This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Saturday's Premier League slate features two big favorites in Arsenal and Manchester United, with Brighton not far behind. This is a slate that I think will feature quite a few goals with three of the matches implied at three or higher. In optimal builds, it'll be best to get goal exposure on the bigger favorites, but in GPPs, you can take shots at less-popular pieces either on the same team or in the games that are more closely contested.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Fulham
- 10:00 am: Brentford vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 am: Everton vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Nottingham Forest
- 12:30 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. West Ham United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Marcus Rashford, MUN vs. NFO ($20): Rashford has the best goalscoring odds on the slate at -120 and Man United are the second biggest favorite behind Arsenal. Both have strong matchups, but early in the season, both have question marks about their performance. Arsenal have inched out two close wins against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, while Man United didn't look great in a 1-0 win against Wolves followed by a 2-0 loss to Tottenham last week. I like the upside for Rashford and fully expect him to get on the scoresheet sooner rather than later. Teammates Bruno Fernandes ($22) and Casemiro ($19) would make the next appeal for me on this side. Bruno has had a bigger role on set pieces this season than I expected and Casemiro showed how active he could be last week, racking up five shots. Lastly, Jadon Sancho ($16) could start and while he can be very volatile, he makes a fine pivot at a cheaper price and rostership for GPP contests.
Kai Havertz, ARS vs. FUL ($16): Havertz hasn't impressed since joining Arsenal, but I think it is only a matter of time before he gets involved. A lot of times players need time to settle into their new squads and I think that is the situation with Havertz. This is more of a GPP play, trying to be early on the upside, while Bukayo Saka ($23), Gabriel Martinelli ($19) and Martin Odegaard ($22) are all safer with a share of sets. I don't think that price is warranted on Odegaard and only view him as a pay-up-to-get-different type of play. I like the idea of pairing one of those three with the cheaper Havertz if you are stacking the Gunners. Declan Rice ($16) will likely always be a GPP option due to his volatility in a defensive role.
In a game that is likely to go overlooked, I don't hate the idea of going to Bryan Mbeumo ($20) or Eberechi Eze ($18), both of whom have been outstanding to start the season. Pedro Neto ($16) has also been solid from a fantasy perspective and faces an Everton team that I'm not scared of defensively.
Morgan Gibbs-White, NFO at MUN ($14): When it comes to value, I like Gibbs-White even though Nottingham Forest are large underdogs at United. He already produced in a similar matchup against Arsenal and has all set pieces for his side. This season, the Man United defense hasn't been something to be scared of and at this cheap of a tag, double-digit points will get you there.
DEFENDERS
Thomas Partey, ARS vs. FUL ($12): Partey has looked solid from a DFS perspective, getting involved in many different areas of the game. I don't know that many will have the money to pay up for Pervis Estupinan ($17) or Luke Shaw ($16), but they have the most upside at the position. Oleksandr Zinchenko ($10) is projected to be on the other side for Arsenal and would be a solid play as well for the price. If you need salary in tournaments, I don't mind taking a shot on James Milner ($8) at this price. He hasn't produced much and may not go 90 minutes, but I can see him taking a step forward in the right matchups this season.
Calvin Bassey, FUL vs. ARS ($9): For the underdog center-back spot this week, I like the idea of getting some value with Bassey, who should get lots of work if he starts. Fulham and Nottingham Forest are my favorite spots of the week to target center-backs and you can certainly play Willy Boly ($12), Joe Worrall ($11) or Scott McKenna ($10) who are slightly more expensive for Nottingham Forest.
GOALKEEPER
Aaron Ramsdale, ARS vs. FUL ($13): I view Ramsdale and Andre Onana ($13) as almost identical plays due to the odds. Ramsdale gets the slight lean because the defenders I can correlate with are much more viable at their prices than the Man United ones. After those two I don't feel great about any of the keepers securing a clean sheet. Jason Steele ($12) is the next biggest favorite, but in terms of keeping it clean, Brighton have conceded one to both Wolves and Luton Town to start the season. I don't hate a cheaper shot on Jose Sa ($10) or Jordan Pickford ($11), but you aren't getting much in the way of salary savings for much less expected win and clean sheet odds.
