This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Burnley
- 10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Sheffield United vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Chelsea
- 12:30 pm: Norwich City vs. Manchester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet.
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Manchester City are a towering favorite on this slate and most lineups will likely have a couple of their players, at a minimum. If you fade City in GPP, you're hoping for one goal against Norwich, which I can't see happening. Instead, I'll pick between the players I like best. Sergio Aguero ($24) has the best odds to score, and he's been my favorite play the last couple matches, but he's more expensive than everyone and his efficiency has to drop, having scored on all six of his shots on goal t his season. Compared to previous campaigns, he usually has two shots on goal for every goal scored. There's also the possible return of Gabriel Jesus ($18), which could take away the full 90 minutes for Aguero. Raheem Sterling ($22) was overly efficient in the first few matches and had a dud last time out. I think he may be the play in GPP because everyone will look at that last performance and avoid him. However, he's still the same guy who hit double-digit goals and assists the last two seasons. Kevin De Bruyne ($21) is my choice in cash games because he has the best floor of the bunch, creating multiple chances every match to go with a few defensive stats. Riyad Mahrez ($16) also deserves to be on the radar if he's in the starting XI, as he had nine chances created in two starts.
Outside of Man City, Harry Kane ($24) will get his usual attention, but I can't put faith in him no matter what the odds say. He has a floor in the single digits, and the last time Tottenham were at home, they failed to score against Newcastle. It makes more sense to trust Christian Eriksen ($18) at a reduced rate because he's starting again and his floor is much better from set pieces and chances created. It's reasonable to spend on Tammy Abraham ($20), Mason Mount ($19) or Ashley Barnes ($19) away from home, but Marcus Rashford ($20) is favored and has the best odds to score in the match. Daniel James ($16) also deserves attention, though I prefer Raul Jimenez ($16) against Chelsea, who have had a problem defending in early matches. He doesn't have much of a floor, so he could be more useful in GPP.
There are a couple $13 midfielders who may be in all of my cash lineups. Oliver Norwood has yet to finish below 10 fantasy points as Sheffield United's main set-piece taker, while Wilfred Ndidi has racked up 11 clearances, 13 interceptions and 15 tackles in three matches. He's cheaper because Leicester City are underdogs, but that's a good thing because United have forced the most interceptions and second-most tackles. Joao Moutinho ($13) and James Ward-Prowse ($13) are in the same mold as they take the majority of set pieces for their respective teams, though they don't supply as many defensive stats as the other two.
If you want more upside in this range, Danny Ings ($14) and Che Adams ($12) are the plays as slight away underdogs. If you think Sheffield United can exploit Southampton, Callum Robinson ($14) and Oliver McBurnie ($13) are the expected starters. However, Leandro Trossard ($14) may be my favorite if he can return from a small groin injury picked up over the break. He's been a nice spark in Brighton's attack and even managed a floor of 12.6 points at Man City last match.
DEFENDERS
You know it's not a good defender slate when only three cost more than $14. That's even more impressive considering prices now include odd numbers (that switch happened during the break). It doesn't help that two of the expensive defenders are battling injuries and the other one has surpassed 10 points in half of his matches. There is a better group of players at $14, and I feel fairly comfortable in most of them. Oleksandr Zinchenko has a touch of upside to go with a floor around 10 points from defensive stats. Sheffield United have forced a decent amount of clearances, so Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek are safe with floors around 15 points. It's less certain with everyone else, but Harry Maguire will always get attention at this price, especially as a favorite with decent odds for a clean sheet.
Tottenham and Burnley are one and two in forced clearances, so that points to Crystal Palace and Brighton, respectively. Joel Ward ($12) has had the highest floor among the Palace defenders, but Gary Cahill ($10) had 14 clearances in his two starts which puts him in a nice range for 15 fantasy points. Brighton defenders have disappointed for the most part, but Dan Burn ($12) has had the most consistent floor with 14 clearances and nine interceptions.
As usual, a lot of people will randomly select cheap defenders and hope that works for the best. If you know what you're doing, it can work, but there is only one expected starter below $10. The problem is that Max Aarons ($8) has struggled to reach 10 points every match and Man City don't force a ton of defensive action. I'd rather spend a couple more and bank on Cahill, Jonny Evans or Cedric Soares.
GOALKEEPER
The new pricing makes picking goalkeeper a little more reasonable instead of the 10-12 options having to be separated by two dollars. I still don't feel great about spending on David de Gea ($16) or Hugo Lloris ($15), though the latter is making a lot of saves. Ederson ($15) is the best bet to win and Norwich City have gotten the sixth-most shots on goal in the league. I'd rather save cash with any of the $10 or $11 options. Dean Henderson ($10) makes the most sense from an odds perspective as a home favorite and could be the most popular in cash games. On the other end, Angus Gunn ($11) has made 14 saves in the last three matches and Sheffield United are dealing with injuries up front. Mathew Ryan ($11) is in a similar situation as Henderson, but he's already disappointed in home matches against Southampton and West Ham. If you're fading Tottenham and Man United, it wouldn't be surprising if either Kasper Schmeichel ($11) or Vicente Guaita ($10) sneaks away with a clean sheet.
