This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Burnley
- 12:30 pm: Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 3:00 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Phil Foden, MCI v. TOT ($17): You could take any strategy you want on this slate and still cash in cash games. Manchester City have four players, all expected starters, with better odds to hit the back of the net than anyone else. They're expected to score almost a full goal more than any other team and it'll be hard to fade them after they hit four against Liverpool (and Tottenham gave up five to Everton in 120 minutes on Wednesday). Foden will be in the majority of my lineups mainly because he's their fourth-most expensive player. Raheem Sterling ($23) is two dollars more expensive than everyone else, and while he's most likely to score with three goals in his last three starts, he's hardly a no-brainer. The same goes for Gabriel Jesus ($21), who has surpassed 28 fantasy points just once this season, meaning he's not going to break the slate. As for Foden, he's been hard to project in Kevin De Bruyne's absence, but he came through with a goal and assist against Liverpool. Ilkay Gundogan ($18) braced last match, but he also had a floor of just 3.9 fantasy points, and I'm slightly worried he'll play in a more defensive role in this match if neither Rodri nor Fernandinho is ready to go. Riyad Mahrez ($16) remains a possibility and won't be a popular option with just 8.6 fantasy points the last two matches. I'm backing Foden because he's always in play for a goal and has a split role on set pieces.
Pascal Gross, BHA v. AVL ($13): I put Gross in this spot last weekend and he assisted against Burnley. He's hit double-digit fantasy points in 11 of 12 starts this season, averaging 3.02 chances created and 1.55 tackles per 90 minutes. He has one of the higher floors on the slate and Villa are always susceptible to allowing chances from set pieces. No matter how this game goes, he should reach his usual numbers around 10 fantasy points, and he's always in play for an assist. Neal Maupay ($17) is the only player with goal odds in the same range as the Man City guys, but he has no floor and hasn't scored in his last four starts. Even if he hits the back of the net and helps your GPP roster, it's rare when he surpasses 30 fantasy points. The other side of Gross is Leandro Trossard ($15), who should be back in the starting XI after coming off the bench last weekend. He doesn't take as many set pieces as Gross, but he plays higher up the field and is more likely to make the score-sheet, though it's not a huge difference. If you need a value option, Alexis Mac Allister ($10) has a similar floor to Maupay and is less likely to score, but he's cheap.
Jack Grealish, AVL at BHA ($19): Grealish will likely be the most popular play not on Man City, and he's at least a reasonable option to take over a guy like Sterling or Jesus. Grealish is always solid in cash games, and while he's worth a look in GPPs, this isn't the matchup I'd want to bank on him exploding. For cash games, he's had at least nine fantasy points in every match this season, including a floor of 18.3 points against Arsenal last match, showing his consistency. I'd avoid him in GPPs because Brighton are playing well in the back and it's unlikely Villa go off for more than two goals. Brighton won the prior meeting 2-1 when Villa managed four shots on target and 10 chances created. The main reason to use Grealish is because you don't trust the floor of Sterling or Jesus. Ollie Watkins ($21) is the better GPP option because no one will use him at that price, and he's scored in four of the last five matches. I'd probably fade every other Villa player in cash games because of the matchup, but Ross Barkley ($14) and Bertrand Traore ($13) are always threats to make the score-sheet.
Eberechi Eze, CRY v. BRN ($13): Crystal Palace are the second-biggest favorite on the slate, but that doesn't mean anything against Burnley, who won the reverse fixture 1-0 and are one of the most defensive teams in the league. If you had to pick a player in this matchup, it'd be Eze, who has taken the teams last five set pieces and made the score-sheet in two of the last three. It'll be hard to use anyone in this match for cash games, but he's at least reasonable if you're not keen on Gross at the same price. If Palace get control of the match, they could be on the attacking end the majority of the way, and that could lead to a lot of set pieces for Eze. That's the main thought when rostering Eze, as no one else has much of a floor in this game. Andros Townsend ($14) is in the same mold as Eze but a dollar more expensive, while Burnley set-piece takers Dwight McNeil ($12) and Ashley Westwood ($8) never have reliable floors. It's probably best to avoid this matchup in cash games, but if you want to go wild, Ashley Barnes ($15) is most likely to hit the back of the net, mainly because Palace don't have one consistent goal scorer.
DEFENDERS
Ben White, BHA v. AVL ($6): I'm not sure why White is cheaper than every other projected starter, but that shouldn't matter. He's started all but one match this season and has hit double-digit fantasy points in three of the last four, mostly because of clean sheets. Either way, he's cheap and allows you to spend up on multiple Man City guys as well as Grealish. Teammate Dan Burn ($7) is the only other projected starter less than $8, and it helps that Aston Villa force the third-most clearances in the league.
Davinson Sanchez, TOT at MCI ($10): This is more of a play on whoever starts in the Tottenham back line because there's no guarantee Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld ($13) start again after allowing five to Everton midweek. If Sanchez starts, his floor should be close to 10 points against Man City, who force the second-most blocks, third-most tackles and are in the top half in interceptions and clearances forced in the league. The other route would be to spend on Joao Cancelo ($15) and hope he scores and assists again, and even in cash games, his floor has often been near 20 fantasy points. As usual, Ben Mee ($14) and James Tarkowski ($13) are in play, even against Crystal Palace; they each had clean sheets and a floor above 10 points in the first meeting.
GOALKEEPER
Ederson, MCI v. TOT ($14): My initial thought was to go elsewhere at goalkeeper, but unless you go heavy on Sterling and Jesus, you should have the money for Ederson, who has the best odds to win and secure a clean sheet. While his clean-sheet streak ended against Liverpool, it came via a penalty, and he still had 10.5 fantasy points. The question is how Man City will line up because of a couple injuries and Ruben Dias had a stomach problem midweek. If you don't have money, Robert Sanchez ($7) is surprisingly the cheapest option in what is the most even match on the slate. He's made multiple saves in all but one start this season and Villa lead the league in saves forced.
