This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
- 10:00 am: Sheffield United vs. Southampton
- 12:30 pm: Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton
- 3:00 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leicester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Pascal Gross, BHA v. LEI ($16): Saturday's slate is set to continue the low-scoring matches, and that means I'm going to write about the best cash plays and no one else. Ollie Watkins ($22), Danny Ings ($21), Jamie Vardy ($20) and Neal Maupay ($18) have the best odds to score, but none have much of a floor and none are in form. That's why my first pick is the always reliable Pascal Gross, who had 14 fantasy points in 13 of 15 matches this season, including six of his last seven. Even as a defensive midfielder last match, he provided 16.8 fantasy points from corners and a variety of defensive stats. His upside is minimal even if he takes corners and gets off a shot or two, but he has one of the highest floors on the slate and this matchup won't stop that. Leicester City are struggling without their best players, and I think these teams are close to even for this matchup despite what the table shows. Maupay is the GPP stacking option, while Leandro Trossard ($17) has a touch more upside than Gross, though his floor isn't reliable.
Anwar El Ghazi, AVL v. WOL ($16): As long as Grealish remains out, El Ghazi should be a focal point of most lineups. After putting in a dud against Leicester City, he has seven shots (four on target) and six chances created the last two matches. Those numbers aren't as eye popping as they were in December, but they're good enough to lead to a floor of at least 10 points with as much upside as anyone. He's taking the majority of set pieces for Villa and seems to unleash a couple shots outside the box every match. That's good enough for this slate, even against a Wolverhampton team that will want to slow down the match. Watkins is the upside play, but he's oddly expensive for a sporadic forward who can't be relied on for fantasy production. That said, Watkins probably has the second-best floor on the team given the lineup Villa have used the last couple matches. The change in formation has led to five chances created, two shots on goal and four tackles for Watkins in two games.
Pedro Neto, WOL at AVL ($19): For the expensive cash play, I prefer Neto over James Ward-Prowse ($18), who, along with the rest of Southampton, has struggled to do anything relevant the last couple weeks. Neto is at least a threat to score because of how much he's on the ball in the final third, and he doesn't like to pass when he has an open shot. He's made the score-sheet in three of the last five matches, producing 12 chances and four shots on target. His floor can fluctuate, but it usually only drops below 10 fantasy points against top competition. Villa have oddly played worse at home this season (16 home points, 23 away) and no matter the location, they tend to give up opportunities because of their attacking style of play. There isn't much else to like about the Wolves attackers unless you think Ruben Neves ($17) scores again. Willian Jose ($16) could return to the starting XI, but he was benched for a reason, while Adama Traore ($10) still hasn't made the score-sheet this season.
Youri Tielemans, LEI at BHA ($13): Tielemans hasn't had a price increase despite taking over set pieces in the absence of James Maddison, making him a near must-play in cash games. Tielemans had a floor of 16.6 points last match and has at least eight fantasy points in his last 10. He's playing in a more forward role without Maddison in the squad, and that gives him a touch more upside even if it's not a huge difference. He created three chances from six corners last match, and that's a bonus for someone who already hits close to 10 points from defensive stats. Unfortunately, it's hard to back Vardy, who had one shot on goal and a total of 12.8 fantasy points the last three matches. Kelechi Iheanacho ($17) scored last match, but he's nothing more than a GPP gamble. Wilfred Ndidi ($12) will get more attention than usual, and he at least has a decent floor from defensive stats, so he won't be a complete bust. I'm just not sure he can keep up the current pace with one goal and two assists in the last six matches, hitting at least 20 points in four.
DEFENDERS
Dan Burn, BHA v. LEI ($7): There's an odd number of cheap defenders on this slate even though there aren't a ton of elite forwards. If, for some reason, you need to save money, Burn may be the best value choice, hitting at least 10 fantasy points in each of the last five matches. He has a better floor than teammate Ben White ($6) and Southampton's Mohammed Salisu ($5), both of whom could start. If you have a few more bucks, Ahmed Elmohamady ($9) is still relatively cheap despite hitting double-digit fantasy points in his last four starts, and 11 of his last 12 over the last two seasons.
Ethan Ampadu, SHU v SOU ($13): I just wrote about Burn, so I won't spend another paragraph on Joel Veltman ($12), but he's the better version with a higher floor and more upside. There aren't any specific reasons to spend up on defender this slate, only that a lot of people will have extra money. Ampadu is racking up defensive stats against everyone, so even though Southampton are struggling, he should still reach close to 15 points. He's scored at least 10 points in nine of his last 10, including more than 20 in each of the past two; he does a little bit of everything, which is what makes the best floor defenders.
GOALKEEPER
Robert Sanchez, BHA v. LEI ($9): On a slate of three games with implied goal totals floating around 2.5, every goalkeeper is in play, especially since I only recommended a bunch of floor plays and no exclusive goal scorers. McCarthy has the best odds to win, but Sheffield United just beat Aston Villa and I'm not sure Southampton are the best team to trust right now. Emiliano Martinez ($12) is always an option and Kasper Schmeichel ($11) is probably the smart move because Brighton can't score, but I'm going to the opposite end. Sanchez isn't making many saves, which leaves some risk, but Brighton are still outplaying most competition and Leicester aren't the same without Maddison and Harvey Barnes. If you want to bet against Brighton, Schmeichel is your guy.
