This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
Kicked-off two weeks ago, RotoWire has recently joined forces with daily fantasy soccer host MondoGoal.com to offer weekly recommendations that could lead to fantastic prize money for contestants.
The best kept secret in daily fantasy soccer, MondoGoal provides daily games covering the English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer. Furthermore, users can enter cross-league competitions, as well as Champions League and Europa League contests, to satisfy their constant craving for fantasy soccer. Using Opta Stats,
With freshly formed partnerships with prestigious European outfits Liverpool F.C., Manchester City F.C., West Ham United F.C. and A.S. Roma, MondoGoal.com is an awaiting treasure for savvy fantasy players to turn their attention toward. In doing so, players can take advantage of spectacular contests, like MondoGoal's weekly $1,000 guaranteed leagues that are up for grabs and merely require a $5 entry fee. To acclimate to the contests, users can also try out risk-free games every week, while still having the chance to win cash in MondoGoal's Weekly $100 free roll.
MondoGoal's Week 11 Premier League game allows owners to spend a $100M salary cap on 11 players to fill out their roster. From there, MondoGoal's squad confirmations let contestants adjust their line-ups leading up to kickoff to ensure maximum participation from all selected players. To capitalize on the upcoming Premier League fixtures, here are some candidates that could bank palatable cash payouts from MondoGoal:
Goalkeeper
Fraser Forster, SOU (vs. LEI), $6.4M
Sporting the league's best defensive record, with just five goals allowed through 10 matches, Forster has also posted six clean sheets to date. Furthermore, the Englishman is riding a streak of three-straight scoreless outings and returns to St. Mary's Stadium this weekend to face promoted side Leicester City. No team has scored fewer than the Foxes' one away goal this season, while no team has conceded fewer than Southampton's one home goal either. Given that stark contrast, Forster has a wonderful clean sheet opportunity and his cheap $6.4M price tag comes along with MondoGoal's top goalkeeper ranking.
Alternative Options:Joe Hart, MCI (at QPR), $6.4M; David de Gea, MUN (vs. CRY), $5.8M; Adrian, WHU (vs. AST), $5.6M
Another cheap goalkeeper option, Hart anchors one of the league's best defenses and faces a QPR offense averaging less than one goal to date. De Gea will be stationed behind a make-shift back line, which could force him into saves to bolster a possible home clean sheet. Adrian ranks second league-wide in saves and faces the Premiership's joint-lowest scoring team.
Defenders
Vincent Kompany, MCI (at QPR), $7.1M
Only Southampton has conceded fewer goals than Manchester City's 10 this season and Kompany is the lone Citizens defender to have played in all 10 matches. In doing so, the Belgian ranks second on City in passes intercepted (20), tackles (15), and MondoGoal points (44.35). However, of defenders that have featured in at least half of City's games, Kompany is the least-expensive option. That should offer fine value this Saturday at Queens Park Rangers, who have scored less than one goal per game to this point in the campaign.
Aaron Cresswell, WHU (vs. AST), $5.6M
Coming off two assists in his past three matches, Cresswell has shown the kind of delivery skills that allowed him to post a remarkable 12 assists from his left-back position in the Championship for Ipswich last season. In jumping to the Premier League this term, Cresswell has started all 10 games for West Ham and leads Hammers defenders in MondoGoal total points (50.34) and average points (5.03). Additionally, no West Ham defender comes at a cheaper price than Cresswell's $5.6M salary. The Englishman should be an especially good value this weekend, since he'll play at home versus an Aston Villa side that went scoreless in five games prior to last Sunday.
Curtis Davies, HUL (at BUR), $5.3M
A rock in defense, Davies ranks first among Hull City defenders with 47.39 points on MondoGoal this season and though he's the Tigers' club captain, Davies' $5.3M price is lower than all but one of his Hull City defensive comrades. Given that Davies will face last-place Burnley this Saturday, he's a intriguing selection whose prospects are boosted by the fact that no team has scored fewer goals than Burnley thus far. Considering their past three outings have come against Arsenal (A), Liverpool (A), and Southampton (H), Davies and the Hull defense may find the sledding a bit easier at Burnley, who are averaging less than a goal per contest at home.
Alternative Options:Leighton Baines, EVE (at SUN), $12.6M; John Terry, CHE (at LIV), $7.7M; Jose Fonte, SOU (vs. LEI), $7.6M
Baines offers the production of a winger at the designation of a defender and enters a favorable matchup versus Sunderland. Terry and Chelsea's stout defense will hope to extend Liverpool's scoreless streak to three straight Premiership games. Fonte is a cut-price option on the league's best defense and has an excellent pairing with Leicester.
Midfielders
Angel di Maria, MUN (vs. CRY), $15.1M
Despite not scoring in their most recent match, Manchester United returns this weekend to the friendly confines of Old Trafford, where they've averaged two goals per game this season. Furthermore, the Red Devils are pitted against a Crystal Palace side whose defensive record is only better than Queens Park Rangers' thus far. For context, when QPR visited United earlier this season, Louis van Gaal's outfit netted a season-high four goals in di Maria's home debut. In doing so, the Argentine opened his Premier League account and provided an assist for good measure. Although di Maria's hefty $15.1M salary tops the midfield ranks, his MondoGoal average of 12.46 points is also the best at his position, making him a worthwhile investment versus Crystal Palace's patchy defense.
