After a weekend full of unexpected results that saw all the top four clubs except Bayern Munich lose, we are back with our Bundesliga Fantasy player rankings for matchday 4 with a heavy focus on teams with matches against relegation contenders.
Forwards
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheraldo Becker | FCU | @S04 | 9.9M | Most people will go for Siebatcheu considering his reputation as the Swiss league top-scorer but Becker not only has more goal involvements, he also has a higher xG and more key passes per game. While Siebatcheu is more reliant on goals for points, Becker's all-round game and ability to rack up points for passes to shots against the team that has conceded the most shots gives him the edge for me. |
| 2 | Sadio Mané | FCB | vs BMG | 16.7M | While Borussia might be Bayern's boogie team, it is mainly Hutter who had a knack for beating Bayern and I expect them to dominate this game. |
| 3 | Jordan Siebatcheu | FCU | @S04 | 7.5M | Not far behind Becker and is also a good shout if you want to double up but Union face Bayern right after Schalke, the most contrasting set of fixtures in the space of two matchdays. |
| 4 | Michael Gregoritsch | SCF | vs BOC | 7.7M | Bochum have already conceded four goals more than the team that has conceded the second-most and it has only been three games. And it might not improve anytime soon with a center-back pairing that makes even Schalke's backline from their last season in the Bundesliga look good. |
| 5 | Andrej Kramarić | TSG | vs FCA | 13.5M | If you ask anyone which is the most surprising team so far, they would probably say Mainz or Union Berlin. But for me it is Hoffenheim. They put up a strong fight with 10 men against Borussia, sparked a massive comeback from 0-2 down to beat Bochum and end their 11-game winless streak in the Bundesliga then comfortably beat Bayer Leverkusen on MD3. The main reason for this resurgence is Kramarić who is slowly finding his old form with a goal and two assists. If statistics are anything to go by, Augsburg are his favourite team to play against as he has the most goal involvements against them (4 goals, 8 assists in 12 games) than any other team in the Bundesliga. |
| 6 | Timo Werner | RBL | vs WOB | 14.1M | Leipzig have come close but are winless so far and will be desperate to get their first win in the next game. Werner is only owned by 5% of managers and could be a great differential in a game that could see high shot volumes and goals against a team that is fourth for shots conceded and almost lost to Schalke if it wasn't for Terrode missing two penalties in a row. |
| 7 | Karim Onisiwo | M05 | vs B04 | 9.8M | Talking about surprises, Onisiwo is currently the leading top-scorer in the league with three goals alongside Musiala and Mané. If Leverkusen continue playing like they have so far, I can't see how he doesn't add another goal to his name considering how dominant Mainz are at home. |
| 8 | Kingsley Coman | FCB | vs BMG | 14.2M | Musiala is still a doubt because of match fitness. So if you don't already have him, it isn't worth risking a spot. Gnabry is the next best pick from Bayern and he isn't predicted to start either but Coman and Sane will likely be subbed early. |
| 9 | Marvin Ducksch | SVW | vs SGE | 6.3M | He might've blanked in the last two games but it is hard to overlook Werder Bremen considering they have scored at least two goals in each game so far. |
| 10 | Patrik Schick | B04 | @M05 | 15.1M | Looked much better and would've scored last week if it wasn't for Azmoun clearing his goal off the line but he is still a hard pass for me. |
Midfielders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincenzo Grifo | SCF | vs BOC | 13.8M | An early fixture against the team that has conceded the most goals (12) including the most goals from set-pieces (4)? This is Grifo territory. |
| 2 | Christopher Nkunku | RBL | vs WOB | 15.8M | Nkunku is still averaging 14 points a game even though Leipzig haven't won yet. So I am not too worried about him. |
| 3 | Joshua Kimmich | FCB | vs BMG | 16.2M | Kimmich has a goal, two assists, leads the league in key passes per game with four, has the most points in Bundesliga Fantasy so far (46) and is also averaging 2.3 shots per game. Not bad for a defensive midfielder. |
| 4 | Ritsu Doan | SCF | vs BOC | 8.4M | 50/50 between him and Sallai this week. Doan is the safer pick but Sallai tends to do well against bottom teams. |
| 5 | Marco Reus | BVB | @BSC | 14.8M | This might be a controversial opinion but I expect Hertha's defence to improve after a certain player who has an error that led to a goal, penalty conceded and red card in just his last two games got suspended. It is worth noting, however, that Reus is a slight doubt for the game and it just so happens to be that Hertha is one of the teams he has the worst record in the Bundesliga against with just a goal and an assist in 10 games against the Berliners since 2014. |
| 6 | Daichi Kamada | SGE | @SVW | 10.3M | Ironically, while Werder Bremen have scored at least two goals in each of their three games, they have also conceded two goals in every game. Kamada has scored in each of his two games so far (2/3 Frankfurt goals) and seems like the only player capable of scoring at the club right now. So he is their best bet against a Werder Bremen defence that might even be missing Freidl and Weiser this time. |
