This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 11:00 am: Arsenal vs. Watford
- 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 11:00 am: Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton
- 11:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 11:00 am: Everton vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 11:00 am: Leicester City vs. Manchester United
- 11:00 am: Manchester City vs. Norwich City
- 11:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Liverpool
- 11:00 am: Southampton vs. Sheffield United
- 11:00 am: West Ham United vs. Aston Villa
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Harry Kane, TOT at CRY ($22): Kane isn't usually my go-to fantasy choice because of his inconsistencies, but due to recent form and matchup, he may be my favorite play on a full slate. He has back-to-back braces, which follow one of the best floor games of the season when he had four shots on target and four chances created against Arsenal. I like him more than the odds suggest because Tottenham need three points and Crystal Palace have given up multiple goals in six of their last seven matches. Throw in a back line that features a mess of guys who have rarely played together (Tyrick Mitchell, Cheikhou Kouyate) and Spurs should have no trouble scoring. If that plays out as expected, Son Heung-Min ($20) is also a reasonable stacking piece with seven shots on goal and six chances created in his last four starts. More convenient is that Tottenham got a normal week of rest ahead of this matchup. The other part to Kane is that he may not be as popular, making him a solid GPP play with Son. Kane has the fifth-best odds to score on the slate and Spurs are projected to score fewer goals than both Man City and Liverpool. The question is who to use with Kane and Son, since Spurs don't really have two other viable attacking players, as Lucas Moura ($16) is harder to trust than Kane.
Gabriel Jesus, MCI v. NOR ($19): There's a chance Jesus isn't as popular as he was on the last slate. Even with the best odds to score by far (-280), Raheem Sterling's ($22) recent brace and Kevin De Bruyne's ($23) dominant floor will get a lot of attention. Sure, you could use all three Man City guys to guarantee at least one goal, but that's not going to win you a GPP. In order to win a GPP with three Man City players, you'd need goals from all of them and probably more. That's because on a full slate, it's almost certain someone will score a brace and getting just one goal from Sterling or 20 floor points from De Bruyne may not be enough. With Jesus, you get the best goal odds, a guaranteed start and save a few bucks compared to his high-end teammates. For tournaments, you could use everyone but those three, meaning Riyad Mahrez ($18), David Silva ($16), Bernardo Silva ($16) or Phil Foden ($15). While the expensive guys are consistent, any of Man City's players can go off and surpass 40 fantasy points, especially against the worst team in the league. Either way, I'd get at least one Man City player in cash squads and Jesus is my choice, though David Silva isn't far off in his last league match with the club.
Mohamed Salah, LIV at NEW ($21): I think the next decision comes between Liverpool and Arsenal. Their matches have a similar implied goal total, but I have a feeling Liverpool-Newcastle will be a bit more open because neither team has anything to play for. Not to mention, Liverpool have the best attack in the league and Newcastle have four injured center-backs. I'm less certain of the Arsenal match because Watford need points, but also Alexandre Lacazette ($17) has been more efficient than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($18) in recent contests. They cost less, but outside of the Norwich match, Aubameyang hasn't topped 20.6 fantasy points since the restart. The good thing with Salah, mainly for cash games, is that he's had a decent floor even without a goal the last three matches. I think he finally breaks that streak having failed to hit the back of the net with his last seven shots on target. You could stack him with Sadio Mane ($19) and hope it's not a repeat of Wednesday when everyone on Liverpool scored but their top goal scorers. And while Newcastle held Brighton scoreless last match, they gave up 12 goals in their prior four matches.
Allan Saint-Maximin, NEW v. LIV ($12): I could give another cash play, but I'm sticking with my prediction that Liverpool-Newcastle will be the highest-scoring match on the slate. Newcastle aren't Chelsea, but they have players who can score and it was only a week ago that they out-shot Tottenham 22 to eight. I'm backing Saint-Maximin because he's a star in the making and it's a perfect spot for him to do something big against the league winners. He hasn't had a huge performance that excites non-soccer fans, but he's had three assists in a match and had three shots on target against Tottenham. Against a back line that kind of gave up against Chelsea, Saint-Maximin has the skill and speed to find opportunities in front of net, similar to what Christian Pulisic just did against the Reds. This is more of a GPP play if you're also backing Salah and Mane, with the hope this is another match that results in eight goals. I considered Jonjo Shelvey ($11) because he's the safer play, but I'll go big and hope Saint-Maximin runs rampant past Joe Gomez.
If you hate risk, the list is endless for viable cash options. Bruno Fernandes ($19) and Willian ($18) have been the best players since the restart, but neither have overly enticing matchups. In a regular match, this is a good spot for Michail Antonio ($18), but Aston Villa are playing for their Premier League lives and have been stout in the back. That said, there is a world in which you roster Antonio, Jarrod Bowen ($14) and Aston Villa guys like Jack Grealish ($15), Trezeguet ($15) or Conor Hourihane ($13). In that best-case scenario, West Ham would score early and then Villa would push forward the rest of the way because they need a point. It probably won't happen, but West Ham's attack has been solid the last couple weeks.
DEFENDERS
Matt Ritchie, NEW v. LIV ($9): If you ride someone like Saint-Maximin or have some money to burn at defender, Ritchie is inexplicably one of the cheaper options. Sure, it's a tough matchup, but he takes set pieces for Newcastle and should reach his usual defensive numbers against Liverpool. My favorite stat is that he's hit at least 12 fantasy points in 11 of his 13 starts this season. Even if this match isn't as high scoring as I think it's going to be, defensive stats will get Ritchie to at least 10 points. If, for some reason, you have more money, Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) is a more potent version of Ritchie. Andrew Robertson ($14) has also made the score-sheet in his last four appearances. Otherwise, I'm a bit tentative on most expensive options when you can get a safe floor with upside in Ritchie.
Tyrick Mitchell, CRY v. TOT ($6): The most popular cash route will be to roster two $6 defenders because ideally, you should spend everything on attacking players. Mitchell is my pick after creating three chances in his first couple appearances. He hasn't accrued many defensive stats, but I think he'll have opportunities to get up the field against Tottenham to get his floor around 10 points. The other projected starters at $6 are Arthur Masuaku and Adrian Mariappa, though I'd save for someone like Christoph Zimmermann ($7), if he starts, or Jarrad Branthwaite ($7). However, if you must, I'd take Masuaku if he starts for the injured Aaron Cresswell.
GOALKEEPER
Hugo Lloris, TOT at CRY ($12): On a full slate, you can take any goalkeeper you want. Ederson ($14) has the best odds for a clean sheet, but it depends if you want his hopeful 17 points from a win and clean sheet or a possible brace from Jesus or Kane. Lloris has quietly been one of the better options since the restart, allowing two goals in his last five starts, hitting at least 13 fantasy points in seven of his last eight. Palace have failed to score in five of their last six matches and Tottenham need a win. I also like Nick Pope ($11) for slightly cheaper, while Jordan Pickford ($10) is in a nice situation even if he hasn't made a save in his last two starts. If you want to take the value route, Lukasz Fabianski ($8), Aaron Ramsdale ($8) and Ben Foster ($7) are decent bets to finish with positive fantasy points.
