This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Saturday's Premier League slate features no team with shorter than -130 odds to win, which means there isn't a huge favorite. The goal totals are also relatively low across all five matches and this presents an opportunity to see mostly spread out rostership. This will allow you to get solid leverage on specific teams or plays that you have a conviction on, which is always nice as we try to take down these GPP contests.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Nottingham Forest
- 10:00 am: Leicester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: West Ham United vs. Everton
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Michail Antonio, WHU vs. EVE ($13): Starting with a value option is a bit unusual for me, but when you have someone priced this low with the top goalscoring odds on the slate, you have to be interested. Antonio has had a down season to say the least, but West Ham are the biggest favorite on the slate and with the pricing on their guys, you almost have to start with them in cash and single entries. Jarrod Bowen ($15) and Said Benrahma ($12) make for two more value options on their side and I have no issue if you want to do a mini stack.
Pascal Gross, BHA vs. LEI ($19): Gross is over most set pieces for Brighton and they have a strong matchup, albeit away from home, against Leicester City. They have to have a lot of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at home last Saturday and they can certainly pile on here. Gross is likely the safest of the Brighton pieces, but Kaoru Mitoma ($14) is priced to play and is playing great under manager Roberto De Zerbi. He is likely more of a GPP play, though. I have been impressed by Evan Ferguson ($18), as well, and he fits as a stacking piece or by himself if you are trying to pick out a goalscorer in GPPs. Solomon March ($19) and Moises Caicedo ($12) round out the viable options for Brighton in a spot that I really like them to put up some goals.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU vs. AVL ($17): With there not being any overwhelming favorites, it almost feels like everyone is underpriced on this slate. Ward-Prowse has scored four goals in four appearances since the World Cup break for Southampton and he is needed greatly if they are to fight out of the relegation zone. The bottom seven teams are within two points of each other, so any home matches are uber important to at least grab a point. This is a solid matchup with Aston Villa and even as a slight underdog, he is a priority for me. You can pair him if you desire, but I likely won't go overboard on the Southampton side. If you need a pure punt, Adam Armstrong ($8) is at least there, though they've been rotating their attacking players frequently of late.
There are a few other options in a strong mid-range on Saturday that includes Morgan Gibbs-White ($15), Joelinton ($15), Demarai Gray ($15) and Michael Olise ($13) to name a few. Joelinton is a part of the second-biggest favorite on the slate in Newcastle who may go a little overlooked due to other teams being more so underpriced.
DEFENDERS
Kieran Trippier, NEW vs. CRY ($15): With so many underpriced plays at midfield/forward, I think paying up for Trippier makes some sense. In addition to his massive set-piece role on the second-biggest favorite, Trippier sports some additional open play and clean sheet upside. Serge Aurier ($13) is a decent option, as well, as he has gotten there via some defensive stats over the last couple matches in addition to his goal against Chelsea.
Marc Guehi, CRY vs. NEW ($10): Palace will likely be under immense pressure against Newcastle in the late game on Saturday and Guehi showed his defensive upside earlier this week against Manchester United, providing eight clearances, en route to 22.3 FanDuel points. Targeting an underdog center-back is always a sound strategy on FanDuel. You can also take this approach with someone like Wout Faes ($11) or Daniel Amartey ($9) on the Leicester side.
GOALKEEPER
Nick Pope, NEW vs. CRY ($13): Newcastle have the second-highest clean sheet odds and Pope makes for a good correlation play with Trippier, who I mentioned above. Even though they are away from home, I slightly prefer Pope to Lukasz Fabianski ($12) for West Ham. If you need the salary savings, we have combos of cheap goalkeepers in the other games with my favorite being Robert Sanchez ($11) in a matchup I expect Brighton to continue their momentum from last week. Wayne Hennessey ($9) is another fine option against Bournemouth in a toss-up game, but he's priced as the underdog goalie in that one.
