This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
The Premier League embarks on its usual, action-packed festive period fixtures this week, giving daily fantasy owners the opportunity to add prize money to their holiday hauls.
With Mondogoal's contests for Saturday's full, 10-game Boxing Day slate in mind, here are some players to target when building rosters:
Joe Hart, GK (£6.8M)
Despite falling 2-1 at Arsenal earlier this week, Hart and Manchester City return home this weekend for a savory matchup against Sunderland. While Man City sports the league's best home record, the Black Cats have lost six of their last seven away matches. At the Etihad Stadium alone, Man City has registered 19 goals from their last six meetings with Sunderland, making any of the Citizens' many attacking talents worth consideration. However, with 19 goalkeepers costing more than him, Hart's current status as Mondogoal's fifth-ranked keeper makes him among City's best values this weekend.
Aaron Cresswell, DEF (£$7.6M)
As opposed to Man City, West Ham's streak of three straight scoreless draws makes the Hammers' offensive players far less enticing than defenders like Cresswell, who has accumulated 22.66 points on Mondogoal during that stretch. Furthermore, with a Boxing Day matchup at last-place Aston Villa, Cresswell could very well add yet another clean sheet to his name. No team has scored fewer goals than Villa this season, and their troubles in that department have been especially apparent at home, where they've managed just five goals in eight games.
Ashley Williams, DEF (£7.6M)
Pitted against Aston Villa's West Midlands rival, West Brom, Williams too could find himself with a clean sheet on Boxing Day. That's because only one team has scored fewer away goals than West Brom this term, and the Baggies will be without two of their top attackers, as both James McClean and Salomon Rondon are suspended for Saturday's match. If that's not enough reason to select Williams, consider the facts that Swansea is coming off a clean sheet over the weekend, and only three players league-wide have intercepted more passes than Williams this season.
Riyad Mahrez, MID (£15.2M):
A player who no longer needs much of an introduction, Mahrez has made his name known loud and clear this season, as his whopping 235.58 Mondogoal points rather comfortably lead all players. That comes thanks to 13 goals and seven assists, including six goals over Leicester City's last three matches alone. To put that into perspective, only one midfielder has more goals this season than Mahrez has over his last three appearances. Such success has seen Mahrez average 25.14 points per game over the span, while his upcoming opponents, Liverpool, have not won over the same stretch.
Dele Alli, MID (£8.4M):
Last season it was striker Harry Kane (£12.5M), but this season, Tottenham's breakout Englishman is Alli, who at 19 years old already has four goals and two assists this season. Alli has been particularly impressive lately, as he not only scored last weekend at Southampton, but has also averaged 11.80 points per game on Mondogoal over his last four starts across all competitions. Riding that high, Alli will anxiously await Saturday's home date with Norwich City, who have allowed the fifth-most goals this season, and only one team has shipped more road goals than the Canaries thus far.
Olivier Giroud, FWD (£10.7M):
While Alli is only just showing his skills to fantasy owners, Giroud has been a staple in Arsenal's high-scoring attack for years. In fact, since joining the Gunners in 2012, Giroud has scored 51 Premier League goals, including 10 already this season. The most recent came this past Monday against Manchester City, which gave Giroud a goal in three straight league games, and six goals across his last four total appearances. Obviously a player on top of his form, Giroud's £10.7M salary is more than reasonable for his production, especially considering this weekend he'll square off with Southampton, whom he's scored three goals in Arsenal's last six games against.
Romelu Lukaku, FWD (£12.7M)
Even though Everton lost to Leicester City last weekend, Lukaku was able to continue his personal scoring streak that now sits at seven consecutive games with a goal. That fabulous form goes with Lukaku's total of 13 goals this season, leaving only Leicester's Jamie Vardy (£11.2M) with more Mondogoal points than him among strikers. As Lukaku looks toward Vardy's recently-set record scoring streak, Everton's Boxing Day visit to Newcastle bodes well for his chances, as only one team has surrendered more goals this season than the Magpies. Moreover, Lukaku has tallied a perfect four goals from Everton's past four games against Newcastle, solidifying his status as a top striker Saturday.
