This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 11:00 am: Leeds United vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 11:00 am: Manchester City vs. Fulham
- 11:00 am: Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford
- 11:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 1:30 pm: Everton vs. Leicester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
James Maddison, LEI at EVE ($20): If Maddison can produce five chances against Manchester City when his team barely possesses the ball, then his efforts against a weaker Everton side look likely to improve further without substantial effort. He's scored just one goal in his last four appearances but has created 10 chances from 21 crosses. This efficiency should be to his benefit, as Everton have conceded the second-fewest goals but have allowed the third-most shots. While stars like Kevin De Bruyne ($21) will be highly sought after and Aleksandar Mitrovic ($17) sits at a more reasonable price point, that matchup could end up in a stalemate if Fulham continue their fine form on a four-game unbeaten run. If you think that Erling Haaland ($24) will be fully fit or that Julian Alvarez ($20) can carry his one-goal, two-assist form from Wednesday's win over Sevilla in the UCL despite having not scored in the league since August, then there are plenty of promising options and risks among the high-salary targets.
Leandro Trossard, BHA at WOL ($19): Coming in with goals scored in back-to-back matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, Trossard has the right matchup to make it three goals on the bounce. The Belgian has already scored seven times in 12 starts when he scored eight all of last season, putting him in exceptional form ahead of the World Cup, as well. For now, he'll lick his chops to face Wolves, which can hardly buy a goal but have conceded 19 times in 13 games. Additionally, this will be a good time to see if manager Roberto De Zerbi has found the right formula at Brighton or if Saturday's 4-1 domination of Chelsea was just a flash in the pan. At a similar price, Alexis Mac Allister ($16) and Ruben Neves ($17) could draw attention with the latter scoring twice in his last four games. Another name of note will be Daniel James ($9), who would help incorporate a few more big names into a lineup if he manages to replace Neeskens Kebano, who unfortunately suffered a torn Achilles in training this week.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, FUL at MCI ($17): Originally, Pascal Gross ($17) filled this spot after scoring as a right-back in a win over Chelsea. Instead, Mitrovic gets in line after a 10-shot scoreless performance in a scoreless draw with Everton. A major reason to rely on Mitrovic even after a frustrating effort is that he had scored in three-straight matches and has scored four goals in three matches against Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. As the goals against the London clubs came away from home, Mitrovic has shown more than enough determination not to be phased by the opposition. Teammates Willian ($15) and Andreas Pereira ($14) offer solid price points and can put up decent numbers should they get enough possession, but that will be more difficult against Man City, while Mitrovic doesn't always need a lot of touches to find the net.
Rodri, MCI vs. FUL ($12): While Rodri's role as a holding midfielder tends not to yield guaranteed production, the Spaniard leads the league in passes completed and should get plenty of time on the ball against the Cottagers. He's also taken five shots, created three chances and logged 11 tackles over his last three league matches, so there's room for involvement no matter the opponent. That being said, picking Rodri isn't a glamour option, so there's plenty of room for flexibility. That's where the aforementioned Daniel James comes in or Harry Wilson ($9) who's also an option to replace the injured Kebano. A quiet target could come from Cole Palmer ($11), who will hope for a bigger role after starting against Sevilla on Wednesday, but there's some risk as he has no guarantee of making the lineup.
DEFENDERS
Wout Faes, LEI at EVE ($12): Another player in a growing center-back pipeline for the Foxes is Faes, who has conceded just one goal in his last four matches and kept four shutouts in his last six games dating back to the beginning of October. That's an impressive run to maintain against teams like Manchester City and Crystal Palace, which are certainly full of top-class attackers to get past Faes. When hosting a Bournemouth side that's scored 12 goals and ranks tied for last in shots on target, Faes has another favorable matchup ahead of him. Others in ideal circumstances include Solomon March ($12) and Joel Veltman ($10), which both face the league's worst attack in Wolves, who have scored just six times in 13 matches.
Hugo Bueno, WOL vs. BHA ($10): Fresh off three consecutive starts, Bueno fits in nicely to the lineup despite a potentially poor defensive matchup. When in the lineup, Bueno has recorded one assist on four chances created from 14 crosses, a fair set of totals despite the fact that he's winless in that time. So long as Bueno keeps his place as a starter over Rayan Ait-Nouri, he's shown enough form to maintain his production. It's also worth looking out for teammate Max Kilman ($9), who's had to get busy defensively of late and Kenny Tete ($12), who would require further adjustments elsewhere in the lineup but might be back in the lineup after returning from injury.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya, BRE at NFO ($10): Like backing the defenders from Brighton for the clean-sheet bonus, Raya meets the second-worst offense in his matchup against Nottingham Forest. The risk here is that Raya has kept two clean sheets in his last three home matches while conceding nine goals over his last two away games against Newcastle and Aston Villa. If you're able to trust Raya, as he's also made 22 saves in the last four games, then he can make for a solid pick so long as he bucks his current poor away form. Otherwise, Jose Sa ($9) benefits from playing at home against Brighton, while counterpart Robert Sanchez ($11) is coming off a seven-save effort in the 4-1 win over Chelsea.
