This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Hull City
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. Middlesbrough
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Crystal Palace
12:30 p.m: Liverpool v. Arsenal
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Petr Cech, ARS at LIV ($6,600): Cech should be busier than usual against a Liverpool side that has forced 4.3 saves per match over the past six, the second-most in the Premier League and most among the teams on the slate. Additionally, Liverpool have only scored multiple goals in two of their last six.
Heurelho Gomes, WAT v. SOU ($6,600): For this slate, Southampton have forced the second-most saves over the past six matches despite playing only five times. Watford have only one clean sheet in the past six matches and none in the last five, but FanDuel scoring allows goalkeepers to easily make up for one and even two goals allowed, as we saw by Gomes' 26 fantasy points against Manchester United despite losing 2-0.
DEFENDER
Shkodran Mustafi, ARS at LIV ($6,100): Over the last six matches, Liverpool have allowed the most blocked shots, fifth-most tackles, and most clearances. Mustafi is not usually a good FanDuel play because Arsenal tend to hold the ball, but against a side that can match (if not beat) them in the midfield, Mustafi could be called into work more often. He also seems likely to be more active than teammate Laurent Koscielny ($6,500) because he's battling a knock.
Cedric Soares, SOU at WAT ($6,100): Averaging 23 fantasy points per match over his last five with only one assist, Cedric is one of the most consistent options in what looks to be a difficult slate for defenders. Over his past five matches, he has created roughly 2.5 chances per game and Southampton are favored on the road against a middling Watford squad that plays through the wings, which should provide some defensive stats as well.
Christian Fuchs, LEI v HUL ($5,800): Devoid of any big favorites on this slate, we come upon Fuchs, who is one of the few defenders this week who is able to create chances. Fullbacks don't have great floors on FanDuel, but if Hull play with wing-backs, he should be able to skip behind them.
MIDFIELDER
Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA v. BUR ($9,900): Sigurdsson will likely be the highest owned player on the slate and for good reason: over his past 10 matches against non-top six teams, he is averaging just under 32 fantasy points per start. He remains the main playmaker for Swansea and should have no problem accruing points against a Burnley team that is considerably worse away from home.
Emre Can, LIV v. ARS ($7,000): There are no consistent game logs to support Can, but he will likely replace the injured Jordan Henderson in central midfield. Can should have opportunities to rack up defensive stats, as Arsenal allowed the most blocked shots and an above-average number of tackles over the past six matches. Arsenal have also given up the sixth-most goals and fourth-most shots on goal over that span.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at WAT ($6,400): If Dusan Tadic doesn't start, Ward-Prowse could be in for a solid day against a Watford team that gives up the fourth-most shots on goal and an above-average number of chances created. The Southampton attack has been revitalized with the addition of Manolo Gabbiandini, and JWP should benefit from a consistent threat up top.
FORWARD
Manolo Gabbiandini, SOU at WAT ($8,300): The hottest forward on the slate and arguably the league, Gabbiadini has scored three goals in his first two league matches and twice against Manchester United in the League Cup. Watford away isn't the easiest matchup, but Southampton are still projected to win.
Fernando Llorente, SWA v. BUR ($8,000): The Arsenal and Liverpool forwards are in play for tournaments, but it's probably better to fade that game due to their price/point outlook. This leads us to several goal-dependent forwards, the first being Llorente. Up against a Burnely squad that has given up the sixth-most away goals and an above-average number of shots on goals this season. Llorente has the fourth-highest goal-scoring odds among likely starters.
Islam Slimani, LEI v. HUL ($7,400):Jamie Vardy and Slimani have the same goal-scoring odds, which are also the highest for the slate. Vardy has shown that he is really only a counter-attacking goal scorer, evident by the fact that he's scored six of his seven goals against Manchester City and Liverpool. Slimani is the more likely to score in possession, which Leicester should be able to have against Hull, who have given up the third-most shots on goal and an average number of chances created over the past six games.
