This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Fresh off a complete mid-week slate, the Premier League has another full installment set to kick off this weekend.
With Gameweek 22 lasting through Monday, Mondogoal has a plethora of contests that allow fantasy owners to keep up with the action.
Using their $100M budget and player salaries, here's the Best XI lineup built for the upcoming round:
Goalkeeper:
Kasper Schmeichel (£6.1M)
The son of a legend at his position, Schmeichel has certainly represented his family name well in recent weeks, as Leicester have countered their scoring drought by conceding merely one goal over their past four games. In doing so, Schmeichel has outperformed his paltry £6.1M Mondogoal price tag, averaging 9.8 points across the stretch. On Saturday, Schmeichel has an excellent opportunity to continue his recent success, as Leicester take on last-place Aston Villa, the league's lowest-scoring team.
Defenders:
Aaron Cresswell (£8.5M)
Part of the only defensive unit that's surrendered fewer goals than Leicester over the past six matches, Cresswell boasts a goal and four clean sheets from his last six league appearances. That's helped the Englishman compile 125.45 points on Mondogoal so far, giving him the 11th-highest total among defenders set to play Saturday. For their next act, Cresswell and West Ham will square off with a Newcastle attack tied for third-worst. Along with having blanked the Magpies earlier this season, Cresswell scored in a clean sheet effort against them last term.
Eric Dier (£8.4M)
One of four Tottenham players ranked among Mondogoal's top five defenders entering Saturday contests, Dier has actually enjoyed playing at the base of Spurs' midfield this season. From that more advanced position, Dier has scored three goals already, tying him for the most among fantasy-designated defenders. To his credit, the youngster also sports 47 pass interceptions, 35 tackles won and six clean sheets, including one earlier this season against Sunderland, who Tottenham's league-best defense will be tasked with stopping this weekend.
Virgil van Dijk (£6.2M):
Among defenders slated to play Saturday that have made at least 15 appearances, van Dijk's 6.59 points per game rank ninth-best on Mondogoal. However, his £6.2M salary is at least £1.7M cheaper than any of those placed above him in that grouping. That remarkable value, as well as Southampton's home matchup versus West Brom, makes van Dijk an especially intriguing fantasy option this weekend. Only team has managed to score fewer road goals than West Brom this term, putting van Dijk in fine position for a second straight clean sheet.
Midfielders:
Riyad Mahrez (£12.7M)
In the midst of a four-match scoreless streak, the longest of his fantastic season thus far, Mahrez's recent opponents perhaps explain his dry spell more than anything else. Three of those games came against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham, so Saturday's encounter with last-place Aston Villa should definitely be an occasion welcomed by Mahrez, who still leads all players with 255.56 fantasy points on Mondogoal. Only fellow relegation zone outfits Newcastle and Sunderland have conceded more goals than Villa to date, and Mahrez supplied a pair of assists last time he came against the Villains, further justifying hopes for a bounce-back performance Saturday.
Dimitri Payet (£11.6M)
How good of a signing was Payet this summer? Well, since he joined West Ham for just over £10 million, the Hammers' offense has averaged exactly two goals per Premiership game he's played. In comparison, while Payet was recently sidelined for seven matches, West Ham totaled only five goals, and won just once. In his first start since that extended injury absence, Payet netted a sensational free kick Tuesday at Bournemouth, and also dished out a similarly impressive assist. Overall, Mondogoal has credited Payet with six goals and four assists in 14 games played, giving him a 10.27-point-per-game average that places fifth among all midfielders. Considering he scored twice against Saturday's opponent, Newcastle, earlier this season, Payet should make a stellar signing for fantasy owners as well this weekend.
Dele Alli (£9.0M)
Although Tottenham was surprisingly blanked at home versus Leicester City this week, Alli has still been awesome over the past month or so, as his three goals and two assists from Spurs' last seven matches suggest. On the whole, the 19-year-old ranks eighth in Mondogoal points per game among midfielders scheduled to play Saturday, when his matchup with Sunderland appears favorable. The Black Cats have leaked three more goals than any other Premier League setup this term, so it would be somewhat shocking if Alli and company are held in check at White Hart Lane yet again.
Dusan Tadic (£5.9M)
Admittedly, Tadic's matchup against West Brom's top-five road defense isn't great, but his price of just £5.9M is too good to pass up when building a roster. A top-20 midfielder with 6.68 points per game heading into Saturday, Tadic's salary is significantly cheaper than the vast majority of his superiors, and the Serbian also found the back of the net earlier this week versus Watford. That marked Tadic's fifth goal of the campaign, four of which have come at home. Meanwhile, three of Tadic's four assists have come at St. Mary's Stadium, where Saturday's meeting with West Brom just might make him a bargain buy.
Forwards:
Harry Kane (£12.5M)
As previously mentioned, Tottenham are coming off a scoreless outing in advance of Saturday's visit from Sunderland, the Premiership's worst defense. That gives Kane's crew a prime chance to rebound in a big way, and the Englishman's 11 goals through 21 games exhibit his potential to score regardless. Even though the Black Cats pulled off an unlikely win at Swansea City this week, their defense still shipped two goals, building their tally to 15 goals conceded in their last five road games across all competitions. As one of Mondogoal's best strikers, Kane is arguably the top prospect at his position in Gameweek 22.
Olivier Giroud (£11.2M)
With a brace at Anfield on Wednesday, Giroud moved past Kane into the Premiership's top five scorers this season. Including Giroud's 12 league goals, he's already mustered 22 goals and two assists in 26 appearances for club and country. That spectacular record surely warrants coughing up £11.2M to have Giroud in Mondogoal lineups come Sunday, when he'll face a Stoke City side that he scored against earlier this season. Although the Britannia Stadium has proven a difficult venue for Arsenal to win at in the past, the Gunners and fantasy owners can take solace in the fact that Arsene Wenger's men have notched at least two goals in four of their past five games against the Potters.
Wayne Rooney (£7.7M)
While Kane and Giroud approach the top of the Premier League scoring chart, where Rooney has resided for the past decade or so, the Manchester United captain is only just appearing to hit his stride this term. With a brace at Newcastle this week, Rooney has now scored in three straight games across all competitions going into Sunday's derby in his hometown of Liverpool. At the moment, the Reds' defense is knackered by injury, contributing toward their three goals allowed to Arsenal on Wednesday. Moreover, Rooney costs merely £7.7M, an evaluation that pales in comparison to his pedigree, which includes five career goals versus Liverpool.
