This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. West Ham
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Leicester v. Watford
12:30 p.m: Southampton v. Manchester United
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BOU ($13,500): Aguero maybe costs too much for a guy that only had 4.3 fantasy points in a match his team scored four goals in, but there's no forward close to him in terms of upside. In terms of price, the next player is Anthony Martial ($12,500), who is $2,500 more than last weekend. Aguero is almost impossible to pass up at home with seven goals and four assists in seven matches. He's the most expensive player on the slate but may be the easiest player to own in cash games. Martial costs too much on a team struggling to score, and I'm not throwing money at Glenn Murray ($11,000) on the road or Jamie Vardy ($11,000) on a Leicester team that can't score more than one goal.
Wilfried Zaha, CRY v. BRN ($8,500): It's usually not a good slate when Crystal Palace are expected to score the second-most goals even though they have just one in their last four in all competitions. Zaha hasn't done anything for a couple months, partly due to schedule, though he at least has shown a floor near 10 fantasy points with eight chances created and six tackles in the last three matches. It's hard to bet on any Palace player, but this is their easiest matchup since September, so there's at least reason for optimism. Burnley have also given up the most shots (109) and chances created (85) by far in the last five gameweeks. Salomon Rondon ($7,500) could be a popular option after a recent brace, but he hasn't done anything other than that this season. You could stretch for Marko Arnautovic ($9,500), but trusting West Ham on the road rarely results in good things.
Steve Mounie, HUD v. BHA ($7,500): Mounie could be one of the better cash plays on the slate after he had four shots on goal and four chances created in his last home match. He's played close to a full 90 in the last two and now faces a Brighton side that's just behind Burnley in terms of shots (94) and chances created (65) allowed in the last five games. Mounie may not be someone you normally look at, but due to the slate and schedule, he could be a viable forward.
MIDFIELDERS
Riyad Mahrez, MCI v. BOU ($8,500): I could write about three Man City midfielders, but that would be boring so I'm picking the one I think is most valuable. Due to injuries, City are likely to roll out the same squad they had against Lyon when Fabian Delph was the first substitute for Leroy Sane ($9,500). Given the situation, there's a chance all but one of the midfielders is headed for close to 90 minutes again, though if they get out to a two or three-goal lead, Phil Foden may come in earlier than normal. Either way, Mahrez presents the best value because he's the cheapest of the bunch and has made the score sheet in his last six starts in all competitions. If money wasn't an issue, David Silva ($10,500) is my last option, though not by much. He's consistent, but rarely goes off like Sane or Raheem Sterling ($11,500) have done this season. Either way, I'm going to put two of these guys in my squad, especially in cash games.
Felipe Anderson, WHU at NEW ($8,500): If you throw out the matches against Man City and Tottenham, Anderson is averaging more than 22 fantasy points per match with 1.44 shots and 1.95 chances created per 90 minutes. This isn't a great spot at Newcastle, but it's not an impossible one and Anderson's price dropped to a reasonable amount. There's a chance he flubs for 10 fantasy points, but that can be said for most in this range, including Aaron Mooy ($9,000), who could be over owned after last weekend's brace. If you think Zaha is going to draw another penalty for Luka Milivojevic ($8,500), he's a possibility if you don't want to go all-in with Man City.
Andros Townsend, CRY v. BRN ($7,000): Since you need to make room for all of the Man City players, Townsend is viable as a third midfielder. The problem is when you back both Crystal Palace forwards and the match ends a scoreless draw, you'll have trouble winning any kind of contest. Townsend at least has hope since he gets opportunities every match with 1.74 shots and 1.35 chances created per 90 minutes in addition to some corners. Those numbers don't stand out, but the potential is there against a Burnley team that's going to sit back and let Palace pound them with corners and possession. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ($7,000) has a slightly better floor, whereas Marc Albrighton ($7,500) and Matt Ritchie ($7,500) cost a little more with lower floors but decent upside. But at this point, you're guessing as to which team will score the most, and Crystal Palace have better odds than Leicester and Newcastle.
DEFENDERS
Nathan Ake, BOU at MCI ($5,500): This is as easy at it gets if you want production from a defender, as Ake has at least 14 fantasy points in each of his last six starts and faces a Man City squad that's going to be in the attack the majority of the match. Ake should be good for another seven clearances, and when you throw in a few tackles and interceptions, 15 fantasy points is easily attainable. Most of the other defenders aren't worth the extra money, though I oddly like Fabian Schar ($6,000) after he racked up 19 clearances, five interceptions and six tackles in the last two matches.
Wes Morgan, LEI v. WAT ($4,500): Since Harry Maguire's injury, Morgan has seen a nice uptick in production with 25 clearances in the last three, and all of them were against teams near relegation. That means it doesn't matter how good Watford are because Morgan should still get plenty of clearances alongside Jonny Evans, who shouldn't be at the same price. I'd also throw Kevin Long and Mamadou Sakho into the conversation at the same price, but I like Morgan's floor slightly more.
Matt Targett, SOU v. MUN ($4,000): There's only one player to consider at the bottom of the barrel for defenders, and while I'm not a huge Targett fan, my strategy of getting the cheapest defender rarely fails. He likely won't have as many crosses as he had last match (14), but he should still be on corners in place of Ryan Bertrand. My hope is that he gets a few more defensive stats against Man United after there was little defense played in Southampton's trip to Fulham last weekend. Targett could easily bust if he doesn't get defensive stats, so if you want safety, look at one of the $4,500 options.
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey, CRY v. BRN ($5,000): Since a match involving Southampton and Manchester United is expected to have the second-most goals on the slate, there are plenty of places to go at goalkeeper. Hennessey is only behind Ederson ($6,500) in terms of clean sheet odds, and he's allowed just one goal to Man United and Tottenham in the last two matches. Burnley may not force many saves, but after losing at home to Newcastle last weekend there's little reason to suggest they can score on the road. My other pick is Jonas Lossl ($4,500), who doesn't have as good of odds to win, but having given up just one goal in the last three, he's in another decent spot for a clean sheet.
