This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Norwich City
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 am: Watford vs. Burnley
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 12:30 pm: Leeds United vs. Manchester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Raheem Sterling, MCI at LEE ($19): I don't think this is a smash spot for Manchester City, especially with some rotation expected, but as always, it's hard to fade them. Sterling is more of a tournament play, as his floor can be close to zero points but his upside can be a hat trick. If Kevin De Bruyne ($21) starts, he'd be first in my squad even without a full 90 guaranteed. I think Leeds will put up a fight, which would point to a better performance out of a set-piece taker like De Bruyne. Bernardo Silva ($17) is a cheaper tournament play, while Jack Grealish ($16) doesn't seem worth the risk given his lack of goalscoring this season. Either way, as opposed to prior slates, Man City aren't a must in this matchup.
Ollie Watkins, AVL v. NOR ($17): Aston Villa are home and have nearly the same win odds and implied-goal total as Man City. Watkins has the best odds to score on this slate by a small margin and he's not max price. Philippe Coutinho ($20) is always a worry to outperform Watkins, though you can roster both of them fairly easily. Still, the edge goes to Watkins for me because he's more likely to go a full 90 and he plays as more of the central striker. I'd also consider whoever starts in that third attacking spot with Leon Bailey ($15) projected to be the guy. If you want to save money, John McGinn ($14) has a split of set pieces and Jacob Ramsey ($12) has already shown brace upside this season.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU v. CRY ($19): Ward-Prowse continues to surpass expectations and soon enough he'll be at max price if he keeps scoring. He's maybe not the best tournament play, but he takes PKs and has a career-high nine goals this season, so it's not the worst idea. He's a top cash play because of his dominant role on set pieces and that Southampton are in a favorable spot home against Crystal Palace. With Man City and Villa being big favorites, I think stacking this Southampton-Palace match could be worth a try in GPPs. Wilfried Zaha ($18) is always in play to hit the back of the net and had a ridiculous 39.2-point floor last match, while any of the Southampton guys can be considered. Stuart Armstrong ($10) comes at a surprising discount and is usually good for a couple shots outside the box every match.
Teemu Pukki, NOR at AVL ($15): There are a lot of ways to go in tournaments if you don't want to focus on Man City or Villa, and Norwich is one of those spots. Puuki is always in play as seen in his one-goal, one-assist performance at Manchester United last away match. He'll be less than 10 percent (or even five percent) used and it's not like Villa have a dominant back line. They've been inconsistent all season and prior to holding Leicester scoreless, they gave up nine goals in their last four matches, including two to Wolverhampton. If you don't want to go crazy with Norwich, I think Raul Jimenez ($17) and Danny Welbeck ($14) will be similarly unpopular. If you want a safer value option, Dwight McNeil ($12) has played better the last few matches and it wouldn't be surprising if he finally hit the back of the net.
DEFENDERS
Christian Kabasele, WAT v. BRN ($7): I can't remember the last time I saw so many cheap, viable defenders. Kabasele isn't my favorite for tournaments, but he's the safest of the $7 options. He's hit double-digit fantasy points in all eight of his starts this season and should see the usual defensive action against what has been a revived Burnley. Romain Perraud ($7) and Ashley Young ($7) are more likely to provide some upside, as both are expected to get forward a decent amount on the flank.
Joao Cancelo, MCI at LEE ($15): If you have extra money, Cancelo has the most upside of any defender. He only has one league goal this season, but he has two more in eight Champions League matches and he'll be rested after not playing midweek. If you prefer more safety and have money, Hassane Kamara ($14) has nearly a 20-point floor from defensive stats, while James Tarkowski ($14) is in that same range except the defensive action may not be there for him against Watford.
GOALKEEPER
Emiliano Martinez, AVL v. NOR ($12): It's a little too obvious to use Martinez on this slate, but I'll point it out in case you didn't notice it. As of writing, he had better odds for a clean sheet than Ederson ($14) and he's two dollars cheaper. If you have the extra cash, Ederson is also possible, as he'll be less popular. Otherwise, you could pick any of the six goalkeepers in the other matches because they all have similar clean-sheet odds with Nick Pope ($9) maybe being my favorite of the bunch.
