This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Sheffield United
- 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 am: Norwich City vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: West Ham United vs. Everton
- 12:30 pm: Newcastle United vs. Chelsea
For detailed stats and odds, as well as expected lineups, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Emiliano Buendia, NOR v. BOU ($16): I know Man City are overwhelming favorites on this slate, but Buendia is the biggest steal and has been for the last few weeks. He's had at least 15 fantasy points in his last seven starts and had a floor of 40 points last home match. In a rare spot as a favorite, I'd spend at least $20 on Buendia, who's creating 3.42 chances per 90 minutes. Conveniently, Bournemouth are in a funk and have allowed third-most shots and chances, as well as the fifth-most corners, in the last 10 gameweeks. Teemu Pukki ($17) is set to return from injury and worth a stack in tournaments, especially if you think Norwich can score multiple goals (I think they can). Sure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($16) and Raul Jimenez ($16) are more likely to score in this price range, but I'd rather take the automatic 20 points.
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. CRY ($22): If Sergio Aguero ($23) starts, I'd be surprised if he wasn't the most used player no matter the format. Coming off a hat trick, everyone will flock to the player with by far the best odds to score. However, I'd rather play things safe in the event that Aguero doesn't score multiple goals. Maybe Aguero will score, but he doesn't have much of a floor and there have been numerous times when he's scored this season and didn't surpass 30 fantasy points. The difference for De Bruyne is that he's going to hit close to 20 fantasy points every match no matter how often he makes the score-sheet. He's averaging 3.10 shots and 3.99 chances created per 90 minutes, and I'll bet on that above Aguero's goal-or-bust fantasy potential. In fact, I may consider Gabriel Jesus ($21) above Aguero if they both start again because he at least gets back and makes a tackle or two. Riyad Mahrez ($19) is also a worthy play, while David Silva ($17) is more of a stacking piece if you want to use three Man City players, and that's not a bad strategy because their implied goal total is almost one more than every other team.
Danny Ings, SOU v. WOL ($18): If Ings were on a bigger club and scoring at the same rate, he'd likely be at least $20. He has five goals in his last four starts and has scored in nine of his last 10. He's not getting much else outside of goals (similar to Aguero), but he has 11 shots on goal in his last four starts. Ings can be considered somewhat of a differential because this matchup has the lowest implied goal total on the slate. However, I'm likely betting the over because Wolverhampton's back line seems to be a little more dodgy away from home, especially against lower competition. They've allowed at least one goal in their last seven away matches and most recently lost 2-1 at Watford despite having an extra man for the final 20 minutes. You could stack Ings with James Ward-Prowse ($15) and throw in Jimenez if you're also betting the over. If not, Alexandre Lacazette ($18) and Nicolas Pepe ($17) should be set for bigger roles in the Arsenal attack without the suspended Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. On the other side of that, I'm not sure I want to trust the Arsenal attack against what has been a solid Sheffield United defense.
Leandro Trossard, BHA v. AVL ($14): Neal Maupay ($14) has the better goal odds, but I'll take the higher floor in this spot. Trossard has gone a full 90 in each of the last three matches while Pascal Gross has been relegated to a bench role and Aaron Mooy is dealing with a knock. He's created seven chances in his last two home starts, and those came with Mooy, who's been taking the majority of set pieces. Aston Villa have allowed the most chances and shots in the last 10 gameweeks and Trossard should benefit from that more than anyone on Brighton. Maupay is more likely to score, but if he doesn't there's a good chance he finishes with fewer than 10 fantasy points. It's likely Gabriel Martinelli ($13) and Callum Hudson-Odoi ($13) will get more attention as they're cheaper and on bigger clubs, but I prefer to take the route less taken. There are possibilities if you need to go cheaper like Adama Traore ($12) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh ($11), though that may only be needed if you go heavy on two Man City players.
DEFENDERS
Florian Lejeune, NEW v. CHE ($9): This isn't the best slate for defenders, but if you can get Lejeune at a discount compared to his fellow center-backs (Federico Fernandez $13, Ciaran Clark $13), you might as well take it. Lejeune hasn't posted consistent numbers this season, but he had eight clearances in 77 minutes off the bench last weekend and should see similar action against Chelsea, who have forced the most blocks, third-most clearances and third-most interceptions in the last 10 gameweeks. Cesar Azpilicueta ($15) and the Everton full-backs provide the most upside, but their floors are often below 10 points and I don't want to touch that. The better play would be to go with Reece James ($11) and hope he gets forward to create a few chances like he did last match.
Gary Cahill, CRY at MCI ($8): Cahill could be the most popular defender because his price should be higher after returning from injury last week, especially since fellow center-back James Tomkins is $14. While Cahill isn't guaranteed to produce, he will undoubtedly have the opportunity to rack up defensive stats at Man City. At one point this season, he had seven straight matches of double-digit fantasy points, and there's a decent chance he hits that number against this attack. The other $8 defenders are full-backs who you can't rely on, though Adam Smith ($8) has often been productive whenever in the squad.
GOALKEEPER
Jordan Pickford, EVE at WHU ($10): If you used Pickford for each of his last seven matches, you'd probably be a bit richer. He scored at least 10 fantasy points in all of those contests and that includes against Arsenal, Chelsea and both Manchester sides. Everton have been more defensive under new management, and I'll continue to bet on Pickford until that changes. The only worry is that West Ham have had no problem scoring at home (16 of 25 total goals have been scored at London Stadium) which means Pickford will need to make a few saves to reach the 10-point mark again. It's hard to see Ederson ($14) not winning, and he has the best odds for a clean sheet, but I don't hate Mathew Ryan ($12) or Tim Krul ($11), both going against struggling teams.
