DraftGoal Fantasy Soccer: Welcome to DraftGoal

This article is part of our DraftGoal Fantasy Soccer series.

DraftGoal hosts daily games that allows users to manage a virtual team and compete against other users through any one of their many contests. It's as easy as selecting a league, building a team under a virtual salary cap of $100,000 and then selecting a contest.

From there, users can monitor their team's performance through DraftGoal's real-time data, which updates team scores live as statistics are accumulated during matches.

However, this is where DraftGoal's uniqueness shines. Not only are the usual fantasy soccer stats – goals, assists, clean sheets and saves – counted, but more advanced contributions, like shots on target, interceptions, duels won and game-winning goals, are tallied to provide a more sophisticated scoring system for contestants to strategize around.

For example, Chelsea defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic's modest totals of three goals and three assists might not scream fantasy stud, but when considering his outstanding 325 recovered balls, 110 winning tackles and 72 passes intercepted, DraftGoal's scoring system duly incorporates such data to more accurately reflect the Serbian's value in manager Jose Mourinho's setup.

As a result, only five players currently boast a better point average than Matic's 17.00 this season on DraftGoal, though his $8,800 salary pales in comparison to more flashy attack-minded players.

Here's a breakdown of the scoring system:

Goalkeepers

When it comes to goalkeepers, DraftGoal rewards a healthy six points for a clean sheet, which bodes well for Arsenal's David Ospina ($6,500) this week. Not only does the Colombian play a Burnley side with one goal in their past five matches, but Ospina's 11.00 points per game rank tied for third among players at his position.

If you're willing to invest more salary at goalkeeper, Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois ($12,100) may prove worth his hefty billing. Although Courtois was embarrassingly caught off his line last weekend, Chelsea has blanked Queens Park Rangers in both of their past two trips to Loftus Road and have won a league-high four consecutive road games.

On the flip side, QPR's Robert Green ($4,000) could have the kind of busy day that benefits fantasy owners. While Chelsea could be without top striker Diego Costa, the Rs' defense has still surrendered the most goals this season, which should result in Green having plenty of opportunities to add to his 115 saves on the season. That total has helped Green earn 10.00 points per game, which makes his minimal salary even more intriguing.

Defenders

Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne ($12,800) has been a revelation this season and his 14.00 points per game on DraftGoal perfectly reflect such emergence. That average ranks second-best among defenders, but 14 players at Clyne's position have a salary higher than he does. This weekend, Clyne and Southampton's league-best defense faces Hull City, who've gone winless in their past six away matches.

Elsewhere Arsenal's Hector Bellerin ($6,000) has been another rightback to burst onto the scene this season. The 20-year-old Spaniard scored a goal versus Liverpool last weekend, which followed a massive nine recovered balls, five passes intercepted and four winning tackles in his prior outing at AS Monaco in the Champions League. This weekend's opponents, Burnley, should pose a lesser challenge, making Bellerin a potential steal at his $6,000 salary.

Even cheaper than Bellerin is Crystal Palace's Martin Kelly ($5,400), who is fresh off a win over Manchester City last time out. In fact, only the current top three teams in the standings have fared better than Palace over their past six matches. This weekend, Kelly will get a chance to continue his good play against a Sunderland team that has scored just twice during that same six-match span.

Midfielders

While his team nears a Premiership trophy, Chelsea's Eden Hazard ($16,400) is also the highest-scoring midfielder on DraftGoal, averaging 20.00 points per game. That lofty standing comes thanks to 15 goals, including five match-winners, nine assists and a brutal 125 fouls won between the Premier League and the Champions League. This Sunday, Hazard gets to attack the league's worst defense, Queens Park Rangers, coming off a goal in four of his past five matches across all competitions.

Like the aforementioned Matic, Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin ($10,000) has to be considered among the Premier League's best defensive midfielders. Of his 15.00 points per game, nearly 12.00 come from defending. To that point, Schneiderlin has amassed 173 recovered balls, 70 winning tackles and 55 passes intercepted. This weekend, those numbers could improve even more at home versus a Hull City outfit that struggles to maintain possession.

Another player that shields his team's defense, Tottenham's Ryan Mason ($3,700) has a salary close to the minimum for midfielders, but his 11.00 points per game is anything but. Along with his keen tactical awareness helping his defensive statistics, Mason has also produced a goal and an assist over his past five league matches, which bodes well heading into this weekend's game against an Aston Villa team trying to avoid relegation.

Forwards

In terms of strikers, both Arsenal's Olivier Giroud ($12,900) appear to be fantastic values this week. Possessing a tireless work rate, the former leads players at his position on DraftGoal with 20.00 points per game, nearly eight of which are defensive. Meanwhile, Giroud has sparked Arsenal's brilliant recent form with a wonderful 10 goals in his past 10 games for the Gunners. Moreover, both players scored last weekend and now are now pitted against bottom-feeders Burnley.

Nonetheless, another North London striker, Tottenham's Harry Kane ($6,900) might still be the best bargain of the bunch. Not only has he scored 27 goals across all competitions, but Kane's salary is pennies compared to most of his fellow top forwards, especially Manchester City's Sergio Aguero ($25,600) and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney ($20,300), who happen to face each other this weekend.

Finally, Crystal Palace's Glen Murray ($6,100) has been tremendous lately, firing five goals in his last five appearances for the Eagles. Such fine form follows Murray reaching eight goals across 18 games in the Championship for Reading too. The 31-year-old has made a stellar transition to the top-flight and could make more of a dent this weekend at Sunderland, who are tied for the second-most goals allowed at home this season.