Fantasy La Liga: Sunday Cheat Sheet

MATCHES (EDT)

10:15 a.m: Sevilla v. Atletico Madrid
12:30 p.m: Villarreal v. Las Palmas
12:30 p.m: Malaga v. Leganes
2:45 p.m: Real Madrid v. Athletic Club

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Sevilla: Pablo Sarabia, Samir Nasri
Atletico Madrid: Koke, Yannick Carrasco, Gabi
Villarreal: Samu Castillejo, Manu Trigueros
Las Palmas: Tana, Jonathan Viera
Malaga: Gonzalo Castro, Sandro Ramirez
Leganes: Omar Ramos
Real Madrid: Toni Kroos
Athletic Club: Benat, Ander Iturraspe, Markel Susaeta

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Sergio Rico, SEV v. ATL: This isn't just a pick for the sake of being different or attempting to grab low ownership, I genuinely do think Rico is in a sneaky decent spot at home. He has kept a clean sheet in four of his last six matches across all competitions, and his price is just absurdly low on DraftKings for the opportunity. He will have to make some saves in this match for sure, and that puts him right in the sweet spot of being a clean sheet candidate and also able to make saves. The high-priced keepers on this slate have the same risk of conceding without the same expected workload.

DEFENDER

Dani Carvajal/Danilo, RMD v. ATH: I have paired these two together due to the musical chairs that Real Madrid tend to play with their right backs, but they are very similarly priced and you should be rostering whichever one gets the start. I honestly do not think they will be keeping a clean sheet, but I would rather spend up for a hyper-productive defender and use the plentiful value options at forward. Great players on other teams not named Real Madrid are always underpriced on slates like this, so we can spend up on defense and utilize our savings elsewhere.

Sergio Escudero, SEV v. ATL: This match has the potential to be much closer than the public expects, and Sevilla as the home team is just not conceding at this point. Escudero is a classic 'jack-of-all-trades' defender who will fill up every single statistical category. He draws enough fouls to make up for those that he commits, and lately he has increased the frequency of his crossing to go with the inevitable tackles he will win.

Jose Angel, VIL v. PLM: Way too cheap. Pricing error. Whatever you want to call it, I'm not sure how the ownership will fall given this isn't the most palatable match with all these big names on the slate, but this is a workhorse defender with legitimate fantasy value priced below defenders that will not see the field. Maybe his zero fantasy points (due to a yellow card) keeps his price low, but Villarreal are the second-biggest favorites on the board and have a shot for the clean sheet to go with Angel's crosses and drawn fouls.

MIDFIELDER

Toni Kroos, RMD v. ATH: Probably the only non-Ronaldo player for Madrid that I actually like the price on, I think Kroos has the best chance to exceed value Sunday. He isn't scoring goals, but with minutes solidifying you can be sure that he will have some say in the majority of the action. Even though Real Madrid are spreading out their set pieces, Kroos always gets his fair share and is continuing to distribute the ball impressively and rack up assists.

Gonzalo Castro, MAL v. LEG: This is not the best matchup on the slate to target attacks, but Castro is certainly worth a look in a match that oddsmakers and conventional wisdom say Malaga is a favorite to win. If he gets the start, he will be very productive for his price, as he had double-digit crosses in the last two games he played 90 minutes and has begun to take control of the majority of Malaga's set pieces. Midfielders from this match should be very low owned in tournaments, but Castro and Juanpi are the only ones worth a legitimate look.

Alexander Szymanowski, LEG at MAL: If I told you the hottest player in La Liga was on this slate, you'd look to Cristiano Ronaldo or Antoine Griezmann and agree, but if I told you he played for Leganes you would have me committed. Szymanowski has scored in each of his last three games while taking 11 shots. It will be interesting to see how long this story carries on, but you cannot argue against this guy's form. It's a tough matchup, but hey, anything can happen in this sport, and he has certainly figured out the formula to putting the ball into the net; the price is so cheap that it's worth it to see if he does it again.

FORWARD

Cristiano Ronaldo, RMD vs. ATH: Ronaldo has not been this cheap on DraftKings since Sept. 10, and has only been under $10K once in between. While this price may be reflective of the respect for Athletic Club's defending, it is still hard to ignore Ronaldo at a very efficient price. Discounting his four-goal destruction of Liechtenstein as an outlier, it has still been over a month since he failed to reach 20 points. He should be involved as a goal scorer or setup man in any Real Madrid goals, but even if they run into a wall, he takes enough shots to be a profitable player.

Aduriz, ATH at RMD: It's hard to class a player who has scored in his last three league matches as an 'if you're feeling crazy' play, but there are certainly worse ways to tackle a GPP than taking some of Athletic Club's firepower against Real Madrid. Aduriz is one of the most dynamic players in the league, and you can have him cheaper than some players on opposing teams that won't even play 45 minutes. His low salary offers the option of pairing him with players like Griezmann and Samu Castillejo, giving you the ability to roster four or five legitimate superstars.

Tana, PLM at VIL: With five of the six highest-priced forward eligible players wearing Real Madrid colors, you are going to have to find a different attack to target to find cheaper complementary pieces, and Tana's role for Las Palmas puts him in constant consideration. Villarreal plays a much more open style at home, while Las Palmas have yet to be shut out all season. Las Palmas players are cheap across the board, and Tana is a wonderfully talented scorer who has goals in two of the last four games. Even though he didn't take a shot last game, he sent in four crosses and drew six fouls, giving him incredibly consistent totals.