This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 9:30 am: 1. FC Köln vs. Union Berlin
- 9:30 am: Fortuna Düsseldorf vs. Borussia Dortmund
- 9:30 am: Hertha BSC Berlin vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- 9:30 am: SC Paderborn vs. Werder Bremen
- 9:30 am: VfL Wolfsburg vs. SC Freiburg
- 12:30 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Mönchengladbach
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Serge Gnabry, MUN v. MGL ($21): There is a viable build in which you can stack both Bayern and Dortmund together, or just one of them. Gnabry, who was held out of Wednesday's DFB-Pokal semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt with a bruised back, is four dollars more expensive than any of Bayern's other expected starters, which doesn't make much sense. However, since a lot of his teammates come at discounts, there's no reason not to get him in the squad because his upside is unmatched. He finally found the back of the net last match and has made the score-sheet multiple times in eight of 28 starts this season in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Given the suspensions of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, there's a chance Joshua Zirkzee ($14) is more popular because of price. If Zirkzee starts, it'll be hard not to use him since he scored and had three shots on target in two prior starts when Lewandowski was injured. More surprisingly, Ivan Perisic ($12) is even cheaper and may start for Muller. While he only went 64 minutes last start, he had five shots, including three on target, and he scored Wednesday. Joshua Kimmich ($17) is the best floor play and has made the score-sheet in four of his last five starts, but these other guys have more upside. That includes Kingsley Coman ($15), who also scored last match. There seems to be a big mistake in terms of pricing and it only makes sense to back Bayern as the biggest favorite on the slate.
Jadon Sancho, DOR at DUS ($22): The only reason not to go full Bayern is that Dortmund aren't far behind in terms of win odds and implied goal total. Erling Haaland ($20) has the best odds to score, but he's missed the last two matches and doesn't have a floor. I'd rather turn to Sancho, who has gone a full 90 each of the last two, producing a hat trick in one and four shots on goal and eight chances created in all. His role on set pieces boosts his floor to around 10 fantasy points, and that's better than Haaland, who could end with 60 minutes and no shots on goal. You could stack the two with a couple Bayern guys or throw in anyone from Dortmund. While they don't have much of a floor, a matchup against Dusseldorf could lead to four or five goals, meaning Thorgan Hazard ($18), Raphael Guerreiro ($16) and even Emre Can ($9) are viable. Dortmund's lack of solid floors is the main reason I'd focus on Bayern in cash games. Even if you prefer Dortmund, it'll be hard to pass on Perisic or Zirkzee given their prices for attacking players.
Mark Uth, KLN v. UB ($14): There aren't many reasons to use players not on Bayern or Dortmund, but Uth's price dropped five bucks from Sunday, which is a questionable move in a better matchup. Uth hasn't done much in his last two starts, but he's playing Union Berlin, who are battling relegation and have given up 11 goals in their last three away matches. The hope is that Uth is closer to health Saturday because his role on set pieces has led to one of the higher floors in the league. He's scored at least 15 fantasy points in nine of his last 11 starts, and as long as he's healthier than last match, he should be near that number with plenty of upside in a favorable fixture. If you want to take it one step further with Koln, Jhon Cordoba ($18) is the stacking piece, but he's a classic forward who doesn't have much of a floor.
Vedad Ibisevic, HB v. FRAN ($15): Similar to Uth, Ibisevic is down in price because of recent results. He has 15.2 fantasy points in his last three starts, but two of those came against Leipzig and Dortmund. With Matheus Cunha possibly out again and Javairo Dilrosun definitely out, Ibisevic is the guy who has to score for Hertha. Eintracht Frankfurt allowed two goals to Mainz following a midweek match, and they played Bayern on Wednesday. Whether they mix up their lineup or have tired legs, that's going to benefit Hertha. As for Ibisevic, he had two goals on four shots and one assist on five chances created in the first two matches following the shutdown. This is a perfect spot for him to return to the score-sheet and be a viable candidate if you decide to fade Zirkzee, who is one dollar cheaper. There are six matches on this slate, but it'll be hard to go against the top two teams. Guys like Andre Silva ($19) and Wout Weghorst ($17) could be viable on a regular slate, but neither have a good floor or are in overly favorable matchups.
DEFENDERS
Ludwig Augustinsson, WER at PAD ($7): There's a chance Augustinsson doesn't start again, but he's healthy and there's no reason why he won't. He went a full 90 last match, doing a bit of everything as a wing-back. Aided by set pieces, he had two shots, nine crosses, six tackles, two interceptions and two clearances. Now against the worst team in the league in Paderborn, he could have another floor above 15 fantasy points with plenty of upside because of corners. As one of the cheapest expected starting defenders, he should be in the majority of squads, but similar to Daniel Brosinski last week, he'll likely be under-owned. In comparison, Theodor Gebre Selassie plays the same position on the other side of the field for Bremen but doesn't take set pieces and is five dollars more expensive.
Christopher Trimmel, UB at KLN ($14): If you decide to go Perisic and Zirkzee or someone like Can, you will have money to spend at defender. While a lot of the top guys rely on goals or assists, Trimmel can reach a floor of 10 fantasy points simply from crosses, so when he adds in extra defensive stats, he can hit 20 points. Compared to most other defenders, he may be the only one with a guaranteed 10 points from attacking stats, especially after sending in 19 crosses last weekend. Alphonso Davies ($16) and Benjamin Pavard ($14) are always possibilities because of how much they get forward, but when they don't make the score-sheet, they usually sit in the 10-point range. If you want another cheap option, Nico Elvedi ($7) should boost his floor against Bayern, who force the most defensive stats in the league. He hasn't done much of late, but he had 14.3 fantasy points in the first meeting.
GOALKEEPER
Leopold Zingerle, PAD v. WER ($8): If you don't have the extra money for Manuel Neuer ($15) or Roman Burki ($13), there are a few ways to go at nice discounts. Zingerle probably isn't going to win, but he's secured positive points in four of his last five starts and is coming off a solid performance against Leipzig. Also, this is a battle for relegation and neither team wants to lose, similar to what happened between Paderborn and Dusseldorf a few weeks ago (it finished scoreless). Even better, Werder Bremen have two goals in their last five matches. Jiri Pavlenka ($11) is a better way to go on the other side of the field, while Timo Horn ($10) and Kevin Trapp ($8) are also viable. At this point, go with whoever is making the most saves and if you can get 10 points before a win or clean sheet, you're golden.
