This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Chelsea
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Norwich City vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Crystal Palace
- 12:30 pm: Liverpool vs. West Ham United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Mason Mount, CHE at BUR ($20): Burnley concede the most chances created and third-most shots on goal, giving the Chelsea attack a platform for a productive day no matter where the final scoreline finishes. This puts their starting attackers in play, like Romelu Lukaku ($19), Christian Pulisic ($17) and Kai Havertz ($17). All could benefit from the matchup, but I think Mason Mount is the best bet despite the steep price. He leads Chelsea in all key statistical categories for attackers, including goals (seven), assists (six), shots on goal (20) and chances created (34), making him the clear top option. If you opt for Mount, a stack with N'Golo Kante ($11) would be my next move, as he's capable of a serviceable floor from defensive stats and more than that if Chelsea score multiple goals. Ashley Westwood ($11) takes almost all set pieces for Burnley and is a cheap option to consider, while Wout Weghorst ($15) and Maxwel Cornet ($14) will try to get the Clarets attack producing once more.
Luis Diaz, LIV v. WHU ($18): Although Liverpool boast three of the Premier League's top scorers, I tend to opt for the cheapest option in an attack that could put up multiple goals. We know that Mohamed Salah ($22) is capable of monstrous numbers and Sadio Mane ($19) is in good form after a dry spell through the early part of winter. Diogo Jota ($20) came off the bench in Sunday's League Cup final and started Wednesday's FA Cup win, so he may be dropped back to the bench Saturday. This leaves Luis Diaz, who's been dazzling in a short amount of time at the Merseyside. In his three Premier League starts, he's scored at least 13 fantasy points while being a decisive figure in attack. While Salah could be one of the highest-rostered players Saturday, I think Diaz offers a better option for GPPs due to his price and likelihood that he won't be as coveted as Mane or Salah. All this said, Liverpool have the highest-implied goal total (over two goals), so you may want to look for a stack if possible. Jarrod Bowen ($16) has been excellent for West Ham since the turn of the year, scoring five goals, providing one assist and supplying 10 shots on goal in seven matches. West Ham account for one of Liverpool's two losses this season and if they're going to account for another, it will likely come through Bowen's efforts.
Milot Rashica, NOR v. BRE ($14): In a slate that has a number of interesting games, I can't seem to look away from this one as it features two teams fighting for their Premier League lives. Both teams are winless in their last five matches and badly need to pick up points. Teemu Pukki ($15) is Norwich's most expensive option and the most likely to take a penalty should that opportunity arise, while Milot Rashica is pacing Norwich in chances created (24). Rashica's consistency and matchup against a struggling Brentford team make him an interesting selection. He's got a decent floor as he's scored at least 9.9 fantasy points in 10 of his past 12 matches while not finishing below 7.6 points. Brentford concede the second most shots on goal of the 12 teams, making Saturday a good opportunity for Rashica and the Norwich attack. On the flip side, Norwich have been equally as bad, if not worst, so you could take a look at Ivan Toney ($17), who should start again, or Christian Eriksen ($16), who may make his first start for Brentford on Saturday. When fit, Eriksen is consistently one of the most coveted players in Premier League fantasy soccer and this is likely the cheapest you'll be able to roster him before his playing time increases.
Stuart Armstrong, SOU at AVL ($10): I initially wanted to recommend Che Adams ($16) in this match because he's scored three goals and provided an assist over his past four matches, which has led to four-straight outings over 20 fantasy points. The matchup between Southampton and Aston Villa has the third-highest implied goal total of the six matches and could end up as a thrilling match. Instead of Adams, I opted for Stuart Armstrong because of price and that he's been super productive since returning from injury. Over the past four matches, he's taken a shot on goal each match, created eight scoring chances and scored a goal, all while becoming a focal point in the Saints attack. He's scored at least 13 points in all four matches and is an easy investment despite a trip to Aston Villa. James Ward-Prowse ($18) is likely to be the most sought-after player in this match, while Philippe Coutinho ($18) won't be far behind. Both players depend on chances created for their value, but I'd rather go for Ward-Prowse and his set pieces over Coutinho.
DEFENDERS
Romain Saiss, WOL v. CRY ($13): Besides Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) and James Tarkowski ($14), it's tough to find defenders as consistently productive as Romain Saiss. He's cheaper than the aforementioned two defenders and consistently scores at least 10 points, something he's done in 22 out of his 24 starts this season. Wolverhampton have the third-best clean sheet odds in the match with the lowest-implied goal total, making for a ripe matchup that should continue Saiss's consistency. Ethan Pinnock ($13) and Pontus Jansson ($11) are both great options against Norwich as they rank in the top four in clearances in the Premier League.
Tariq Lamptey, BHA at NEW ($8): As far as defenders go, Lamptey is a good option for attacking statistics and benefits from a somewhat favorable matchup. He's scored at least 8.2 points in three of his past four starts. While he doesn't represent a particularly high-ceiling play, he's cheap enough and consistent enough to be a roster-stuffing defender in a matchup with the second-lowest implied goal total. I recommended Fabian Schar ($11) last weekend and he came away with a 31.9-point performance. He's now finished with double digits in the past five matches (and six of his past seven starts), which should continue against Brighton.
GOALKEEPERS
Nick Pope, BUR v. CHE ($7): The RotoWire DFS Optimizer always loves to take the cheapest possible goalkeeper, which is Lukasz Fabianski ($6) in this case. He faces a Liverpool side in top form, though a team that West Ham beat in the previous matchup. Fabianski will face plenty of save opportunities and will finish in the positive, at a minimum. Alisson Becker ($14) has the top clean-sheet odds, followed by Edouard Mendy ($13), both of which could come away with a win and clean-sheet bonus. Jose Sa ($12) is third in saves and fourth in clean sheets in the Premier League, making him a coveted play in the match with the lowest-implied goal total. He's had some huge matches this season and I'd go with him if you have that sort of budget. Outside of that, I tend to side with the optimizer and think Nick Pope ($7) is a good value play against Chelsea, as he should have plenty of save opportunities and could even get a positive result with the way both Burnley and Chelsea are playing of late.
