This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Newcastle United
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Leeds United vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Norwich City
- 12:30 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Watford
FORWARDS / MIDFIELDERS
Riyad Mahrez, MCI at NOR ($22): There's a multitude of Manchester City players worth considering, and they could easily all score 20+ points. The 1-0 loss to Tottenham was a shock, but a matchup against Norwich is the right remedy. In last week's 3-0 loss to Liverpool, Norwich conceded eight shots on goal and 14 chances created, which is a good baseline to imagine for the City attack to share. Considering Manchester City have an implied goal total just shy of three, we should see some large outputs from City's attack. I would typically opt for Kevin De Bruyne($24) as the first-choice, but he could miss the starting XI while he builds fitness back up. With Ilkay Gundogan ($14) potentially missing out as well, Mahrez could have a share of set pieces, and he has the fourth-highest anytime goal-scorer odds behind Gabriel Jesus ($21), Ferran Torres ($18) and Danny Ings ($20). A Manchester City stack is definitely in play and would be slightly easier with De Bruyne on the bench.
Danny Ings, AVL at NEW ($20): Ings has the best goal-scoring odds on the slate against a Newcastle side that conceded four goals and nine shots on goal against West Ham. Despite there being some uncertainty regarding Ings' starting role, he did benefit from Ollie Watkins ($19) missing the match entirely due to a knee injury, which again has him questionable this week. Ings found the back of the net with a late penalty last week and could benefit from additional service if Villa can return Douglas Luiz ($11) to the lineup. There's the potential for Leon Bailey's ($15) first start after he went 30 minutes in the opener, while John McGinn ($13) found the back of the net against Watford, helping him finish with 26.5 points, and Emiliano Buendia ($15) should stay on set pieces, making him a safe-ish play.
Raphinha, LEE at EVE ($16): This match has the second-highest implied goal total on the slate, and we should see at least three goals according to the oddsmakers. Raphinha paced Leeds in assists and chances created last campaign and should bounce back from a relatively quiet season opener. Leeds returned virtually their whole team, with Patrick Bamford ($18) and Jack Harrison ($17) also involved in the attack. Stuart Dallas ($13) and Kalvin Phillips ($10) don't have the ceiling that Raphinha, Bamford and Harrison do but could be solid fill-ins for budgetary reasons. On the other side of the pitch, Richarlison ($19) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($18) both found the back of the net against Southampton and will face a Leeds United back-line that conceded five last week to Manchester United. Aside from the Manchester City attack, this is definitely a match to think about multiple inclusions.
One player at a similar price range as Raphinha who is worth a look is Ivan Toney ($16). He was a handful in the opener against Arsenal, but failed to produce a huge fantasy outing. Toney scored 33 goals and provided 10 assists in 48 Championship appearances last season and is the focal point of Brentford's attack. Jordan Ayew ($11) was effective in a tough matchup against Chelsea, finishing with 14.5 points and is at a reasonable price Saturday.
Solomon March, BRI at WAT ($8): I included March in this article last week when he was minimum priced and he produced 17.59 points. He's only slightly more expensive a week later despite a solid performance and should still be considered a value play in a matchup with newly promoted Watford. Brighton surprisingly have the second-best odds to win and keep a clean sheet, giving them a further boost. Although Pascal Gross ($14) took six of 10 free kicks for Brighton, March found himself on two opportunities and finished with three chances created. His price likely remains low due to a lengthy injury layoff last season, so now is the best time to roster the winger before he starts to consistently score double-digits. Ismaila Sarr ($17) and Emmanuel Dennis ($16) went off against Aston Villa as they both scored and finished with 35+ points. Their odds to score again are actually quite low, though both were active in chances created and shots on goal. Brighton and Aston Villa have similar back-lines, while Brighton have arguably gotten worse following Ben White's departure to Arsenal.
DEFENDERS
Matt Ritchie, NEW v. AVL ($11): Jacob Murphy ($14) is tied for the second-most expensive defender on Saturday's slate following a 29.5-point performance last weekend that included a goal and three shots. He certainly wasn't on a ton of fantasy radars aside from making the starting XI, which makes banking on him over Ritchie slightly more risky. Ritchie created four scoring chances on 12 crosses to go along with his assist to Murphy (the rare left-back to right-back goal). He took five of Newcastle's seven free kicks and is a fair bit cheaper with a higher floor. Newcastle have the third-lowest clean sheet odds, so banking on the five-point clean sheet bonus from any of their defenders is a tad precarious. Federico Fernandez ($12) was immense in the loss to West Ham as he finished with 10 clearances and four blocked shots and should be busy in a similar matchup. Matty Cash ($13) is Aston Villa's best defensive option after finishing with 13.9 points last week, though he'll need to be a lot more involved in attack to really pay dividends.
Kyle Walker, MCI at NOR ($9): I know the season is early, but it might be awhile before we see a team favored more heavily than Manchester City is against Norwich City. Their clean sheet odds are above 55 percent and Walker is below $10, which is remarkable given the match odds and Walker's consistency in City's lineup. He did miss the first match of the season against Tottenham, though that can be attributed to extra time off ahead of the season following his participation in the Euros with England. He should slot back in at right-back and is the cheapest of City's expected starters. Joao Cancelo ($15) is the most expensive defender on the slate and will need to score more than the 15.5 he finished with during last weekend's loss to Tottenham to justify investment. Given the likelihood of a clean sheet, you could consider any combination of their center-backs, with John Stones ($11) being slightly cheaper than Ruben Dias ($13). Ben Gibson ($12) and Grant Hanley ($11) had a whopping 12 and eight clearances, respectively, against Liverpool last Saturday and could be in for a similar line of work while Norwich are under siege from the Flying Pep Guardiolas.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya, BRE at CRY ($10): Raya was a star against Arsenal last Friday, finishing with a clean sheet and four saves on his way to 29 points in his Premier League debut. While it'll be difficult to replicate that performance, the Palace v. Brentford match has the lowest implied goal total and the odds for a scoreless draw aren't as favorable as one would typically see. Ederson ($14) is a more expensive alternative and has incredibly high clean sheet odds should you find yourself with a cash surplus at the end of lineup construction.
