This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
As the Premier League returns for its 13th round of the season this weekend, so do Mondogoal's Premiership-based fantasy contests.
With those in mind, let's project some of this weekend's best performers in England's top flight.
FWD: Jamie Vardy (£10.5M)
The star of the Premier League season so far, Vardy scored the deciding goal in Leicester City's most recent match, building his scoring streak nine straight games. On the whole, Vardy has registered a league-high 12 goals, firing the Foxes into third-place along the way. Although a hip injury prevented him from joining England over the international break, Vardy is expected to be ready for Saturday's game against Newcastle. Considering only four teams have conceded more goals than the Magpies, Vardy could very well match Ruud van Nistelrooy's league record of scoring in 10 straight.
DEF: Ashley Williams (£6.9M)
Only 12 defenders slated to play Saturday have completed all 1,080 possible minutes in the Premier League this season, and Williams is the fifth cheapest among those players on Mondogoal. In general, Williams' £6.9M salary is rather affordable, but especially for such a reliable presence. While the Welshman and Swansea's defense have managed just two clean sheets so far, Saturday's home matchup against Bournemouth seems destined for another. No team has scored fewer goals than the Cherries over their past six games.
FWD: Olivier Giroud (£8.8M)
In last season's final match, Theo Walcott netted a hat-trick against West Brom, leading Arsenal to a 4-1 win. The teams meet again this Saturday, but Walcott will remain sidelined with a calf injury. No matter, the Gunners have been led by Giroud's goal-scoring lately, as the Frenchman has four goals in his past six league matches. He also found the back of the net against world champions Germany over the international break, continuing his strong form. Given that recent success, Giroud's £8.8M price is all the more intriguing this weekend.
GK: Hugo Lloris (£7.1M)
Leading up to the international break, Lloris went three straight games of allowing just one goal, which is frustrating for fantasy owners, because prior to then, he put together four clean sheets from his previous six matches. While the Frenchman evidently missed some near-clean sheet opportunities of late, Tottenham's defense has still conceded just 10 goals this season, the Premiership's fourth-best mark. This Sunday, Lloris' chances of a clean sheet are improved by the fact that London opponents West Ham will be without talisman Dimitri Payet (ankle), who has contributed toward eight of the Hammers' 23 goals this season.
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (£14.0M)
While most of the aforementioned players are relatively budget-friendly, De Bruyne's £14.0M salary tops all midfielders. That's for good reason though, since De Bruyne's 10.32 Mondogoal points per game trail only six players this season. An elite-level performer, De Bruyne led Europe's top five leagues in assists last season, and he could have his Manchester City targets buoyed by the return of striker Sergio Aguero this weekend against Liverpool. Even if Aguero isn't available, De Bruyne's eight goals and five assists from his past 14 appearances for club and country make him someone to force into fantasy lineups.
