This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Week two of the Premier League is here and it's normally a week I like to try to be ahead of some trends that will develop early in the season. There may be some overreaction from what happened opening weekend and you'll have to dig a bit deeper to make sure you aren't being deceived by a one-week sample.
In case you missed it, FanDuel updated their scoring slightly this year adding points for crossing which gives players a bit more of a floor if they are volume crossers or set-piece takers, but the scoring overall still favors goalscorers.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Liverpool vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 12:30 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United
- 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. Newcastle United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes, MUN at TOT ($19): There will be a lot of talk about Liverpool and Manchester City pieces such as Mohamed Salah ($23) and Erling Haaland ($25), and while they are certainly in play, I think there are a lot of options in the high teens of pricing that have me more intrigued. Fernandes ended up having a share of sets with Mason Mount ($15) and Luke Shaw ($12) for Man United last match and was active as usual in open play. The new scoring will help him on FanDuel which makes him a top overall play in my favorite game of the slate. I like both sides a lot and see Mount and Alejandro Garnacho ($15) as solid mid-range values. Marcus Rashford ($19) would be a stacking or pivot option to Bruno.
Man United underwhelmed last week, but I think they bounce back with a strong offensive performance against Spurs. That doesn't mean they don't give up goals, though, as Tottenham played an open match with Brentford in their opener and I can see that happening again. James Maddison ($20) took all sets for Spurs last match and is a solid option along with Richarlison ($17), who I expect to have a strong season, and Son Heung-Min ($18).
Dominik Szoboszlai, LIV vs. BOU ($16): Szoboszlai had a strong start to his time with Liverpool last week while splitting sets with Trent Alexander-Arnold ($14) and Andrew Robertson ($14). I think Szoboszlai has upside for goals, as well, which makes me like him quite a bit at this price in a matchup with Bournemouth as the biggest favorite on the slate. You can throw in any of the more likely goalscorers for Liverpool in Luis Diaz ($21), Diogo Jota ($20) or Cody Gakpo ($19) for large-field GPPs, but I like the safety of the floor a little more in single-entry contests or cash games.
David Brooks, BOU at LIV ($14): Brooks and teammate Joe Rothwell ($11) split sets for Bournemouth last week and I expect them to score at least once against a Liverpool team who hasn't completely fixed their midfield defensively. These are very cheap tags for their roles and could easily be paid off if they get involved in a goal.
Brighton are a pivot team for GPP contests going up against Wolves. After watching their opener, I expect Wolves to give up more goals than they usually do each season if they play that aggressively. Evan Ferguson ($18) scored late off the bench last week and is their most likely goalscorer. Pascal Gross ($20) is expensive but has a strong share of set pieces.
DEFENDERS
Pervis Estupinan, BHA at WOL ($15): The top of defender is strong this slate with Trent Alexander-Arnold ($14), Andrew Robertson ($14) and Kieran Trippier ($14), all who have shares of set pieces. I am going to get slightly different with my top play and go with Estupinan who showed a lot in open play last match and I expect Brighton to be on the front foot against Wolves. Trippier goes against Man City and I think the matchup will bring down his floor just a bit. The other two full-backs for Liverpool get a great matchup, but I wonder how much having Szoboszlai in the mix will change their DFS floors.
Marcos Senesi, BOU at LIV ($10): In a game that I think will be fairly open, I'm going with my underdog center-back strategy with Senesi and teammate Illia Zabarnyi ($9), who should have lots of defensive work against Liverpool. Sven Botman ($13) and Fabian Schar ($11) will also get more work than usual against Man City. Lastly, we saw Craig Dawson ($10) and Max Kilman ($12) excel against Man United and they are in a similar spot for defensive stats against Brighton.
GOALKEEPERS
Jason Steele, BHA at WOL ($11): Goalkeeper is tough and I prefer to spend down a bit as I think Alisson and Liverpool concede, and see Man United against Tottenham being high scoring. That leaves Steele and Ederson ($12), and I have to lean towards Steele in a better matchup. I can see the Man City-Newcastle matchup being low scoring and ending 1-1 which may not get either keeper there. Steele and Brighton face Wolves who looked better in attack in their opener, but I need to see more before I think they are a scary offense. Cheaper options include the combo from Brentford and Fulham in Bernd Leno ($10) and Mark Flekken ($10) who have the best clean-sheet odds behind Liverpool, Man City and Brighton.
