This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
The opening weekend of the Premier League went as we all thought it would, with West Ham easily taking down Arsenal at the Emirates, Swansea earning a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and Watford earning the same scoreline against Everton at Goodison Park.
In all seriousness, if you saw those results coming, you probably don't even need to read the rest of this article. But for those looking for a little help on their MondoGoal lineups for this weekend, we're adjusting our weekly Best XI column to give you a solid squad for all types of contests, as well as a few bench players that can make fantasy impacts.
Goalkeeper
John Ruddy (£4.5m)
Although Norwich City conceded three goals to Crystal Palace this past weekend, Ruddy is still an excellent fantasy prospect and his £4.5m price tag makes him MondoGoal's fifth cheapest goalkeeper. Last time Ruddy graced the Premier League, he registered 12 clean sheets and averaged over three saves per game during the 2013/14 campaign. Such totals would have ranked him among the Premier League's top five players at his position in most fantasy formats last season. An undervalued goalkeeping option, Ruddy has a great matchup this weekend versus Sunderland, who tied to score the second fewest goals across England's top flight last season.
Defenders
Toby Alderweireld (£7.4M)
After stints at Atletico Madrid and Southampton, Alderweireld was reunited at Tottenham this summer with former defensive partner Jan Vertonghen, whom he came through Ajax's ranks with to begin his career. In his first Premier League game alongside his countryman, Alderweireld was arguably Spurs' best defensive player last weekend at Manchester United, recording numerous interceptions and clearances while playing his preferred center back position. In doing so, Tottenham only allowed an unlucky own goal and now Alderweireld gets to make his White Hart Lane debut Saturday against a Stoke City side that failed to score at home this past Sunday.
Joe Gomez (£6.6M)
Bought from Championship side Charlton this summer, the 18-year-old Gomez parlayed an impressive preseason into a starting berth at left back for Liverpool's season opener at Stoke last weekend. From there, all Gomez did was rack up 9.31 points on MondoGoal, including a clean sheet and the assist on Liverpool's lone goal. Now, Gomez is set to introduce himself to the Anfield faithful this weekend, as the Reds host promoted outfit Bournemouth on Monday. The Cherries had never played a Premier League match before last weekend, when they were held scoreless at home by Aston Villa, so entering Anfield for a Monday evening showcase could present another stumbling block.
Craig Cathcart (£4.5M)
Speaking of promoted teams, Watford was the only Premier League newbie to gain a point in Week 1, as they drew Everton 2-2 at Goodison Park. In that match, Cathcart wonderfully anchored the Hornets' defense, earning him 5.16 MondoGoal points thanks to a plethora of aerial duels and clearances converted. This weekend, Cathcart and Watford are slated for their home opener against West Brom, whose attack appeared abysmal in a scoreless Week 1 effort. While only one team scored fewer away goals than West Brom last season, Cathcart's £4.5M valuation makes him among MondoGoal's absolute cheapest defensive options.
Midfielders
Dimitri Payet (£14.5M)
Following a league-high 17 assists in France last season, Payet opened his Premier League career by setting up West Ham's first goal in their jubilant 2-0 victory at Arsenal last weekend. That helped Payet secure 10 fantasy points, which was actually his lowest output from his past six games scored on MondoGoal dating back to last season. The Frenchman's playmaking ability clearly makes him a coveted commodity, as his £14.3M price suggests. However, this weekend against Leicester City could continue Payet's prowess, as the Foxes fielded a bottom-five defense last season and also conceded twice at home to sorry Sunderland in Week 1.
Andre Ayew (£12.6M)
Another Ligue 1 import to the Premiership, Ayew kicked off his first English campaign by scoring a stellar equalizer at Stamford Bridge. On the day, Ayew attempted a total of three shots, paving the way toward an appetizing return of 17.05 points on MondoGoal. Such a performance could be a sign of things to come from Ayew, who had 53 goals and 15 assists over his last five seasons for Marseille. With such an eye for goal, as well as a midfielder designation in MondoGoal leagues, Ayew is comfortably Swansea's most expensive player. Nonetheless, a home matchup against Newcastle, last season's second-worst defense both on the road and overall, makes Ayew worth the investment this weekend.
Aaron Ramsey (£11.9M)
In a highly disappointing Week 1 showing, Arsenal not only lost at home to West Ham, but Ramsey chipped in with just 3.45 MondoGoal points. Fortunately, the Gunners have the chance to rebound with another London derby this weekend, as they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Somewhat surprisingly, Palace finished tied for the most home goals allowed last season, perhaps boosting Arsenal's confidence of correcting the ship this Sunday. In two tightly contested matches last season, Arsenal topped the Eagles 2-1 on both occasions, with Ramsey scoring the winner in their early season meeting. While he's usually a goal threat, Ramsey's all-around game also serves as reason to consider him ahead of what could be a feisty affair.
