This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 11:00 am: Arsenal vs. Everton
- 11:00 am: Brentford vs. Leeds United
- 11:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. West Ham United
- 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Newcastle United
- 11:00 am: Chelsea vs. Watford
- 11:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United
- 11:00 am: Leicester City vs. Southampton
- 11:00 am: Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton
- 11:00 am: Manchester City vs. Aston Villa
- 11:00 am: Norwich City vs. Tottenham Hotspur
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS / MIDFIELDERS
Heung-Min Son, NOR v. TOT ($21): It's a tough decision between Kevin De Bruyne ($21) and Heung-Min Son for this massive slate (I don't expect Mohamed Salah ($21) to start given his injury). The biggest factor that would make me opt for Son over De Bruyne is the matchup against Norwich City. They've given up the most goals and scoring chances created this season, along with the second-most shots on goal conceded. Tottenham need a win to secure their place in the Champions League so it's worth keeping in mind they won't be able to take their foot off the pedal. Both Son and Harry Kane ($20) are worthy plays, as is Kevin De Bruyne. It really depends if you think the matchup with Norwich City is the better play or not. While City should be able to get past Aston Villa, they don't concede the amount of defensive statistics that Norwich do, and in my mind, that gives the Tottenham players the edge. Romelu Lukaku ($18) has scored three goals in the last three matches and has the fifth-best goalscoring odds behind Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Jamie Vardy. Chelsea are heavily favored and he should start, making him an option. He's unlikely to be rostered at the same volume that the other four are, so he could be a good differential play.
Jamie Vardy, LEI v. SOU ($18): Vardy was effectively shut down in Leicester's last match against Chelsea on Thursday, though he had scored two goals in each of the previous two matchups prior to that. This match has the highest implied goal total of the 10 matches, making this an intriguing play for an in-form Vardy. There's a number of more expensive options that would be a good play, but I think narrowing in on a player or two from this match is a good strategy, whether that's Jamie Vardy or not. Like Vardy, Harvey Barnes ($14) was shut down against Chelsea but had previously excelled in his past three starts with totals of 16.9, 23.9 and 56 fantasy points. James Maddison ($17) has been on fire of late and might be a slightly safer play than Vardy if you'd prefer that route in a cash game rather than Vardy for a tournament. He's scored 19.9 points or more in seven of his past 11 matches with four of those matches going over 32 points. James Ward-Prowse ($17) and Maddison operate in a similar fashion and you could conceivably go with either player, though Maddison's recent form may give him the slight edge, while Ward-Prowse has been quite consistent all season and tends to sit back a little more in open play.
Danny Welbeck, BHA v. WHU ($14): Welbeck has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence this campaign and it's shown in the last five matches, as he's scored two goals and provided an assist. On top of that, he's shown solid consistency with five of his past eight performances producing over 14.6 points. A matchup with West Ham isn't the best on the slate, though Welbeck's ability to contribute in multiple categories has made him a more coveted option. Jorginho ($13) is another safe play in this price tier as he's hit double digits in four of his past five matches. Another intriguing play is Chiquinho ($11), who's been productive in recent substitute appearances. He could make a start against Liverpool and is a cheap attacker who could create havoc for Liverpool's backline.
Yoane Wissa, BRE v. LEE ($9): Brentford have the advantage of facing a Leeds side who concede the most shots on goal and third-most chances created in the Premier League. In addition, only Norwich City have conceded more goals this season, which makes this a great matchup for the Brentford attack. Yoane Wissa is priced like a center-back despite scoring in consecutive matches while finishing with more than 20 fantasy points in each outing. You won't find a much better matchup for a starting forward at this price and it's worth taking advantage of, especially since some opportunities on the counter will be available with Leeds pushing to win. Other potential players in this range include Ibrahima Diallo ($7), who puts up defensive stats no matter the matchup. Samuel Kalu ($10) has started consecutive matches in attack for Watford and should start a third straight, though a matchup with Chelsea isn't as ideal as the matchup Wissa has.
DEFENDERS
Reece James, CHE v. WAT ($14): With the slate being so massive, there's going to be a lot of top-tier defensive options to consider. Chelsea's matchup against Watford is the easiest of the top three teams and James should be heavily involved in the attack with Marcos Alonso ($14). James has provided an assist in consecutive matches while Alonso has scored two goals in the past five matches and finished with at least 15.5 points in three of those. At this price, you'll need him to finish at or above that point totally to make value, though it's not out of the realm of possibilities considering the opposition. Nathan Collins ($14) will start again for Burnley after he's been able to get double digits in all of his starts. With Burnley battling for relegation in a match with the lowest implied goal total, it's worthwhile to take a look at him or James Tarkowski ($14).
Willy Boly, WOL at LIV ($8): Liverpool and Manchester City force opposing defenses to make the most clearances, so it makes sense to check in to see what cheap center-backs are options in these matchups. The first one who stands out is Willy Boly ($8). He's finished with double-digit points in four of his past seven starts and will be a part of a back three with Conor Coady ($9) and possibly Jonny ($10) that will be tasked with slowing down one of the league's best attacks. Wolves have been a bottom-tier attack this season, making Liverpool's defense a possibility for a clean sheet. It's unlikely that Virgil van Dijk ($11) is risked due to the short turnaround from injury, so that makes Ibrahima Konate ($9) and Joel Matip ($12) prime options at center-back. I'd opt for Konate as he's been impressive in Cup matches, which could translate well to this home matchup against a Wolves side with little to play for. Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) was rested against Southampton and should start after Joe Gomez suffered an injury. He and Andrew Robertson ($15) are two of the more expensive defensive options, so it may be difficult to fit them. In the Manchester City-Aston Villa match, Calum Chambers ($9) is the cheapest expected starter for Aston Villa, making him an option with Aston Villa set to produce a lot of defensive statistics while Manchester City control the match. Fernandinho ($7) is the cheapest of all the defensive options in these two matchups and could again start at center-back for a heavily-favored Manchester City side with a clean sheet in play. Aside from these two matches, take a look at Lyanco ($7) if you need a cheap defender who can rack up clearances.
GOALKEEPERS
Nick Pope, BRN v. NEW ($10): Ederson ($14) and Alisson ($14) are tied with 20 clean sheets, so either one could finish with the Golden Glove award if they shut out Aston Villa or Wolverhampton respectively. Liverpool have slightly better clean-sheet odds than City, while Edouard Mendy ($13) is right behind them. Ben Foster ($6) is half the price of Mendy and could see a high volume of save opportunities. Lukasz Fabianski ($10) is a good mid-tier goalkeeper in a match with the second-lowest implied goal total. Only Illan Meslier ($9) has more saves than Kasper Schmeichel ($12) in the league this season and both players should once again see plenty of work in matchups against Brentford and Southampton, respectively. Four of Nick Pope's past six starts have ended with the Burnley shot stopper topping 15.5 points and he's in a good spot to put up similar numbers in a home match against Newcastle, even if Newcastle end up taking all three points or a draw.
