Fantasy La Liga: Sunday Cheat Sheet

MATCHES (EDT)

10:15 a.m: Atletico Madrid v. Deportivo
12:30 p.m: Villarreal v. Osasuna
2:45 p.m: Espanyol v. Celta Vigo

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Atletico Madrid: Koke
Deportivo la Coruna: Emre Colak
Villarreal: Samu Castillejo, Manuel Trigueros
Osasuna: Roberto Torres, Oier
Espanyol: Reyes
Celta Vigo: Daniel Wass

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak, ATL vs. DEP: This isn't a great slate, let's be honest, so when you look at the goalkeeper options it's almost better to just sit the slate out if you can't find a way to make Oblak's $6K salary on DraftKings fit. I mean, who else are you going to pick in a cash game? Sergio Asenjo will probably get some cash game love, but at only $300 cheaper it's not worth it to fade Oblak and his one goal conceded in the last five games against an opponent that has gone 180 minutes without threatening towards goal.

DEFENDER

Luisinho, DEP at ATL: Let's just avoid the Juanfran/Juanfran confusion without this article becoming Abbott and Costello-esque. In reality, any of these three defenders are great options and all within a few hundred dollars of each other, and while Atletico Madrid's Juanfran carries the obvious clean sheet potential, I'm happy to save a few dollars and take Luisinho for his higher ceiling in this matchup. There is a very real possibility that Madrid park the bus (so to speak) after an early lead, and that should cut into Juanfran's attacking potential while giving more looks to Luisinho.

Hugo Mallo, CEL at ESP: The goal in his last game probably isn't going to be beneficial to getting him low-owned, but a nice trend I'm noticing is that Celta Vigo are beginning to originate more attacking chances from the right side of the field and giving more responsibility to Mallo, while subsequently reducing Jonny's attacking potential. Mallo still has great defensive statistics and can put up a solid floor, and he has a chance to thrive in this matchup that should be wide open. I still feel as though Jonny will draw more ownership due to the lower price and name recognition but Mallo is a good pick in all formats.

Tano, OSA at VIL: This pick comes with a hefty "please check starting lineups carefully" warning, but the reward could be some pretty impressive value for money. Look, we've got a $6,000 goalkeeper on DraftKings, you can't just pick from Madrid and Villarreal and call it a day, but the bad matchup for Osasuna is actually great news for Tano. Osasuna are going to fall behind early, I think everyone will agree, and with Tano at right back they will be pressured into creating more offensive chances even though he is not an offensive-minded player. His attacking statistics were much more impressive when they played against Real Madrid than in their close match with Espanyol, for obvious reasons.

MIDFIELDER

Antoine Griezmann, ATL vs DEP: As long as Griezmann is under $10K on DraftKings he will be in all of my rosters any time he is available. I know I mentioned above that there may be a parking of the proverbial bus in the second half, but with a player like Griezmann, who cares? When he scores, he does all his damage in the first half. It's just a bonus that his last four games have alternated with a brace, no goals, brace, no goals; he's obviously due here right?

Pablo Hernandez, CEL at ESP: This is one of those sneaky-interesting games that I love to find; they don't seem very interesting on paper but the offensive potential and depressed salaries make it worth picking on. Unfortunately, on the Celta Vigo side (who are beginning to round into form), Iago Aspas, John Guidetti and Guiseppe Rossi are all forward eligible only on DraftKings, while Hernandez is still nursing a knee injury. Hernandez does offer the most flexibility in price and position, however, and without Fabian Orellana they will need him to take the field behind Guidetti, which should create plenty of looks at goal.

Daniel Wass, CEL at ESP: I've already said how I think this match could be wide open, and I love Wass's position. He's not the most gifted defensive midfielder, and he's certainly not the most gifted attacking player on the field, but he does both roles well enough to be considered in any fantasy format. He's good for a few tackles and interceptions, as well as four or five crosses and a few shots. This matchup should give him a lot more opportunity at the net and there is a very good chance he picks up an assist, or at the very least an increased number of shots as well as being on corner duty.

FORWARD

Leo Baptistao, ESP vs. CEL: As much as I respect Celta Vigo in this spot, I want equal exposure to Espanyol forwards. Hot off a midweek win, they are finally on the board and getting a Celta Vigo team that, while improved, have not won in their last five away matches. For cash games, I want Baptistao, as even though he is a good candidate to be subbed off, he does enough damage early to warrant rostering. He's hot right now and this is another great spot. In GPP play, I would rather have his teammate Gerard Moreno, who is a little bit cheaper on DraftKings and has a small increase in ceiling, but he is much too goal dependent for cash games.

Nicola Sansone, VIL vs. OSA: Although I still think Sansone is a bit too scoring-dependent for my liking (especially with so many players carrying dual M/F eligibility on DraftKings), he is the best way to get exposure to the Villarreal attack. There are so many players lumped into the $7,300 - $8,000 price range this week that it's easy to fall into traps, but we've seen Sansone explode when given the opportunity. Less stable minutes from Alexadre Pato and less upside from Castillejo make this an easier decision.

Sergio Leon, OSA at VIL: Unfortunately with such a small slate, there hasn't been a ton of value opening up as the week goes on. One of the cheapest spots I can go in this position is with Leon, who was brilliant in his first start for Osasuna in the midweek match, scoring and adding three more shots on goal. I think a goal will certainly be tougher sledding against Villarreal, but they have not kept a clean sheet in a long time and Leon has a good enough floor from shots and crosses that he is worth a roster spot if he starts again.