This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
The Premier League returns Saturday and it's a slate with Manchester City as a big favorite followed by Arsenal who are also in a strong spot. Most of my interest will start there for single entries and cash games, but you also have pivots with teams such as West Ham United as just as big of a favorite as Arsenal.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Everton vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Leeds United vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Leicester City vs. Arsenal
- 10:00 am: West Ham United vs. Nottingham Forest
- 12:30 pm: AFC Bournemouth vs. Manchester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at BOU ($20): Once again, the slate starts with the decision on Manchester City. Erling Haaland ($24) is expensive and you likely need two goals for him to pay off the tag. I'm not saying it can't happen, but I am willing to take the risk in cash games of getting the extra salary by dropping to De Bruyne. He is as steady as they come and can pop off for big games from time to time when he is involved in the goals. Other options on Man City include Phil Foden ($18), who is GPP only for me as he won't have the massive role he has when De Bruyne isn't playing. Jack Grealish ($18) has been solid, but he is only a GPP pivot at this high of a tag.
Said Benrahma, WHU vs. NFO ($13): Even though West Ham are equal favorites to Arsenal, FanDuel didn't want to price their guys up. Benrahma has the second-best goalscoring odds on the team behind Danny Ings and is at a cheap price. The other top options in Jarrod Bowen ($17) and Ings ($16) are also affordable and I like them as a two- or three-man stack to be different in GPPs. I don't think their rostership will be high and you still get exposure to a strong matchup and can fit some of the Man City pieces.
Other value options include Crysencio Summerville ($15) who has very strong goalscoring odds for Leeds in a matchup with Southampton. Teammate Patrick Bamford ($16), who is also at a fair price, makes sense as well if you are looking to get off of some chalk teams on this slate. Lastly, Neal Maupay ($14) is the most likely goalscorer for Everton at home against Aston Villa.
Bukayo Saka, ARS at LEI ($21): Saka is in strong form and I actually prefer him over Haaland if paying over $20 for someone. He has a much better floor and can flash big upside, as well. You can play him alone or pair him with another Arsenal attacker such as Gabriel Martinelli ($19), Martin Odegaard ($20) or Eddie Nketiah ($18). Arsenal don't have the type of clean sheet odds you would think, so if I was to pick a game that could get into a back-and-forth affair it may be this one. Playing a goalscorer such as Kelechi Iheanacho ($14) or Tete ($13) on the Leicester side, then running it back with a couple Arsenal attackers listed above makes sense in tournaments.
DEFENDERS
Marcos Senesi, BOU vs. MCI ($11): As regular readers of this article may know, a strategy I like to employ is targeting underdog center-backs. They are in a position to accumulate defensive stats, which are important on FanDuel. Senesi gets a match up with Manchester city and Bournemouth should have lots of work to deal with the pressure. You could also look to Joe Worrall ($10) or Wout Faes ($10), who are in similar spots.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, ARS at LEI ($10): Zinchenko gives us a cheap attachment to Arsenal and in this match, I think he has a strong floor in a potential upside spot. Vladimir Coufal ($10) is also a strong play in a similar spot to Zinchenko. The Aston Villa full-backs round out my interests with Alex Moreno ($11) and Matty Cash ($9) being very affordable. Overall, defender is a pretty weak position on the slate, so I like the idea of playing two cheaper options.
GOALKEEPER
Lukasz Fabianski, WHU vs. NFO ($12): West Ham are an equal favorite to Arsenal and they actually have better clean-sheet odds. This makes Fabianski a priority over Aaron Ramsdale ($12) at the same price. Manchester City have the best clean sheet odds on the slate, but I don't trust their defense, even in a great match up with Bournemouth. Illan Meslier ($11) and Leeds even have better clean sheet odds than Arsenal. I would rank him behind Fabiabski in terms of priority plays. If you want to dumpster dive and take a shot on save upside you could play Neto ($6) or Danny Ward ($7) at home and hope they stand on their head.
