This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Saturday brings a small three-game Premier League slate after last week's monster seven gamer. There is one massive favorite in Arsenal where ownership will likely condense and then two other games that are closely lined. Even in tournaments, it'll be hard to stray from Arsenal. You can look at it two ways when building tournament teams, either go heavy on Arsenal in hopes they smash or pick out one or two players and hope Arsenal underperform expectations.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Burnley
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Sheffield United
- 12:30 pm: Wolverhampton vs. Newcastle United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Bukayo Saka, ARS vs. SHU ($24): Saka has the safest floor of any Arsenal piece and even though he's expensive, I think you have to find a way to play him in optimal builds. He will be on a split of sets with Martin Odegaard ($22) who is more of a GPP play to me. Even with Odegaard's role on sets, his floor generally sits lower than Saka's over his last few appearances. Callum Wilson ($21) is another high priced option, as he actually has the best goalscoring odds on the slate in a matchup with Wolves. He is goal dependent and Newcastle are smaller favorites than Arsenal, which makes Wilson a GPP target only.
If you're looking to pivot off Arsenal in tournaments in hopes they underperform, Newcastle are the first team I would look at. I have already mentioned their most likely goalscorer in Wilson, but I prefer Anthony Gordon ($20) as their best non-defender play. Miguel Almiron ($15) and Joelinton ($14) also make some appeal if you are stacking them or mixing and matching for goals.
Kai Havertz, ARS vs. SHU ($15): Havertz hasn't been a comfortable click all season with his new team, but on a small slate where value is needed, his price tag is worth noting. Teammates Eddie Nketiah ($18) and Leandro Trossard ($18) are both options, as well, but I lean towards the cheaper option in Havertz to allow you to play someone like Saka. Marcus Tavernier ($15) is another option in this price range as Bournemouth takes on Burnley. Joe Rothwell ($8) could return to the starting XI after three matches on the bench, which would lead to a split of set pieces. Rothwell would have some appeal as a pure punt if he starts because of what he allows you to do with the rest of your lineup.
Josh Brownhill, BUR vs. BOU ($14): The pricing of the other two games is what allows you to get to top priced Arsenal pieces and even though Burnley are slight underdogs, I think it's fairly an even game in terms of possession. Brownhill has been taking most of their sets when he starts and has shown a solid floor, though he was dropped to the bench for a 3-0 loss to Brentford last time out.
DEFENDERS
Kieran Trippier, NEW vs. WOL ($16): It won't be easy to fit both Trippier and Saka on this slate, but in optimal building, I think you find a way to do so. No other defender has the offensive floor or upside of Trippier on this slate. He has a monopoly of set pieces for Newcastle and has created seven assists in his last six matches. Ben White ($13) is a pivot option, albeit a less attacking one, if you are fully stacking Arsenal in tournaments.
Auston Trusty, SHU at ARS ($10): The defensive spot to target on this slate is clearly Sheffield United as they travel to Arsenal. Trusty showed his defensive volume upside against Fulham a few weeks ago when he had 13 clearances and more than 30 FanDuel points. Jack Robinson ($10) is a similar play while the Wolves duo of Craig Dawson ($13) and Max Kilman ($12) always seems to be busy defensively.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya, ARS vs. SHU ($13): It's hard not to write up Raya as FanDuel always prices the goalkeepers pretty evenly. Nick Pope ($12) has significantly worse clean sheet odds away against Wolves, but he's only one dollar cheaper. If you need a cheaper option, I like Jose Sa ($8) at home against Newcastle where he should have solid save upside. The goalies in the Bournemouth-Burnley match kind of end up in no man's land, but if you have a strong take on this match or want to correlate them with a defender for clean sheet purposes, they offer a slight discount.