| 7 | Christoph Baumgartner | TSG | vs FCA | 11.5M | |
| 8 | Anton Stach | M05 | vs B04 | 9.5M | Not many managers will take the punt on Mainz beating Leverkusen but I will still keep Stach in my team as a differential. |
| 9 | Kevin Stöger | BOC | @SCF | 5.7M | Stöger has lost every game so far but is still doing pretty well for himself so far with a goal, assist and an average of 1.7 shots, 3.3 key passes, and 10 points per game. He might be the btech Kimmich but for sub-6M he offers amazing value. |
| 10 | Florian Kainz | KOE | @SGE | 8.7M | Does not have the worst fixture but the fact that he played 67 minutes in the midweek game and faces Frankfurt less than three days later worries me. |
Defenders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Günter | SCF | vs BOC | 12.9M | Günter is one of four players that have a double-digit haul in each game so far. The other players being Kimmich, Pavard and surprisingly... Ryerson. |
| 2 | Jonas Hector | KOE | vs VFB | 9.9M | He has scored of 13 and 9 in his last two games without a return thanks to the amount of duels that he wins. Hector is also well rested for the standalone match against Stuttgart where he got a good chance at a cleansheet. |
| 3 | Christopher Trimmel | FCU | @S04 | 9.1M | The next best thing if Ryerson is benched. |
| 4 | Benjamin Pavard | FCB | vs BMG | 11.6M | |
| 5 | Raphael Guerreiro | BVB | @BSC | 12.5M | |
| 6 | David Raum | RBL | vs WOB | 12.2M | Wolfsburg couldn't even score against Schalke at home. |
| 7 | Angeliño | TSG | vs FCA | 12.2M | While he was forgotten by most because he signed for Hoffenheim, he is slowly making noise with 6 and 7 points in the last two games just for bonus. |
| 8 | Aarón Martín | M05 | vs B04 | 8.2M | I was surprised to see that he even took a penalty in the last game but I assume he won't be anymore. Despite the miss, he managed to outscore all the Mainz defenders except Hack. |
| 9 | Borna Sosa | VFB | @KOE | 11.8M | Köln will again be without Uth and their Modeste replacement in this match who they are still searching for. Stuttgart have an outside chance for a cleansheet against an inexperienced attack with an average age of just 23.6 but most importantly, Sosa plays Schalke next week. |
| 10 | Paulo Otavio | WOB | @RBL | 7.2M | He returned after almost a year but is still as good as he was when he left, with 10 points just for bonus and he finished as the joint highest-scoring defender for MD3 with 15 points. It is worth noting though that it was against Schalke of all teams. |
Goalkeepers
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Flekken | SCF | vs BOC | 10.4M | |
| 2 | Yann Sommer | BMG | @FCB | 9.1M | Sommer against the best team in the league might sound suicidal but he tends to channel his inner Lev Yashin every time he faces Bayern. |
| 3 | Alexander Schwolow | S04 | vs FCU | 6.6M | Yep, I have ranked a player that is more likely to concede over his opponent who is more likely to keep a cleansheet because of the points system. I don't make the rules. |
| 4 | Frederik Rønnow | FCU | @S04 | 6M | |
| 5 | Manuel Riemann | BOC | @SCF | 8.3M | Might be easy to overlook him after the last game but he still saved six shots and is tied for the most shots saved so far (19) with Schwolow. |
Value Rankings
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiliann Sildillia | DEF | SCF | vs BOC | 3.6M | Almost as good as Günter and costs 3x less. |
| 2 | Niko Gießelmann | DEF | FCU | @S04 | 7.3M | Might split minutes with Ryerson. |
| 3 | Janis Blaswich | GKP | RBL | vs WOB | 3.6M | Got a -1 on his debut but Wolfsburg is an easier opponent. |
| 4 | Youssoufa Moukoko | FWD | BVB | @BSC | 9.1M | Dortmund are 17th out of the 18 Bundesliga teams for accurate crosses so that almost single-handedly puts Modeste out of the equation as it was his bread and butter at Köln. |
| 5 | Luca Pellegrini | DEF | SGE | @SGE | 8..2M | He is no Kostić but he had 10 points in his debut game without a return, thanks to eight bonus points for shots and duels won. |
| 6 | Robert Skov | FWD | TSG | vs FCA | 7M | Skov is a reverse OOP player who is listed as a forward but plays as a wing-back. Still, he leads Hoffenheim for shots per game (2.7) and is second for key passes per game (1.7). Augsburg might be missing as many as eight first team players so he is worth a shout as an ultra-differential. |
| 7 | Dodi Lukebakio | FWD | BSC | vs BVB | 7.5M | |
| 8 | Kostas Stafylidis | DEF | BOC | @SCF | 4.2M | Remember the budget defender who had an assist, three shots and two key passes for 16 points on the first matchday then dipped? He is back from injury this week. |
| 9 | Jeremie Frimpong | DEF | B04 | @M05 | 10.8M | Predicted to play on the wings again but if you are still keeping him then you are a lot more optimistic than I am. |
| 10 | Mathias Olesen | MID | KOE | vs SGE | 1M | The cheapest player expected to start this week. |
You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.
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