Eden Hazard, CHE (at LIV), $12.3M
Right behind di Maria among midfielders, Hazard is averaging 11.35 points per game on MondoGoal, but since the Belgian has played in all 10 games this season, his 113.58 point total is second to none. A goal last weekend helped Hazard clinch 19.28 points on MondoGoal, his second-best single-game score to date. This time around, Hazard goes versus Liverpool, after scoring in his only appearance against the Reds last season. Furthermore, Chelsea's No. 10 notched a goal in his most recent outing at Anfield, which came in April 2013. That gives Hazard goals in back-to-back matches against Liverpool, who may be reeling from a loss to Newcastle last weekend. Even though Hazard only has one goal from open play in the Premiership this term, Chelsea still lead England in goals and Hazard is a constant threat in the final third.
Ross Barkley, EVE (at SUN), $8.7M
Back from a knee injury that cost him the first seven games of this season, Barkley has started two of Everton's past three Premiership outings, racking up an average of 7.32 points on MondoGoal. Although a midweek Europa League match versus Lille will probably require Barkley's status to be confirmed prior to Sunday's kickoff, if Barkley is included in Everton's starting XI to face Sunderland, he's a fantastic selection. That's because only three teams have shipped more goals than the Black Cats this season and Barkley has attempted two shots per game from his midfield post. Moreover, Everton are unbeaten in three matches and despite sitting ninth on the table, Barkley's side has only been outscored by the top three of Chelsea, Southampton, and Manchester City.
Marouane Fellaini, MUN (vs. CRY), $5.1M
The third Belgian included in this week's team, Fellaini has started Manchester United's past two games, which comes after he scored his first goal of the season in Gameweek 8. Such increased involvement evidences Fellaini's recent improvement, as he's attempted a shot nearly every 30 minutes since being introduced for his aforementioned goal-scoring second half cameo versus West Brom. The afro-sporting midfielder is also a meaningful contributor in the passes-intercepted and tackles-won categories, which help make him a decent selection for this weekend's match versus Crystal Palace. The Eagles have allowed nine goals over their past four efforts, a vulnerability that could invite the versatile Fellaini forward Saturday.
Alternative Options:Stewart Downing, WHU (vs. AST), $10.6M; Dusan Tadic, SOU (vs. LEI), $8.4M; Victor Moses, STK (at TOT), $8.2M; Mohamed Diame, HUL (at BUR), $6.3M
Downing is MondoGoal's fifth-highest scoring midfielder and plays an Aston Villa team in shambles. Tadic is Southampton's creative catalyst, making his low price even more appreciable. Moses opened his Premiership account for Stoke City last weekend and already has three assists through eight appearances for the Potters. Diame bosses the middle of the park for Hull City, who play the worst team in the league, Burnley.
Forwards
Alexis Sanchez, ARS (at SWA), $12.9M
Put simply, Alexis has been absolutely sensational this season. The Chilean boasts a brace in consecutive Premier League outings, bringing his campaign total to seven goals in eight starts, and he fired a fantastic goal during Arsenal's midweek Champions League outing as well.
Overall, the summer signing has 10 goals and three assists in his first 14 appearances for the Gunners. Those returns give Alexis 107.78 points on MondoGoal, the second-highest of all forwards, which has clearly been his position in recent weeks, as Arsenal has deployed a 4-4-2 formation to highlight Alexis' skill set. So while the tireless attacker faces a Swansea City defense whose three home goals allowed rank second, an on-fire Alexis should still prove plenty problematic for the Swans to put out.
Sergio Aguero, MCI (at QPR), $11.8M
Speaking of Premier League standouts, Aguero is clearly the cream of the crop, as his 144.83 total points on MondoGoal exceed any other player by more than 30. The Argentine ace scored the lone goal in last weekend's Manchester derby, which brought his tally to a perfect 10 goals in 10 Premiership showings this season. While that stellar sum represents a league-high, so do Aguero's 26 shots on target, which are 10 more than his next closest competitor. Still, Aguero is only the seventh-most expensive forward, offering outstanding value for owners. That should prove particularly true this weekend since Aguero awaits an away match versus Queens Park Rangers' league-worst defense. The R's are allowing two goals per game, while Manchester City has scored two goals per game. As a result, Saturday's meeting certainly favors the defending champions and Aguero has been the Citizens' star to this point in the season.
Graziano Pelle, SOU (vs. LEI), $8.9M
MondoGoal's sixth-highest scoring striker, Pelle's $8.9M price tag is pennies compared to his competitors. Through 10 Premiership matches, the Italian has six goals, five of which have come at St. Mary's Stadium. That's where Pelle and Southampton are slated to take on a promoted Leicester City setup that has gone without a win in five straight league matches. Over that span, the Foxes have also conceded eight of their 16 total goals allowed this season. Meanwhile, Pelle is averaging 4.3 shot attempts per game, but more impressively, he's peppered nine shots in both of his past two home matches. Spearheading a Southampton side that has posted three goals per game at home, Pelle is a fine selection once again this week.
Alternative Options:Diego Costa, CHE (at LIV), $14.5M; Wayne Rooney, MUN (vs. CRY), $12.6M; Enner Valencia, WHU (vs. AST), $9.0M
Costa returned from injury last week and still has a phenomenal goal record that could improve against a struggling Liverpool setup. Rooney is the Man United striker most likely to play on a weekly basis, which should come in handy against inferior opposition Saturday. Valencia has two goals and two assists over his past three outings, the sort of shining form that contrasts with Aston Villa's recent showings.
