This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 8:30 am: Sheffield United vs. Manchester City
- 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Chelsea
- 1:30 pm: Liverpool vs. West Ham United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at SHU ($23): De Bruyne is back and hopefully starting again. Pep Guardiola ran Sergio Aguero into the ground following his return from injury, so it's possible that'll be the case for De Bruyne, who went 82 minutes Tuesday, supplying two assists in the win against Marseille. Tuesday seemed like the first time Man City have clicked since their opening win against Wolves, and that's the main reason I like De Bruyne as my top cash play. When things are working for City, De Bruyne is unstoppable, and even when they aren't, he's pretty good. In the 1-1 draw against Leeds prior to his injury, he managed 20.2 floor points. City probably won't go for three or four goals, but they should control the match against Sheffield United, which means loads of set pieces and chances created for De Bruyne and a hopeful 20-point floor. As usual, it's hit or miss with everyone else in the team, at least this season. You're counting on goals from Riyad Mahrez ($21), Raheem Sterling ($19) and Phil Foden ($17), but similar to Liverpool, this isn't a matchup in which City are going to score a ton. They had three total goals in two meetings last season and that's how this one will go because of Sheffield United's style of play.
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. WHU ($22): The Liverpool v. West Ham match is more likely to feature three-plus goals than any other on the slate. However, I'm still tentative because of how Liverpool have looked in recent matches, scratching past Sheffield United last weekend but also beating Midtjylland and Ajax with a more defensive style. West Ham can play a number of ways, but they kept Man City to one goal last match despite taking blows for the final 70 minutes after an opening Michail Antonio goal. Similar to De Bruyne, Salah has one of the best floors in the league. He's averaging 2.00 shots on goal and 2.83 chances created per 90 minutes, both better than Sadio Mane ($21). If you fade Man City, the Salah-Mane stack is always in play and probably the better idea against West Ham. I always say Roberto Firmino ($16) is a decent GPP play because no one uses him, but even when he scores, he doesn't produce much else. The only other Liverpool players I'd consider are cheap ones like Thiago Alcantara ($10), James Milner ($9) or Naby Keita ($7), any of whom could start in the midfield.
Christian Pulisic, CHE at BRN ($17): It's probably a fish move by me, but I'm fading Chelsea on this slate. They are the smallest of the three favorites and face a Burnley side that want to make things ugly. Chelsea have put a higher reliance on keeping things low scoring of late, which has led to four clean sheets in four starts for Edouard Mendy. Burnley almost secured a scoreless draw against Tottenham last match and that'll be their goal in this one. Combine that with possibly tired legs after flying from Russia on Wednesday, and this has the makings of a 1-0 or 2-0 result. However, as the smallest favorite, it's an easier path to stacking a few Chelsea players and it wouldn't be surprising if both Man City and Liverpool struggled to score more than once. That being the case, Timo Werner ($21), Kai Havertz ($18) and Mason Mount ($16) are viable options no matter what I think. Pulisic is fairly cheap and should return to the starting XI after coming off the bench (and scoring) Wednesday. He doesn't have a high floor, but it's better than his teammates', and he has similar upside to all of them outside of Werner, who has better odds to score. Werner has the highest upside, but I'd only use him in tournaments since he has no floor in this attack.
Tomas Soucek, WHU at LIV ($10): If you need a minimally priced player, Soucek is a viable option and plays in the match with the highest implied goal total. While he doesn't have a ton of upside, he gets forward more than most defensive midfielders, as seen in his 15 shots (three on target) and four chances created. This is more of a play on his floor, which has hit 10 fantasy points in four of six matches through a variety of defensive stats. The only way to get a high-end fourth forward in your team is to spend down at goalkeeper, and I'd rather bet on a clean sheet and win than hoping someone like Foden or Mount can break through. If you want more of a punt, Ben Osborn ($7) played on the wing against Liverpool and scored 10.2 points because he had one shot on goal. Otherwise, it's kind of bare at this price range, unless De Bruyne doesn't start and Ilkay Gundogan ($10) takes Man City's set pieces, which is a stretch. I'd rather bank on goals between Liverpool and West Ham than the other two matches, which feature two defensive-heavy sides.
DEFENDERS
Ethan Ampadu, SHU v. MCI ($7): Ampadu is the cheapest of the projected starters and is a no brainer unless you're fading the top forwards. He has at least 10 fantasy points in each of his three starts this season and played in a midfield role last match, producing similar defensive numbers and creating one chance. Man City are expected to control the ball plenty and Ampadu is a reasonable defensive stack with Enda Stevens ($8), who has at least 10 fantasy points in each of his last four starts. If you prefer banking on clean sheets over defensive stats, Joe Gomez ($9) and Joel Matip ($8) are cheaper, though you could test your luck and hope Rhys Williams ($5) starts. There is obvious risk though because it's the late game on the slate.
Ben Chilwell, CHE at BRN ($15): If you want to take a more attacking approach because of the defensive teams on the slate, Chilwell and Reece James ($11) are my preferred choices. Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) and Andrew Robertson ($14) are great, but I think Chelsea are more likely to be in the offensive third the majority of the match against Burnley. If James starts, he'll be hard to ignore because of price, though that also means you can't stack Sheffield United defenders (early match) or go heavy at forward. Chilwell has a floor of 16 points in his three league starts, while James has at least 13 points in his five starts. In addition to a possible clean sheet, each takes set pieces, which gives them a touch of upside.
GOALKEEPER
Edouard Mendy, CHE at BRN ($11): Mendy is the cheapest of the three favorites and has better odds for a clean sheet than Alisson Becker ($14). He hasn't allowed a goal in four Chelsea starts and Burnley have scored three goals in five matches. While I think this will be a low-scoring contest, I still think Chelsea will have enough to win, which sets Mendy up for at least 17 fantasy points. If you wanted to bet on an underdog, I'd probably go Aaron Ramsdale ($7), only because he has 18 saves in his last four starts. That being the case, you could still use him even with De Bruyne and Co. in the attack.
