This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
The Premier League returns this weekend, which means fantasy owners have another opportunity to enter Mondogoal's Perfect Million contest or a number of other guaranteed prize contests, including some to win tickets to their £50,000 Championship.
Week 27's contest includes only the players involved across Saturday's six matches, making matters a bit more difficult when building a roster.
While first-place Leicester City's players are part of that pool, those on Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton are all excluded. Besides those fantasy-stocked sides, Newcastle and Swansea City players are also unavailable for selection.
With so many of the usual key contributors out of the picture this weekend, owners will need to be more creative in assembling their squads. Adhering to Mondogoal's £100 budget, here's a potential team to maximize points from Saturday's player pool.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
Jack Butland, 
v. 
(£6.8M): Over the span of the last month, Stoke's defense has gone missing too often, with the Potters conceding three goals in three of their past four league matches. Even worse, Butland has actually produced a negative point return in each of those occasions. Despite those staggering struggles, Butland is still the second highest-scoring goalkeeper heading into Saturday, when he has a great rebound opportunity at home against last-place Aston Villa. The Villains' attack has scored four fewer goals than any other team this season, and now that Butland's price tag has been slightly slashed, his considerable buy-low potential outweighs his poor recent form.
Defenders:
Aaron Cresswell, 
v. 
(£7.9M): Sporting the eighth-best tally among defenders on the slate, Cresswell boasts three clean sheets over his past six home Premiership outings, a span in which West Ham is undefeated. This weekend, the Hammers will aim to continue their strong home form against Sunderland, the league's second-worst outfit. Along with failing to score when they traveled to West Ham last season, the Black Cats have been blanked on four of their past six trips to Upton Park. Ahead of their latest encounter, West Ham is fresh off a confidence-boosting 5-1 FA Cup victory, and Cresswell's three assists on the season make him an offensive threat as well.
Robert Huth, 
v. 
(£7.5M): Although Leicester's attack propelled it through the first half of this season, the Foxes' defense has emerged since Boxing Day to give Claudio Ranieri's side the needed balance for a title quest. With Huth anchoring that much-improved unit, Leicester has clinched five clean sheets and conceded merely four goals over the past eight Premiership matchdays. The imposing German also scored twice against Manchester City recently, bringing his average up to 5.34 fantasy points per match ahead of Saturday's visit from Norwich City. The Canaries' record of merely one goal scored from their past four away dates certainly makes Huth a candidate to string together another clean sheet this weekend.
Allan Nyom, 
v. 
(£6.8M): Compared to Huth, Nyom actually started the season well, compiling all eight of his clean sheets through Watford's first 17 showings. Although the Hornets have pitched just one scoreless outing as a team since then, only four sides have conceded fewer goals on the whole of the season. Additionally, Nyom and company are allowing less than one goal per game at home, giving him a good chance of breaking his clean sheet drought versus Bournemouth on Saturday. Checking in at just £6.8M, Nyom is a budget-friendly option that has also been credited with at least 24 more tackles won than any of his teammates.
Midfielders:
Dimitri Payet, v. (£13.0M): Payet has made nine starts across all competitions since returning from an ankle injury, and he has hit the ground running in those appearances, scoring four goals and handing out three assists. That includes a superb two-goal performance that earned him 30.15 fantasy points from FA Cup play over the weekend. This Saturday, the flying Frenchman is poised to play Sunderland, an opponent he scored against earlier this season. Moreover, still no team has surrendered more goals than Sunderland, making paying Payet's second-highest midfielder salary well worth the investment in Week 27.
Riyad Mahrez, v. (£12.2M): The only midfielder averaging more points per game (12.01) than Payet this season, Mahrez actually comes in cheaper than his fellow French import this weekend. The Algeria international was subbed off early in Leicester's loss at Arsenal last round, but wreaked havoc in the three matches prior, averaging 13.5 points per game against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Stoke City. With at least five more goals than any other Premiership player at his position, Mahrez is a must-own commodity this weekend versus Norwich City, which has leaked a league-high 18 goals over its past six matchdays.
Wahbi Khazri, at (£8.2M): Yet another midfielder to arrive in England after turning heads in France, Khazri has done the same in his first couple appearances across the channel. A shrewd January signing by Sunderland, Khazri has one goal and one assist in the Premier League thus far, including a dominating 15.40-fantasy-point display as the Black Cats won at Old Trafford last time out. Bordeaux's team-leader in goals (five) and assists (seven) prior to his departure, Khazri's dynamic ability could bring his Mondogoal cost of £8.2M up as the second half of the season unfolds, so Saturday's game at West Ham is an opportunity to ride his form while he's still very affordable.
Giannelli Imbula, v. (£6.8M): A Marseille man last year, Imbula too joined the Premier League in January, but that move came after an unsuccessful half-season spell at Porto. Arriving frustrated from that stint, Imbula has reminded onlookers of his quality in his initial appearances in England. Despite Stoke conceding three goals in his debut, Imbula still scored 6.00 fantasy points versus Everton, and followed that outing with a one-goal, 10.35-point showing at Bournemouth last round. Gifted with a rangy physique, Imbula's box-to-box work should help fantasy owners in defensive categories, and this weekend's matchup with last-place Aston Villa provides further incentive to pay his paltry £6.8M salary.
Forwards:
Diego Costa, 
at 
(£10.4M): Reinvigorated from Chelsea's managerial change, Costa has appeared increasingly dangerous in recent weeks. By scoring in three of Chelsea's past four games across all competitions, he has exceeded double-digit fantasy points in every game over that span. In fact, since Christmas, Costa has seven goals in his eight Premier League outings leading into Saturday's visit to Southampton. For as hot as Costa has been, Southampton's Fraser Forster is amazingly yet to concede in six games since returning from injury. However, given Chelsea's five goals in back-to-back games against English opposition, Costa is the man to mark down in this weekend's matchup.
Jamie Vardy, v. (£10.3M): While Costa's goal tally has only just reached double-figures, Vardy will be working on bringing his total to 20 this weekend versus Norwich City. Following a six-match drought, the ascending Englishman has scored four goals in Leicester's last four games, giving him 19 for the season. With Vardy leading the league, Leicester is tied for tops in goals this term, while their opponents this weekend are tied for the worst defensive record. Given that stark contrast, and the fact that Vardy scored against Norwich earlier this season, he's definitely someone to start Saturday.
Odion Ighalo, v. (£10.0M): With 15 goals of his own, Ighalo has been a similar surprise standout this season. That being said, the Nigerian has seemingly hit an impasse lately, as he's managed just one goal from Watford's last seven Premiership contests. Still, Ighalo's average of 9.62 fantasy points per game trails only Vardy among Saturday's forwards, and his matchup with Bournemouth appears encouraging. Ighalo scored versus the Cherries previously this season, and four of his past five goals have come at home. That's where he'll hope to bounce back against a Bournemouth defense that's conceded the fifth-most goals this season.
