Starting Eleven: Sunday Premier League Breakdown

Starting Eleven: Sunday Premier League Breakdown

This article is part of our Starting Eleven series.

MATCHES (EST)

9:05 a.m: Leicester v. Manchester United
11:30 a.m: Manchester City v. Arsenal

FORWARDS

There are only two matches on Sunday's slate, but three major clubs are in action. With Manchester City the biggest favorite, it's best to wait for lineup release before confirming your roster because there's a chance their forwards are different from the last match. Either way, the central forward will be the best bet. Sergio Aguero has made the score sheet in his last five league starts while Gabriel Jesus has a brace in two of his last three league starts. The other decision is between Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, with the latter having a slightly better floor due to playing a full 90 more often and, in turn, completing more passes.

The most popular forward will likely be Marcus Rashford, who scored at least 10 fantasy points in his last nine starts, including a goal in four of his last five. The main worry is that Leicester have been decent at home, rarely allowing more than one goal. Still, Rashford has better scoring odds than the next best options, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. With Arsenal having the worst odds to score, it may make more sense to back Lacazette, as he has a slightly higher floor because he helps a little more defensively while also providing the same attacking stats as Aubameyang. If you want to go against everyone else, Jamie Vardy is waiting to tally a brace against a back line that just gave up two goals to Newcastle. Vardy doesn't have much of a floor, but with how United's defense has looked, he'll have chances.

MIDFIELDERS

Paul Pogba continues to dominate the midfield and will likely be in every roster after scoring at least 20 fantasy points in each of his last seven starts. With only two matches, there's little reason to fade him since no one has a similar floor. After Pogba, it's almost a guessing game of defensive midfielders and ones that have the best chance to score. Fernandinho is oddly the next safest option since he rarely gets subbed out and his floor is around 15 points with the help of defensive stats and around 80 completed passes. Some will take chances on Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, but both could be subbed early, and even then they don't have the same kind of floor. There was a time when Bernardo Silva was relevant, but even if he starts this match, he is also a threat to be taken out early with City at close to full strength. And while midfielders like Granit Xhaka and Nemanja Matic, who has 14.9 fantasy points in five of his last six starts. He doesn't do anything special, but similar to Fernandinho, he'll complete around 70 passes to go with a variety of defensive stats. Ander Herrera and Wilfred Ndidi are in that same category, but to a somewhat lesser extent. If you want a little more upside and someone to use with Vardy, James Maddison is due for a better performance. The problem is that he may not start, and if that's the case, Demarai Gray would be the best option for the Foxes (other than Ndidi).

DEFENDERS AND GOALKEEPERS

Defender will be a little more unpredictable, though Benjamin Mendy could receive a lot of love in possibly his first start since November. He has some upside, but his floor isn't any better than most defenders, rarely surpassing 15 points. The best play may end up being Ricardo Pereira because he continues to stack up points in a variety of ways. Whether it's through shots, crosses and fouls drawn on the attack or with defensive stats like tackles and clearances, he's piling up enough to surpass 15 fantasy points in five of his last seven starts. After managing 18.6 points at Liverpool last match, there's no reason he can't reach a similar total against Man United.

From there, Aymeric Laporte may be the safest after scoring 15 fantasy points in three of his last five starts. His bad outing came as a left-back against Liverpool, which isn't a worry for this match. As a center-back, he's completed at least 90 passes in three of his last four. Danilo has been great in recent matches, but he may lose his spot to Mendy. Most Arsenal defenders have better floors than Man United ones, with Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos leading the way. But if you back Vardy and Maddison, it may be best to use Victor Lindelof and hope he can rack up a ton of defensive stats.

Ederson makes the most sense as the top goalkeeper with the best odds to win, but any of the four could lead the slate; just last match, Ederson finished with 0.60 points against Newcastle. David De Gea will probably be more used than Kasper Schmeichel, but if you believe in Leciester's success at home, Schmeichel could easily pile up saves and allow only one goal.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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