This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Chelsea vs. Leeds United
- 10:00 am: Liverpool vs. Aston Villa
- 12:30 pm: Norwich City vs. Manchester United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS / MIDFIELDERS
Cristiano Ronaldo, MUN at NOR ($21): In a stacked slate with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all highly favored, you'll have a shot at a few top-end attackers, including Mohamed Salah ($220), Romelu Lukaku ($20), Bruno Fernandes ($20) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($21). Ronaldo has the third-highest goalscoring odds behind Salah and Lukaku, and will benefit from being rested for Wednesday's Champions League match. A matchup against Norwich City is a good chance for huge outings from the United attack, as Norwich concede the most goals, shots on goal and chances created of the eight teams. Ronaldo is the top option, followed by Fernandes and Marcus Rashford ($18). It'll be interesting to see who gets the starting nod between Jadon Sancho ($17) and Mason Greenwood ($19), as both players are viable plays should they start. Teemu Pukki ($16) is Norwich's best attacker and has hit over nine fantasy points in five-straight matches.
Raphinha, LEE at CHE ($18): Chelsea are the definite favorites here and have a couple good options, though I'm opting for more of a sure thing in Raphinha. He ranks third in Premier League in chances created and has scored over 15 points in nine of 13 starts this season, including seven starts with more than 24 points. Chelsea are one of the better defensive sides, though they've conceded three goals in consecutive matches (including Wednesday's draw with Zenit St. Petersburg). Raphinha's floor and goal-scoring prowess makes him my top option in this matchup, though Mason Mount ($19) is a close second as he's scored two goals, provided two assists and created eight scoring chances over the last three matches. Romelu Lukaku ($20) scored his first goal Wednesday since returning from injury and has the second-highest goalscoring odds. Kai Havertz ($16) is the cheapest expected starter for Chelsea's attack and is a viable pivot if you run out of budget. Stuart Dallas ($14) is my favorite budget-friendly option, as he's had nine-straight matches over 11.7 points.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at ARS ($16): Ward-Prowse doesn't have the upside like Mohamed Salah ($22) or Cristiano Ronaldo ($21), but he's extremely consistent and faces an Arsenal side who concede the third-most chances created of the eight teams. Ward-Prowse takes the majority of set pieces for Southampton, which is where a fair amount of his chances created have come from. Arsenal are favored, though the oddsmakers have this as the most even matchup of the four contests. Gabriel Martinelli ($13) has started the past two matches and taken a share of set pieces alongside Martin Odegaard ($15), who has been excellent with consecutive matches above 32 points. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($19) has the highest goalscoring odds in the match and his price reflects that. He's been pretty hot and cold of late and was left on the bench last match.
Takumi Minamino, LIV v. AVL ($9): Diogo Jota ($20) hasn't been able to train for most of the week and Takumi Minamino played well in Tuesday's win over AC Milan. This is a speculative pick considering Divock Origi ($17) has scored a goal in consecutive matches and is also an option. If Minamino makes the starting XI, he's worthy of consideration at this price with Liverpool the biggest favorite on the slate. Mohamed Salah ($22) is the most expensive player on the slate and will likely be the highest rostered due to his incredible form. Sadio Mane ($19) is the pivot from Salah and is a better option for tournaments. Ollie Watkins ($17) is in good form and has scored two goals in the past four matches while finishing with at least 14.9 points in three of those outings. He'll have a tough assignment against Liverpool's steady backline.
DEFENDERS
Matt Targett, AVL at LIV ($10): Liverpool opponents average nearly 25 clearances per 90 minutes, which has been fruitful for fantasy defenders trying to stop the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Center-backs like Tyrone Mings ($13) and Ezri Konsa ($12) are the two most likely to benefit from this, though Matt Targett and Matty Cash ($11) could see an uptick in defensive work as Liverpool force a high volume of blocks and interceptions. Targett is the cheapest and has a good chance to make value in this matchup. Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) is the most coveted defender on the slate, while Andrew Robertson ($13) isn't quite as productive as Alexander-Arnold but is still capable of putting up a big outing.
Lyanco, SOU at ARS ($9): Southampton are dealing with a couple defensive injuries and Lyanco should make his third start in four matches. In his past two starts, he's finished with 15.6 and 22.3 starts due to his high volume of defensive stats. This match has the lowest-implied goal total and Lyanco could be a sneaky pickup for a Southampton defense that's been playing well for long stretches of the season.
GOALKEEPERS
Illan Meslier, LEE at CHE ($7): Alisson Becker ($14) and Edouard Mendy ($13) are both heavy favorites playing at home and have been excellent this season. They're good plays but likely won't do you any favors when trying to roster prominent attackers. David de Gea ($12) is worth a shout as Norwich haven't been particularly good in attack. Emiliano Martinez ($6) and Illan Meslier should see the most amount of work in matchups against Liverpool and Chelsea, making them two of my favored choices. It's a coin flip as to which one to go with, though I think Liverpool can score more goals than Chelsea on Saturday.
