This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed stats and odds, please check out the Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Burnley v. Sunderland
10:00 a.m: Manchester United v. Middlesbrough
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Chelsea v. Stoke City
10:00 a.m: Southampton v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. West Ham
12:30 p.m: Liverpool v. Manchester City
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Victor Valdes, MID at MUN ($6,700): Valdes travels to Old Trafford to take on the in-form Red Devils. He will see plenty of action between the posts, as United have the fourth-most shots and shots on goal this season. Last week, Sunderland's Jordan Pickford allowed three goals but still scored 22 fantasy points.
Darren Randolph, WHU at LEI ($6,600): Averaging just over 20 fantasy points per game and allowing just one goal in his past three, Randolph has shown some ability between the posts, saving the fifth-most shots over the last five gameweeks. Leicester is not very imposing going forward this season, and even less so without Jamie Vardy, who is suspended. Nonetheless, Randolph will see shots away from home and has a chance at a clean sheet.
DEFENDER
Dejan Lovren, LIV v. MCI ($5,400): With over 20 fantasy points in the last three matches, and four out of the last five, Lovren has been a consistent performer. At home against Man City, Lovren should be plenty busy in defense and have the chance to push up field for set pieces against an unimposing City defense. Ragnar Klavan is likely to get the start in place of the injured Joel Matip, and while he is cheaper, he isn't as consistent as Lovren.
Glen Johnson, STK at CHE ($4,500): Despite giving up six goals in the past two games, Johnson scored over 20 fantasy points in both matches; thus is the scoring on FanDuel. With Diego Costa back, the former Chelsea man himself will likely go up against Eden Hazard and Marcus Alonso all match, which should provide ample opportunity for defensive stats.
Steve Cook, BOU v. SWA ($5,700): Predicting goals for defenders is not a business to be in, however, against the woeful Swansea defense there is a higher chance than in any other match. This goal-scoring chance is added to the fact that Cook has the most clearances over the past five matches, while Swansea has the fourth-most crosses, and he has scored over 24 fantasy points in four of the past five matches.
MIDFIELDER
Dimitri Payet, WHU at LEI ($10,000): Payet has averaged 38 fantasy points per game over his last three games, and he has only one assist over that span. This speaks to the fantasy monster that he can be. West Ham looks better with a healthy and active Andy Carroll up front, as it gives more space to the wingers in wide areas. Payet has created the most chances over the past five matches and the trend should continue against Leicester.
Paul Pogba, MUN v. MID ($10,200): Premier League be wary, Pogba has finally started to find his stride. Man United's recent run of form is partially due to Pogba's step up in play. The matchup shouldn't scare us off, as Middlesbrough is a below average team on the road. The Frenchman is one of the few players on FanDuel with a floor not dependent on goals, as he has taken the second-most shots on goal and total shots over the past five weeks.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA v. BOU ($9,400): With Bob Bradley gone, there could be changes to the Swansea side, but their main point of attack in Sigurdsson should stay rock solid, as he's been for most of the season. With several good chances to score and a big save by West Ham, Sigurdsson was denied a goal this past weekend. However, relegation is likely and points are imperative; with probably the worst defense in the league, goals will need to be scored on the Swansea side to compete.
Marcus Alonso, CHE v. STK ($6,000): Moved from defender to midfield on FanDuel, the left wing-back for Chelsea consistently finds himself inside the opposition's half. He hasn't reached 5x value since scoring against Everton, but what he does is open up salary space elsewhere (since it allows us to spend down at defender) while still delivering a consistent floor and 30-point upside in any match.
Note: It's tough to fit more than three high-salary players, so choices will have to be made as there are many more than three in good spots (including Eden Hazard, who comes in as the highest-priced midfielder and has a good matchup against Stoke City).
FORWARD
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, MUN v. MID ($13,400): Who can stop the big Swede right now? Scoring and assisting at will and the spearhead of a surging Manchester United squad, Ibrahimovic has scored eight and assisted two in his last seven games and has been on the winning GPP squad two weeks running. The matchup isn't as good as last week against Sunderland, but Middlesbrough is not as good on the road as at home. His price didn't move much from last week, and he is the second-most expensive on the slate. He must score to meet value (and likely more than just a single goal), but he has the second-highest goal scoring odds on the slate.
Sergio Aguero, MCI at LIV ($12,400): Manchester City has missed their star these past four matches. Despite putting up decent goal totals, the formation and focal points (outside of Kevin De Bruyne) have constantly changed. In comes a well-rested and hopefully hungry Aguero in a match that has the highest total on the slate, and he comes at a slight discount to Costa and Ibrahimovic.
Callum Wilson BOU at SWA ($6,900): Swansea has allowed the most goals this season center forwards, including two to Alvaro Negredo, three to Salomon Rondon and one each to Harry Kane, Christian Benteke and Carroll in their past six matches. Wilson has the 12th-highest goal scoring odds (+150) and Bournemouth has a good enough attack to trouble the Swans.
Note: Liverpool has three forwards on FanDuel who could start against Manchester City, and each has shown the ability to score lately; however, as the late game, be sure to watch out for injuries/news to get a clue who may start, as FanDuel doesn't have late swap.
