This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES
- 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Brentford
- 11:00 am: Luton Town vs. Nottingham Forest
- 1:30 pm: Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Heung-Min Son (TOT at FUL, $22): The first place I looked on this slate was the Fulham-Tottenham matchup. Matches involving Spurs usually feature higher-than-usual goal totals and this one is no exception. Combining the game environment with Son having the third-best implied goal total of the slate, I'm expecting him to be one of the most popular options in all formats. If I knew James Maddison ($21) would take all of Spurs' set pieces I'd prefer him to Son, but it's unclear if he will split or concede a large amount to Pedro Porro. Brennan Johnson ($18) has been terrific lately and I don't mind him as a contrarian option in GPPs. On the Fulham side, Harry Wilson ($15) offers salary relief and a realistic chance to score a goal as a bring-back option if you are looking to stack this matchup.
Ivan Toney (BRE at BRN, $21): Toney has been a strong fantasy asset the past two months even with a demanding run of fixtures and a matchup against Burnley might be the best spot for him since returning from suspension. Given that he is the focal point of Brentford's attack, I think he might be a better option than Son in terms of achieving a shot-based floor. Toney's teammates Mathias Jensen ($14) and Keane Lewis-Potter ($14) seem like reasonable salary-relief options who could chip in an assist, as well.
David Fofana (BRN vs. BRE, $17): Fofana has been settling in nicely for Burnley, regularly playing 90 minutes and scoring an incredible goal against West Ham over the weekend. The talented Chelsea loanee is a bargain for his goalscoring odds and is probably a couple dollars too cheap. Teammate Jacob Bruun Larson ($13) should take some set pieces if he starts and is inexpensive for an attacking player, though he is virtually guaranteed to be subbed off around 60 minutes.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (NFO vs. LUT, $15): I think Divock Origi ($15) will get a lot of looks at the same price as Hudson-Odoi. Origi has better goalscoring odds and is a strong play if he starts as a central forward over Taiwo Awoniyi. However, Origi has been subbed at the 60th and 65th-minute mark in his past two starts, while Hudson-Odoi has regularly been playing 90 minutes. He's logged over 14 floor points in his past five starts to pair with respectable anytime goalscoring odds of +260. I'm a fan of playing either of these two options with Morgan Gibbs-White ($19). On a three-match slate, floor will be a bit more important than usual and he remains Nottingham Forest's penalty taker.
DEFENDERS
Alfie Doughty (LUT vs. NFO, $14): Doughty is averaging 18.5 floor points per start and has two assists in his past three starts. For comparison, Toney has averaged 18.1 floor points per start. In tournaments, you probably want Doughty to get an assist to separate from the rest of the defender position. On a three-game slate that may not feature a lot of goals, I think it makes sense to stack Doughty with one of his forward teammates.
Porro ($15) is also an excellent option, but Fulham are a tough matchup for fantasy scoring. I'm also less certain of what to make of Porro's role on set pieces. He took them over Maddison in February against Brighton before missing several games but did not take any last weekend against Aston Villa. While I slightly prefer Doughty, I'm not making a lineup without at least one of him or Porro.
Radu Dragusin (TOT at FUL, $9): Dragusin hasn't made many appearances for Spurs after arriving in the January transfer window. He's an athletic defender with good recovery speed, traits necessary to succeed under manager Ange Postecoglu's high defensive line. I'm happy to use him as a punt in one of my defender spots since he'll probably be one of the cheapest available options. If I have a bit more salary, I don't mind taking a shot on Issa Kabore ($11). He's been productive since coming back from AFCON and has played 90 minutes in his last three starts.
GOALKEEPER
James Trafford (BRN vs. BRE, $8): Burnley have been pretty awful this season, but the case for Trafford rests on their implied win probability of 30 percent. Spurs have a 48-percent implied win probability, but Guglielmo Vicario ($13) is five bucks more expensive. I'll happily play Trafford (on my lineups without Toney, of course) as the cheapest option since he has a realistic chance to win. On the opposite side of that matchup, Mark Flekken ($12) seems like a reasonable choice if your lineup doesn't feature any Burnley players. He's averaged 3.3 saves per 90 minutes this season and, at least by a small margin, has the best clean sheet odds of the slate.
