Daily Fantasy Football: Ultimate MondoGoal Week 22 Lineup
What could you do with $100 million? MondoGoal's daily fantasy football is handing you an opportunity to find out, and Bleacher Report's here to provide counsel on which Premier League stars could bolster your matchday XI.
Setting the Table
Following a captivating midweek slate of games, if Matchday 22 can produce half the drama Matchday 21 did, we should all have an enjoyable weekend.
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Saturday sees seven matches played across England, and for the daily fantasy football player who doesn't participate for fun only, it's a chance to test your footballing prowess.
| Date | Time (GMT/ET) | Fixture |
| January 16 | 12:45 p.m./7:45 a.m. | Tottenham v Sunderland |
| January 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Bournemouth v Norwich |
| January 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Chelsea v Everton |
| January 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Manchester City v Crystal Palace |
| January 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Newcastle v West Ham United |
| January 16 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Southampton v West Brom |
| January 16 | 5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m. | Aston Villa v Leicester City |
| January 17 | 2:05 p.m./9:05 a.m. | Liverpool v Manchester United |
| January 17 | 4:15 p.m./11:15 a.m. | Stoke City v Arsenal |
| January 18 | 8:00 p.m./3:00 p.m. | Swansea City v Watford |
Starting at White Hart Lane, then setting off in all directions before ending at Villa Park, there are races to be had everywhere. From the title race to the scrap for the top four and even into the depths of relegation, clubs are reaching the portion of every campaign when attrition is low and points triple in value.
Not necessarily looking for star names but locating value is your mission.
Here's a prospective XI, using the 3-4-3 formation.
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Joe Hart ($7.0 million) and Nicolas Otamendi ($8.8 million) have the advantage of playing against a vagrant-like Crystal Palace side. Alan Pardew's side are begging for goals; absent a virile centre-forward, their dangermen, players such as Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie, aren't nearly as effective. Manchester City should be able to corral the south Londoners at the Etihad Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur start Matchday 22 hosting Sunderland. Losing to Leicester City in midweek, Spurs need a serious rebound, and few teams have been more accommodating than the Black Cats.
Improving slightly, mostly because of an atomic Jermain Defoe, Sunderland pose a threat, but at home, Jan Vertonghen ($8.7 million)'s defensive unit is usually stellar.
Southampton face West Bromwich Albion. Poised to be a low-scoring affair and expecting the home side to keep a clean sheet against Salomon Rondon (three goals in 17 appearances), Virgil van Dijk ($6.2 million) looks worth an investment.
Midfielders
One could argue for Petr Cech or Yohan Cabaye, but the signing of the Premier League's summer transfer window was Dimitri Payet ($11.6 million). The 28-year-old West Ham United man has been a revelation. Injured over the past few weeks, his return could not have come soon enough for manager Slaven Bilic.
Without Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United playing on Saturday, the star power of this XI comes from two players, Kevin De Bruyne ($11.3 million) and Willian ($12.3 million).
Short-lived team-mates at Chelsea in 2013, the two midfielders are among the best creative talents the Premier League has. The Belgian is more a visionary, while the Brazilian is more direct. With the prices on offer, you cannot go wrong either way.
Closing our midfield is Tottenham's Erik Lamela ($8.1 million). Among the last hopes Spurs have at salvaging Gareth Bale's £85.3 million record transfer, Mauricio Pochettino's arrival has done his compatriot wonders over the past two seasons. Displaying his evident talent on a more consistent, weekly basis now, a shaky Sunderland could feel the effects of his progress.
Forwards
In tandem with Lamela, Harry Kane ($12.5 million) is this side's most expensive footballer.
It's hard to imagine Sunderland keeping a clean sheet away from the Stadium of Light, and if they concede more than one goal to Tottenham, Kane—in all likelihood—will claim at least one. Not overly imposing but possessing supreme technical ability and a rocket shot, Kane is a beast on his day, which is most.
Combining with the young Englishman in our squad are Chelsea's Diego Costa ($8.1 million) and Pedro ($5.3 million).
Chelsea and Everton have scored 14 goals between them in their last three Premier League meetings. This doesn't bode well for their respective defenses but suggests forwards will have chances.
If Eden Hazard misses the match through injury, Pedro has been more than useful filling the Belgian's boots, and if Diego Costa could focus on scoring goals longer than his desire to box at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, he might actually find some joy against Roberto Martinez's leaky Toffees.
Recap
As shown, this squad cost $99.9 million.
Check out MondoGoal and construct your own XI.
Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
