This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
The EPL returns after the international break and now we shift to the stretch run of the season over the next two months. We will likely see teams desperate to find something with lineup combinations to stave off relegation. We have a tight race for the top four to see who will go straight to the Champions League next season. Lastly, there is an eight point gap between Arsenal and Manchester City at the top, although Arsenal has played one more fixture.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Fulham
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Leeds United
- 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Nottingham Forest vs. Wolverhampton
- 12:30 pm: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Gabriel Jesus, ARS vs LEE ($20): This slate starts and stops with Arsenal. They are the biggest favorites on the slate going up against Leeds United. You can stack their attackers in any iteration, but I will side with the more likely goal scorers. Jesus has been eased back into fitness since returning from injury. I expect him to start here and even if he plays 60 minutes he could net two in this matchup. Gabriel Martinelli ($22) and Bukayo Saka ($23) would be my next two favorites for them, but Martin Odegaard ($21) makes for one of the lower-owned GPP options on this squad.
Kai Havertz, CHE vs AVL ($21): You can't deny the form that Havertz has been in for Chelsea and they get another good matchup here with Aston Villa. Chelsea are right there with Brighton as the second-biggest favorites on the slate. They are trying to string together some good play as they have gone 3-0-1 in their last four matches worldwide. Christian Pulisic ($15) reportedly came back from the international break with an illness and is in doubt for Saturday, but if he does start the price tag is advantageous. Unfortunately, this is the late game on the slate, so you would need to have a pivot ready in this game.
Kaoru Mitoma, BHA vs BRE ($18): An interesting GPP team on this slate is Brighton. I think more of the utilization goes to Arsenal and Chelsea, opening up a pivot to Brighton. For me, it starts with Mitoma who has been spectacular and is a fun part of a stack here with someone like Solomon March ($19), Danny Welbeck ($16), or the safest player on the team Pascal Gross ($16), but I do question his ceiling.
Philip Billing, BOU vs FUL ($15): There are a lot of cheaper options on this slate, but you will need to look at the ancillary games without the strong favorites. Billing is priced in the mid-range here and has solid 31 percent goal-scoring odds. We have seen a floor of around 10 FanDuel points recently and when he scores, he unlocks his upside. Other cheap options include Michael Olise ($14), Morgan Gibbs-White ($15) against his former team, Carlos Vinicius ($14), and Patson Daka ($14). You will likely need to mix one of these cheap options into your lineups if you want exposure to teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, or Brighton.
DEFENDERS
Oleksandr Zinchenko, ARS vs LEE ($10): Here is another place you can grab some value. Zinchenko is priced down to a playable tag here and he has some strong assist upside in this matchup, not to mention his clean sheet odds. You can certainly pay up for Ben Chilwell ($13) if you have the salary in a similarly strong matchup. Teammate Reece James ($11) also makes some strong appeal if you are looking for more exposure to the top stacks on the slate, though James is recovering from an undisclosed injury and may not start.
Liam Cooper, LEE vs ARS ($11): Cooper is projected to return here and fits the bill as an underdog center back in a matchup he should see a lot of action. Teammate Robin Koch ($10) is a similar player and we have seen both of them with strong floors when they have been tested this year. Ezri Konsa ($9) and Tyrone Mings ($12) make some sense in the same way that the Leeds duo does. Lastly, I'll mention Ben Mee ($12) who should have a decent floor, and has solid goal-scoring odds for a defender.
GOALKEEPER
Aaron Ramsdale, ARS vs LEE ($14): I am not sure that you will have the needed salary to get up to Ramsdale here, but if so you are paying up for nearly 45 percent clean sheet odds. He also fits a clean sheet stack with Zinchenko. I don't mind the idea of a pivot to Kepa Arrizabalaga ($13) in a stack with Chilwell or James for Chelsea. They also have nearly 40 percent clean sheet odds, just not as good of win odds as Arsenal. You can go to one of the closer projected games if you need the salary as most of them have both goalies priced reasonably. Jose Sa ($11) would be my favorite, but he is on the road, so you may prefer a home matchup for someone like Neto ($9).
