 85 minutes last season. He's also Brighton's penalty taker. I'm always looking for an excuse to play someone as talented as Mohammed Kudus ($16). West Ham have a decent implied goal total and are slight favorites against Aston Villa. I'm obligated to point out the Chris Wood ($17) has the second-best goalscoring odds overall.
Yankuba Minteh (EVE vs. BHA, $5): Early season is probably the best time to find values on FanDuel, and Brighton's club record signing Minteh is being tipped by many sources to make his debut as a starter. Minteh is simply way too cheap as a starting attacker. I don't think Minteh is a must since the defender position also has a lot of value, but he's one of the top plays overall at his salary.
DEFENDERS
Gabriel (ARS vs. WOL, $11): Sometimes goalscoring odds need to be taken with a grain of salt, but I was surprised to see Gabriel had +475 anytime goalscoring odds. Arsenal are skilled with set pieces, and he's scored at least three goals in each of his past three seasons in Premier League play. Arsenal also have clean sheet odds above 50-percent along with an excellent implied goal total, so I think you can play any of their defenders. Ben White ($12) scored four goals and added four assists last season. William Saliba ($9) is simply too cheap for these clean sheet odds.
Valentin Barco (EVE vs. BHA, $9): Full-backs generally have a more difficult route than center-backs to score points on FanDuel, but I still think Barco is a strong option at his price. I think he'll take at least half of Brighton's set pieces, and he's capable of creating chances in open play, as well. He's a good option, but he's not a must-have.
Yerson Mosquera (ARS vs. WOL, $5): Arsenal is likely to control possession against Wolves, so it's a good idea to play Wolves center-backs while hoping for plenty of blocks and clearances. Mosquera is only $5, making him one of the best salary-saving options overall. It's worth mentioning that Aston Villa's Kosta Nedeljkovic ($5) is also near the minimum possible price. He's a young right-back coming from Red Star Belgrade, but I think Mosquera has a better chance of a ceiling game from defensive stats.
Salary is so soft that I would be remiss if I did not at least mention the legendary James Tarkowski ($15). He regularly delivered strong floors last season. Brighton are a possession-inclined team, so Tarkowski will have plenty of chances to block shots and make clearances.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya (ARS vs. WOL, $14): With so much value it's easy to play the best goalkeeper, so I think Raya will be very popular. He's the best option at the position, so his high rostership will be well-earned. In GPPs, I think we should be open to playing goalkeepers that project worse because the position is prone to outlier performances. Arsenal's clean sheet odds suggest they will concede 46% of the time, and in those cases I'd wager several goalkeepers outscore Raya. For this reason, don't feel like you must upgrade to Raya just because of leftover salary.
