This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed stats and odds, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. Crystal Palace
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Manchester United
12:30 p.m: Southampton v. West Brom
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARD
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BUR ($11,000): Aguero was an unused substitute for the past two matches after suffering a broken rib at the end of the last international break, but manager Pep Guardiola says he's fit to play and could get the start. He'll face off against a Burnley side that has allowed the most shots this season, and while they also lead the league in blocked shots, Aguero's volume should be high enough to get enough on goal. After all, only five players have gotten more shots on goal than Aguero this season, three of which aren't on the slate. What separates Aguero from teammate Gabriel Jesus ($12,000) is that he not only takes more shots (23-19) but he creates more chances (14-5).
Romelu Lukaku, MUN at HUD ($11,000): Lukaku will be the great differentiator Saturday, as many people will try to stack as much Man City attack into their lineups as possible. Lukaku has been a bit quiet of late, but he had a six-match run of scoring at least one goal while putting at least three shots on target before the latest international break. Last weekend's match at Anfield left fantasy managers wanting much more, but they should be able to get that against Huddersfield, who were solid defensively at the beginning of the season (beginning their Premier League run with three consecutive clean sheets), but they've allowed six goals in their last two games.
Jese, STK v. BOU ($7,000):Jese has been a disappointing fantasy producer (if there are actually people who played him), but he'll have a solid opportunity to break out Saturday against Bournemouth if Xherdan Shaqiri expectedly misses out because of an ankle injury. It's possible Jese moves back to his central attacking midfield role instead of leading the line, which will give him more opportunities to create chances for the attacking players around him, namely Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. The only time he got this kind of opportunity came in his club debut Aug. 19 against Arsenal when he finished with one goal on three shots (two on target) and three chances created, most of which came after Shaqiri was forced off with an injury.
MIDFIELDER
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. BUR ($12,000): De Bruyne and teammate David Silva ($11,000) have been extremely similar this season, as they've taken the same number of Premier League shots (16), created nearly the same number of chance (26 for De Bruyne, 25 for Silva), scored the same number of goals (one) and have almost the same number of assists (five for De Bruyne, six for Silva). The only separator is that De Bruyne has put half of his 16 shots on goal while Silva has only hit three of his on target.
Wilfried Zaha, CRY at NEW ($8,000): Zaha scored 35.25 fantasy points in Palace's upset win over Chelsea last weekend thanks to one goal on two shots on target, two chances created and two tackles. He is the engine of the Palace attack and should be able to keep the strong play going against a Newcastle side that has been decent defensively but don't have an overpowering defense that can contain Zaha easily.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, STK v. BOU ($7,500): Lukaku is the only player on this slate who has taken more shots than Choupo-Moting. The former Schalke player has lined up as a center forward, central attacking midfielder and a left winger this season, and he's shown the ability to produce at each position. Bournemouth have allowed the fourth-most shots this season among teams on the slate but the second-most shots on goal, giving fantasy owners a little more optimism if the role with Choupo-Moting.
Nathan Redmond, SOU v. WBA ($7,000): The only players on this slate with more chances created this season than Redmond cost at least $2,000 more, and he's taken more shots than all of them (De Bruyne and Shaqiri have slightly more on goal). Southampton aren't expected to go much on West Brom -- in fact, the game has the lowest total for the entire slate -- but there should still be opportunities for Southampton to attack if the Baggies sit back and work for their away point. The upside isn't huge, but Redmond has created multiple chances or gotten multiple shots on goal in three of his past four matches, and he picked up an assist last weekend against Newcastle on four chances created.
DEFENDER
James Tarkowski, BUR at MCI ($6,000): Tarkowski leads the league in blocked shots this season and now faces a Manchester City side that has taken the most shots among teams on the slate. He also leads the league in clearances, which gives him the defensive floor separator over teammate Ben Mee, who has gotten four of eight shots on goal this season, which pushes his salary to $1,000 more than Tarkowski's. And while he plays out wide, I wouldn't shy away from fullback Matthew Lowton ($5,500) given he'll probably be stuck in his defensive half most of the match anyway.
Jonny Evans, WBA at SOU ($5,000): No team has had more effective clearances against them than Southampton, and while Ahmed Hegazi ($6,500) leads the Baggies in the category, but it's helped that he's played 237 more minutes than Evans. This is more a "whoever is starting in central defense against Southampton" play than specifically targeting Evans, as at least one centerback opposing Southampton has reached double-digit clearances in four of their past five matches.
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey, CRY at NEW ($4,500): Newcastle have forced the second-most assists among teams on the slate (Man City is no. 1), and they've scored multiple goals the same number of times they've been shut out. Sure, they've been more successful at home this season, but with plenty of expensive attacking firepower, it might be worth it to pay down for Hennessey or Julian Speroni ($4,000) if the former doesn't overcome the injury that forced him to sit last weekend.