Sadio Mane (£11.1M)
Also his club's priciest player on MondoGoal, Mane got off to a bit of a slow start this past weekend, scoring just 6.35 fantasy points after averaging 8.74 points per game last season, which led Southampton. Such production mostly resulted from Mane's 10 goals, seven of which came at home. Like Southampton, the Premier League's fourth-best home offense, Mane really strived at St. Mary's Stadium, where the Saints will host Everton this weekend. The Toffees' defensive focus has gone missing too often over the past year and with transfer rumors still surrounding center back John Stones and the injury absence of Leighton Baines (ankle), Saturday's game at Southampton could see Mane spark some St. Mary's magic once again.
Forwards
Harry Kane (£10.6M)
No longer a fantasy secret, Kane's 326.06 fantasy points last season saw him finish as the third best striker on MondoGoal. This Saturday, Kane and Tottenham welcome a Stoke City side that has gone winless from their past five away matches dating back to last season. Moreover, Potters' captain Ryan Shawcross is expected to miss the next two months following back surgery, leaving Mark Hughes' men without their best defender. Stoke is also incorporating a new first-choice right back and goalkeeper. Enter Kane, whose 21 goals last season included a number of scores in big game situations, as this weekend's opener at White Hart Lane should be.
Wayne Rooney (£8.8M)
A rare Friday Premier League tilt features Manchester United at Aston Villa this week. If recent history is any indication, the Red Devils should have their way, as they've incredibly gone unbeaten in their previous 20 away matches against Villa in all competitions. Last season's top scorer for Man U, Rooney has three goals from his team's last three meetings with the Villains, and is now unquestionably the Red Devils' most featured center forward following the sale of Robin van Persie this summer. Additionally, Rooney's £8.8M salary on MondoGoal makes him relatively cheap for a top-class striker, so fitting him into the lineup should be a priority this week.
Christian Benteke (£7.5M)
Possibly an even better bargain than Rooney this week is Benteke, whose £7.5M valuation is quite enticing for a player that finished ninth in scoring among strikers on MondoGoal last season. Admittedly, the Belgian underwhelmed in his Liverpool debut last weekend, but Monday's first match at Anfield could present a prime opportunity to impress. That's because the Reds are paired against Bournemouth, who surely didn't face any physically imposing targetmen of Benteke's quality in the Championship last season. In fact, in their opener this past weekend, the Cherries conceded to Rudy Gestede, who was chosen to replace Benteke at Aston Villa due to his physical presence. With a seemingly favorable matchup and price tag, Benteke's first Anfield appearance could be one to remember.
Bench
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski (£7.9M)
Last season's top scoring goalkeeper on MondoGoal, Fabianski's £7.9m tag is only the ninth highest among players at his position. This weekend, Fabianski and Swansea City play host to a Newcastle team that they've blanked in two of their past three meetings at the Liberty Stadium.
Defender: Matteo Darmian (£8.9M)
Although he'll cost a pretty penny, Darmian's 8.55 MondoGoal points last weekend represented great production from a defender, no less one making his Premier League debut. The Italian showed a well-rounded skill set and could earn his second straight clean sheet this Friday against an Aston Villa outfit that tied for the second fewest goals scored last term.
Defender: Patrick van Aanholt (£7.7M)
The best defender on a Sunderland team that surrendered four goals last weekend, van Aanholt still somehow came away with 4.04 points on MondoGoal. Now, the Dutchman enters an improved matchup this weekend at home to Norwich City, whose ominous offensive outlook could hinder their bid to avoid relegation this season.
Midfielder: Yaya Toure (£12.9M)
With two goals and a clean sheet in Week 1, Toure's 25.25 points on MondoGoal provided a spectacular start to his season. Although the Ivorian goes against Chelsea this Sunday, his strong Week 1 showing warrants consideration ahead of a home matchup.
Midfielder: Yohan Cabaye (£5.0M)
Hidden deep down MondoGoal's midfield price list, Cabaye will cost potential owners merely £5.0M, which is remarkable value considering his 14.45 points from last weekend. Yes, he's against Arsenal this Sunday, but the Frenchman's talent certainly surpasses his salary.
Forward: Mame Biram Diouf (£5.3M)
Similar to Cabaye, Diouf is buried among fantasy forward options, even though he led Stoke City with 11 goals last season. On Saturday, Diouf is slated to face a Tottenham team he scored against back in May.
Forward: Graziano Pelle (£6.5M)
Another awesome value, Pelle opened the season by scoring at Newcastle last weekend, which bodes well ahead of this weekend's home match versus an Everton side that he scored against last season at St. Mary's Stadium, where 11 of his 12 total goals came.
