This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
While the Premier League's upcoming eighth round of action features a couple of marquee rivalries on Sunday, when first-place Manchester United visits fourth Arsenal and Everton hosts Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, those heated battles are notoriously difficult to project, thus complicating fantasy owners' decisions.
In an effort to avoid those tricky matchups, let's highlight a variety six-pack of players that could all produce great fantasy returns from MondoGoal's Saturday contests this weekend.
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (£14.0M)
The most expensive summer addition to the Premier League, De Bruyne also costs a pretty penny on MondoGoal, with his £14.0M salary trailing only Chelsea's Eden Hazard in Saturday contests. However, like his countryman, De Bruyne is a dynamic playmaker and has wasted little time making his impact felt at Manchester City. In fact, in De Bruyne's three starts for the Citizens, he's averaged 15.88 points on MondoGoal. That includes one goal in three straight games, making De Bruyne worth the investment ahead of Saturday's home game against 19th place Newcastle.
MID: Yohan Cabaye (£5.8M)
Remarkably underpriced, Cabaye's 6.94 points per game on MondoGoal rank 18th among all midfielders slated to play Saturday, yet his £5.8M salary is a fraction compared to most his peers'. Stationed at the heart of Crystal Palace's midfield, Cabaye has impressively intercepted 24 passes and won 24 tackles this season, while also winning 14 fouls. Furthermore, the Frenchman scored at home versus Watford last weekend, giving him good momentum in advance of another home appearance this Saturday against West Brom.
FWD: Jamie Vardy (£8.5M)
With names like Aguero, Rooney, Alexis and Costa plying their trade in the Premier League, it's all the more surprising that Vardy leads England's top-flight with six goals this season. That tally includes Vardy's brace against Arsenal last weekend, when he scored a whopping 22.04 fantasy points. While no team has found the back of the net more than Vardy's Leicester City thus far, only three teams have conceded more goals than the Foxes' opponent this Saturday, Norwich City. At just £8.5M, Vardy's value is as good as it gets this weekend.
DEF: Nyom (£7.4M)
In starting all seven of Watford's matches so far, Nyom has compiled three clean sheets, helping the Hornets to the Premiership's third-best defensive record early on. Additionally, Nyom has supplied 21 tackles and 19 interceptions, pacing Watford in both categories. With such production, Nyom's 44.49 points on MondoGoal currently rank eighth among defenders scheduled to play Saturday, when he'll face a Bournemouth team without striker Callum Wilson (knee), scorer of five of the Cherries' nine goals so far.
MID: Cheikhou Kouyate (£8.7M)
While teammates Dimitri Payet and Diafra Sakho rightfully have grabbed the headlines for West Ham this season, Kouyate has been an unheralded contributor toward the Hammers' special start. Deployed in central midfield, Kouyate scored his third goal through six games last weekend and he's also already picked up an assist. Nonetheless, Kouyate's defensive contributions take his fantasy stock to the next level, as he's won a team-high 16 tackles and intercepted 11 passes to boot. Good for 10.02 points per game on MondoGoal, Kouyate could be a stellar selection this Saturday at last-place Sunderland, and his £8.7M salary is far more budget-friendly than Payet's £13.1M tag.
GK: Joe Hart (£8.4M)
Absent through injury last weekend, Hart was forced to painstakingly watch Manchester City's defense ship four goals against Tottenham while replacement Willy Caballero unwittingly contributed to the carnage. Despite that shellacking and other injuries to Man City defenders, Hart could be a strong fantasy choice if he returns to the lineup in Week 8. That's because along with leading Saturday goalkeepers with 45.80 MondoGoal points, Hart is gifted with a home pairing against winless Newcastle, the Premier League's lowest scoring team this season.
