This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Liverpool v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. West Ham
10:00 a.m: Arsenal v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Stoke City
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Manchester City
12:30 p.m: Bournemouth v. Chelsea
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARD
Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. SWA ($10,500): The Alexis we all know and love is finally back now that he's stuck with Arsenal for at least another few months and the pain of not qualifying for the World Cup with Chile has subsided. Arsenal's best attacker has been extremely good of late, as he's taken 15 shots, including six on goal, created 10 chances and drawn seven fouls in his last two matches. Only teammate Mesut Ozil ($10,000, midfielder) is averaging more chances created per 90 minutes than Alexis, and his 2.23 shots on goal per 90 rank second among players on the slate. He now faces a Swansea side that may have only allowed one away goal this season, but they've still given up the most shots, second-most shots on goal and most chances created among Saturday's 12 teams.
Richarlison, WAT v. STK ($9,500): Only a half-point for a foul drawn does Richarlison no favors, but he has an excellent matchup Saturday against Stoke City to go beyond that single stat. He isn't the most accurate shooter, but he almost scored against Chelsea last weekend and has taken 16 shots in his last three games. Unfortunately, only three were on goal and he's only created four chances over that span. Nevertheless, he'll match up against a Stoke side that has allowed the most goals, most assists and fourth-most shots on goal among the teams on the slate. If you aren't comfortable with Watford or want to go really heavy on Arsenal, you can have Alexandre Lacazette for the same price as Richarlison, though he's very goal dependent.
MIDFIELDER
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. HUD ($10,000): All Liverpool attackers are attractive fantasy options Saturday against Huddersfield, but Salah stands ahead of the others because of his shot accuracy. To put it into perspective against fellow midfielder Philippe Coutinho ($9,500), Salah is averaging 0.45 fewer shots per 90 minutes but 1.3 more shots on goal. If there's one tip in Coutinho's favor it's that he's been very good at creating chances against bad teams (five against Burnley, five at Leicester, four at Newcastle and six at NK Maribor in the Champions League), but Salah has created two in each of the past three games, with two of those matches against Manchester United and Tottenham. You could make the argument that stacking them is a viable strategy, but if you prefer to pick one, I side with Salah.
Editor's note: Coutinho was ruled out with an adductor injury after this article was posted.
Aaron Ramsey, ARS v. SWA ($8,500): Ramsey put in a fantastic fantasy performance last Sunday against Everton, scoring a massive 64.25 points in part to one goal on five shots on target and one assist on four chances created. A repeat performance is too much to ask, but he is still in prime position to deliver on his salary with Arsenal heavily favored against the 15th-place Swans, who are only one point ahead of 19th-place Bournemouth. As mentioned above, Mesut Ozil makes for a fine play, but Ramsey has more attacking upside outside of chances created.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, CRY v. WHU ($6,000): Crystal Palace are 20th in the table, but injuries in the attack have been a major part of their struggles. Loftus-Cheek is now fully recovered from his hip injury and could slot back into an attacking trio with Wilfried Zaha ($8,000) and Andros Townsend ($6,500), who also should garner some consideration against a West Ham side that's been far from good this season. Loftus-Cheek isn't a prolific shooter, but he creates chances, draws fouls and tackles enough to make his low salary worth it.
DEFENDER
Christopher Schindler, HUD at LIV ($7,000): There are only two defenders more expensive than Schindler, but the Huddersfield centerback has been really consistent this season and has shown a significant upside even without goals or assists. He has had more than 30 fantasy points four times in his last eight matches and will now face a Liverpool side that should provide plenty of opportunities for clearances, blocked shots and interceptions. Those categories work perfectly for Schindler, who has the most clearances in the Premier League and second-most interceptions among players on the slate.
Winston Reid, WHU at CRY ($5,500): Crystal Palace are last in the table and have scored just two goals this season. However, it's hasn't been for lack of trying, and opposing defenders have still been able to put up decent scores against them. Reid fits the bill this week, as Palace have allowed the most clearances and tied for the most tackles among teams on the slate, giving him a solid floor at a decent price.
Gareth McAuley, WBA v. MCI ($3,500): McAuley missed the beginning of the season because of injury, but he's featured off the bench in the past two league games and could slot into the starting XI if Jonny Evans ($5,500) is unable to recover from his groin issue. McAuley will have plenty of opportunities to rack up the defensive stats against the powerful Man City attack, and he'll do so for the minimum salary. If McAuley doesn't get the start, you can pay a little more for Allan Nyom ($4,500), who is winning over three tackles per 90 minutes and is expected to start in place of the injured Craig Dawson ($5,000).
GOALKEEPER
Simon Mignolet, LIV v. HUD ($4,000): This feels like a trap. It probably is a trap; but I'm not sure it's worth avoiding. Liverpool were absolutely dominated last weekend against Spurs, allowing four goals in a horrific defensive effort. However, they had back-to-back clean sheets before that and should be able to handle a Huddersfield attack that was scoreless in five of their previous seven league games.
