This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
As the Premier League returns from an international break this weekend, MondoGoal's Week 5 games are already open for fantasy owners to sign up. With hopes of cashing in from this weekend's action, let's pinpoint two similarly priced players at each position that have contrasting buy/sell Week 5 fortunes.
Goalkeeper
Buy: Petr Cech (£8.7)
After posting a negative point total in his Arsenal debut, Cech has rebounded to score 29.4 fantasy points in his past three matches, placing him fourth among goalkeepers on MondoGoal this season. That improvement comes thanks to back-to-back clean sheets heading into the international break. In Week 5, Cech has a decent shot at continuing such success, as Arsenal hosts a Stoke City team that failed to score in their last outing, and has managed just two goals from their past six visits to the Emirates Stadium.
Sell: Sergio Romero (£9.0)
Given the uncertainty surrounding Manchester United's goalkeeper position, Romero stumbled upon fantasy relevancy to begin the campaign, providing three straight clean sheets out of the gate. However, Romero's mere five saves over that span hinted toward his small role in securing such record. Then, when Romero was required most in Week 4, he surrendered two soft goals at Swansea City, furthering the skepticism surrounding him. Now with David de Gea seemingly destined to reclaim his No. 1 position, Romero's top-five rank among MondoGoal goalkeepers appears to have been short-lived.
Defender
Buy: Aaron Cresswell (£8.0)
Following two goals and four assists in his Premier League debut campaign last term, all Cresswell has done is produce a pair of assists through West Ham's first four games this season, putting him in the lead among defenders in the category. Additionally, the Englishman boasts a pair of clean sheets early on, helping him achieve MondoGoal's seventh-highest point total at his position. In Week 5, Cresswell could very well add to his tally, as the Hammers host a Newcastle team that has gone winless in 14 of their last 15 away Premier League matches and has failed to score in seven of the last eight of those appearances.
Sell: Jordan Amavi (£7.5)
Just ahead of Cresswell at sixth among MondoGoal defenders, the 21-year-old Amavi has begun his Premiership career by leading the league in dribbles per game (3.8) from his left-sided position. While those ventures forward have resulted in one assist, Amavi has also secured one clean sheet with impressive averages of 3.5 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game. In doing so, Amavi has put up 7.85 points per game on MondoGoal, but that figure could dip in Week 5 when Aston Villa travel to Leicester City, who are currently tied with Manchester City for the most goals at home to this point in the season.
Midfielder
Buy: Gylfi Sigurdsson (£10.3)
While teammates Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis have rightfully stolen the early season headlines for Swansea, Sigurdsson has still been influential in the Welsh club's encouraging start. Right now, Sigurdsson only has been credited with four shots on target, but his average of 3.3 shot attempts per game trails only six players league-wide in the category and is level with Ayew and Gomis. Knowing that, a more efficient Sigurdsson could cause his current average of 6.59 fantasy points on MondoGoal to rise, starting this weekend at promoted side Watford, who remain winless thus far.
Sell: Ross Barkley (£9.6)
After missing the start of last season due to injury, Barkley has enjoyed a fantastic start to the current campaign, recording two goals and an assist for Everton. As a result, the youngster presently ranks fourth among midfielders on MondoGoal with 49.20 points. While that output suggests Barkley is finally finding some consistency, this weekend's matchup against Chelsea is at least pause-worthy. Sure, it may be appealing to fantasy owners to kick the Blues while they're down, but over time Jose Mourinho's defense has proven pretty impenetrable, so it may be best to steer clear of Barkley in Week 5.
Forward
Buy: Jamie Vardy (£6.9)
On the back of five double-digit point outings from his final 10 games last season, Vardy has continued his tear with two such performances through Leicester City's first four this term. In total, Vardy's 31.10 points on MondoGoal rank sixth among forwards. Prior to playing for England over the international break, Vardy scored the lone goal in Leicester's most recent league match, one that put the Foxes behind only two teams in scoring heading into the break, and now Vardy has a favorable opportunity to strike again against Aston Villa at home on Sunday.
Sell: Mame Diouf (£6.7)
Like Vardy, Diouf has started this season with a bang, making his affordable salary on MondoGoal all the more enticing. Specifically, Diouf has registered two goals and nine shots on target, while drawing 12 fouls. Combined, those totals have resulted in 45.16 fantasy points, the seventh-highest mark out of all players. While such success certainly makes Diouf a steal at his salary, this weekend's matchup at Arsenal is cause for concern. As previously mentioned, Stoke City have been blanked in four of their last six trips to Arsenal and besides Diouf's goals, the Potters have only found the scoresheet one other time this season.
