This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, please check out our Fantasy Premier League Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Middlesbrough v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: Sunderland v. Watford
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Hull City
12:30 p.m: West Bromwich Albion v. Manchester United
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Ben Foster, WBA v. MUN ($6,800): Manchester United comes in as the biggest favorite on the slate and is likely to have one of the higher possession percentages on the day. Both are good signs for FD goalie scoring, as we want as many shots on goal as possible. Tony Pulis' teams tend to play slightly more open at home, which should help Foster as West Brom have been known to go into a shell around the 18-yard box (effectively so against Chelsea last week) and not give away many fantasy stats.
DEFENDER
Christian Fuchs, LEI at STK ($5,600): Averaging just under 20 fantasy points per game over the last five (without a goal or assist), Fuchs remains one the few consistent options on the title holders this season. If he can add an assist or goal to his tally he has legitimate 35-to-40-point upside. Stoke have an average defense in terms of goals allowed, but they give up a slightly higher than average amount of crosses.
Nyom, WBA v. MUN ($4,700): Nyom is a two-way player who can run up and down the field for Tony Pulis. The Watford transfer has been playing well for West Brom lately, as he had 10 tackles and three interceptions against Chelsea and has the second-most tackles since Week 8 among defenders. There should be plenty of chances for that on Saturday, as Man United isn't shy about attacking with their wingers.
Billy Jones, SUN v. WAT ($4,700): The right-back has been consistent and FanDuel scoring is much kinder to him than DraftKings, as he isn't an offensive force. Jones has scored double-digit fantasy points in the past seven games, and based on his previous salary he has reached 5X value five times in that span. His salary is up from the $3,100 it was Wednesday, but he should still reach decent value.
MIDFIELDER
Dimitri Payet, WHU v. HUL ($9,800): West Ham has been a disappointment this season, and their deficiencies as a team have been due to injury and their defense. They now go up against fantasy whipping boys in Hull City, and Payet is the focal point of everything the Hammers do. He scored a free kick goal at Liverpool last weekend, his first goal in the Premier League in over two months, and Saturday's match against Hull could see a return to full fantasy power for the Frenchman. He is in a similar spot to Christian Eriksen in the midweek, and while he will likely be highly owned, he is probably necessary to put up a big score.
Robert Snodgrass, HUL at WHU ($6,900): Snodgrass is an up-and-down player in terms of fantasy points, but when Hull are up against a team they can compete with, or at least has a poor defense, Snodgrass becomes relevant. He averages roughly 26 fantasy points per game against teams not in the top six of the table, including five games over 35 fantasy points. He continues to be a set piece and penalty taker for Hull and faces a below average West Ham defense.
Michail Antonio, WHU v. HUL ($8,600): Starting as the center forward for West Ham against Liverpool, the Swiss army knife scored his first goal that wasn't with his head. Starting midweek at wingback against Burnley, his FanDuel potential took a slight hit. However, with the same story as Payet, Antonio will go up against a Hull City team that has allowed some of the highest scoring players in recent weeks, and this game should have good fantasy totals on both sides. If he starts on the wing or as forward he is still in play.
FORWARD
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, MUN at WBA ($12,200): Ibrahimovic is quite pricy, but on a smaller slate with value/likely rotation elsewhere, it shouldn't be tough to fit him into lineups. He will likely need to score (he has five goals in his last five matches) to reach value, but he should be able to get a few shots on target. Ibrahimovic is obviously not as young as he once was, and if he is rested after the midweek make sure to take a look at United's formation, as there is likely some value to be had.
Andy Carroll, WHU v. HUL ($8,100): The big man made it 83 minutes against Burnley in the midweek and scored 20.75 fantasy points without a goal or assist. If he is in, he makes for a decent target for Payet and the other wingers against a bad Hull City team. It's possible that he finds his place on the bench this Saturday, as it was just his first start in a few months, but if he is in, he looks to be in a good spot against Hull, who has given up three goals in three of its past five matches.
Victor Anichebe, SUN v. WAT ($7,200): In order to win a GPP on FanDuel it's very likely, if not necessary, for your two forwards to score goals (you need at least two goals combined). Anichebe should have his chances against a Watford team that has given up the fifth-most goals and gives up a slightly-above-average number of chances created. Sunderland needs points now and will likely look to these types of games to press forward more often. As an aside, Anichebe has reinvented his body in the offseason and looks like an NFL linebacker; check out his workout video if you need to shed some holiday pounds.
Fernando Llorente, SWA at MID ($7,100): Llorente is a lineup winner and/or loser; he is very goal dependent but has found his stride after a slow start with the Swans. A point of attack for Gylfi Sigurdsson and the other wingers, Llorente has found himself scoring four goals in the past four matches. With a very low floor near 1x value and a projected ceiling closer to 4x and above (though very little chance in-between) he could be the differential a GPP-winning team needs.
