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 (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Arsenal v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Brighton v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: Everton v. Tottenham
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Chelsea
10:00 a.m: Southampton v. Watford
12:30 p.m: Stoke City v. Manchester United
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Jack Butland, STK v. MUN ($5,500) or Asmir Begovic, BOU at ARS ($5,000): For similar reasons, these two keepers will likely face the most shots this weekend. They are on the two biggest underdogs against teams that have shown they are willing to shoot from anywhere on the pitch. Picking between the two for potential saves might lead to Begovic, but goalkeepers against Man United are never a bad option.
DEFENDER
Jose Holebas, WAT at SOU, ($6,500): Holebas will be away from home, but he has looked really good this season and is the main playmaker for Watford. Scoring 34 fantasy points against Liverpool and 27 against Bournemouth on the road sets up a decent floor against Southampton.
Kurt Zouma, STK v. MUN ($5,500): Man United cross the second-most among teams on the slate and will likely have the advantage for most of the match. In comes Jose Mourinho's old friend Kurt "The Smile" Zouma who was a solid centerback and defensive midfield for Jose in his recent title winning season at Chelsea. With Ryan Shawcross out, it should be Zouma who takes charge of the Stoke back line.
Other options include: Harry Maguire, Steve Cook and Kevin Wimmer.
MIDFIELDER
This week we have 10 midfielders priced at least $9,000. All have merits worth talking about but there are a few who stand out due to match up and/or price. Henrikh Mkhitaryan ($11,000) is the most expensive but has been the most consistent performer. He's gotten lots of points from assists, and he creates over four chances per match. Christian Eriksen ($10,000) had a great international break, and maybe he can carry the form into the Premier League and jump start his season against a weaker Everton. Eden Hazard ($9,000) returns this week from injury after playing two matches for Belgium, and while he is unlikely to go 90 minutes, the $9K price is low enough for some interest.
Darren Fletcher, STK v. MUN ($4,500): If you are stacking a lot of the top-tier teams, you will need to save somewhere. Fletcher and Stoke will likely be under pressure for much of the match and this should give him opportunity to generate defensive stats. He has posted three matches over 15 fantasy points with a high of 20.75 (against Arsenal) this year.
Cheaper options include: Wilfried Ndidi, Idrissa Gueye and James Ward-Prowse.
FORWARD
Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. BOU ($10,500): 'Do you trust Arsenal and Alexis' is the question you must ask yourself this week. The biggest favorites on the slate and with the highest expected team goal total, Arsenal are a mess this season. Alexis was over $12K at times last year and is a slight discount to other forwards despite essentially the best goal-scoring odds on the slate. While not everyone will start, Arsenal hold five of the top seven in goal-scoring odds, and stacking two could be a different way to go if you are willing to fade the other big names. On the other side, Arsenal have given up the second-most goals this year; whomever starts up top for Bournemouth (Jermain Defoe or Josh King) would be a decent cheap options.
Marcus Rashford, MUN at STK ($8,500): Rashford has looked much improved this year for club and country. Taking on more of the playmaking and attacking role compared to last season, he has posted two straight matches with at least 21 points and looks to be one of the more consistent players on FanDuel. The issue with playing Man United this slate is rotation and playing the late match; if you play Rashford, leave some space for Anthony Martial ($9,500) in case you need to swap.
Other options include: Jay Rodriguez, Manolo Gabbiadini and Jamie Vardy.
