This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal each have an implied team goal total close to two. Liverpool are at home against in-form Aston Villa, while United and Arsenal visit Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, respectively. I think these three teams will rightfully dominate team construction, since the other two matchups featuring Everton away to Wolves and Crystal Palace away to Fulham project as low-scoring toss-ups.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
- 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 am: Liverpool vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Everton
- 12:30 pm: Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes (BOU vs. MUN, $23): Bruno has one of the best floors overall on the entire slate, and he has racked up five or more chances created in each of his last three starts. I expect his strong floor to continue against Bournemouth, and his goalscoring odds of +210 are solid and open the door for an enormous ceiling performance. Marcus Rashford ($20) missed last week, but he will be popular as the slate's most likely goal scorer at -130 should he make it back into the starting XI. Antony ($18) has picked up his performances lately for United, as well. He's created three chances in his past three starts to pair with 13 total shots (two on target).
Gabriel Jesus (NFO vs. ARS, $22): Jesus has the best goalscoring odds on Arsenal at +140, and while it is never easy traveling to Nottingham Forest, this projects to be one of the best matchups of the season for Arsenal. Leandro Trossard ($19) should start with Gabriel Martinelli confirmed to be out for the season. He's created 2.3 chances per 90 minutes for Arsenal, and a partial role on set pieces should add to his assist equity. His goalscoring odds of +200 are very close to his slightly more expensive teammates Martin Odegaard ($21) and Bukayo Saka ($21). I think Arsenal will dominate possession in this game, and I never mind taking a flier on salary relief options such as Thomas Partey ($11) or Granit Xhaka ($14) when paired with another Arsenal teammate in GPPs.
Mohamed Salah (LIV vs. AVL, $22): Continuing with the theme of in-form forwards, Salah is surely going to be popular since he has been on fire since the beginning of April. He bagged three assists in his last match against Leicester and scored a goal in each of the three matches beforehand. Cody Gakpo ($18) and Diogo Jota ($18) are solid secondary options in the Liverpool attack, but I think the Aston Villa matchup might be tricker for Liverpool than the odds suggest. The Villans have only conceded four goals in their last six matches. I'm not against using Liverpool attackers, but I'll avoid stacking them in tournaments, and I prefer the Arsenal and United matchups.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (WOL vs. EVE, $16): I haven't gone over many underdog options yet, and while Liverpool, United, and Arsenal pieces should be the priority, the other teams have some compelling options. Everton will be motivated against Wolves to secure their safety, and Calvert-Lewin should be on penalties and offers (+225) anytime goalscoring odds. Should John McGinn ($11) start as a right-midfielder, I think he offers more upside than anyone else in this price range. In his four most recent starts at that position, he's totaled eight shots and four chances created.
I haven't really gotten into the Fulham vs. Crystal Palace matchup, but that game has a low implied goal total and players like Eberechi Eze ($19) and Aleksandar Mitrovic ($20) are priced too similarly to the favored forwards mentioned above. They'll certainly be more contrarian pieces in larger GPPs. You could also play a cheaper option such as Willian ($16) or Jordan Ayew ($15)
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold (LIV vs. AVL, $15): There has been a lot of discussion of Alexander-Arnold's positional change to a more central role, and I think it's a benefit for fantasy in matchups where Liverpool is expected to have most of the possession. I think he'll be able to take more shots and create more chances for his teammates, so I like pairing him with his teammates in tournaments. In the eight matches since this change, he's logged more than 22 fantasy points six times.
If you want a GPP-only dart, Matias Vina ($11) is an attacking left-back with a penchant for shooting. He's averaged just over one shot on target per 90 minutes in limited action with Bournemouth this season, including two goals.
Raphael Varane (BOU vs. MUN, $8): I'm inclined to play at least one cheap attacker so I can afford more expensive attackers, and I think Varane is underpriced for United's clean sheet odds. He's averaged 4.4 clearances per 90 minutes this season. Kieran Tierney ($8) makes sense in GPPs when paired with other Arsenal attackers, but I don't think he offers much of a floor as a left-back. If Joe Worrall ($9) starts for Nottingham Forest, the matchup against Arsenal should allow for many opportunities for blocked shots and clearances. Ezri Konsa ($9) is in a similar situation on the road at Liverpool.
GOALKEEPER
Sam Johnstone (CRY vs. FUL, $10): In a perfect world, I have the salary to pay up for one of the expensive favored goalkeepers, such as Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale ($13), but I don't mind moving down for a cheaper home goalkeeper such as Johnstone. Since there are three strong favorites on this slate, maybe one GPP strategy you can try is to play forwards from two of those favorites along with the cheap goalkeeper facing off against the team you omitted. For example, if you roster United and Arsenal forwards, I'd consider Emiliano Martinez ($7). At worst, he should have plenty of save opportunities, and it's a good leverage spot in case the Liverpool attack fails.
