Bayer Leverkusen have scored five goals in each of their last two Bundesliga games, and if recent form is a good indicator, more of the same is expected this week against a struggling Stuttgart side, which is why Die Werkself’s players top the charts in our Bundesliga Fantasy player rankings for matchday 22.
Forwards
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Lewandowski | FCB | @BOC | 22.5M | |
| 2 | Patrick Schick | B04 | vs VFB | 16.4M | Two games without scoring might seem like a drought for someone like Schick, who has surprised everyone by being a top contender along with Lewandowski for the golden boot. Now that he plays Stuttgart, a team that conceded three goals to a Kostić-less Frankfurt team that failed to create a single big chance, I expect him to be on the goal-scoring charts again. |
| 3 | Thomas Müller | FCB | @BOC | 20.1M | Lewandowski, Müller, and Sané are the only three forwards to have scores of 10+ in each of their last five starts, so it is never too late to double up on Bayern forwards. |
| 4 | Moussa Diaby | WOB | vs VFB | 14.4M | Diaby has been drawing plenty of attention lately and rightly so with four goals in his last two games, including a hattrick, while Schick has drawn blanks in the same period. I think he is a great differential for this week solely based on the fact that he might go up against Stenzel, who is far from being one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, to say the least. |
| 5 | Leroy Sané | FCB | @BOC | 17M | |
| 6 | André Silva | RBL | vs KOE | 17.2M | If you are still split about your third forward, Silva is a good shout. After scoring just twice in his first 12 games, he now has seven goals and an assist in his last nine games. |
| 7 | Ihlas Bebou | TSG | vs DSC | 8.9M | Bebou is quietly having a great season with seven goals and three assists so far. In the final game of the matchday against Arminia, a team conceding goals and shots by the bucket loads, he could thrive as the focal point of the attack now that Kramarić is out. |
| 8 | Rafael Santos Borré | SGE | vs WOB | 9.6M | |
| 9 | Breel Embolo | BMG | vs FCA | 11.5M | |
| 10 | Stevan Jovetić | BSC | @SGF | 10.5M | As bad as Greuther Fürth have been this season, it came as a surprise that they conceded four goals against Wolfsburg after a run of good defensive performances. I still don't expect many goals if any, but anything is possible in a relegation six pointer. |
Midfielders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filip Kostić | SGE | vs WOB | 17.5M | If you took him out last week, then you can always bring him in for a guaranteed 8-10 points at least. |
| 2 | Florian Wirtz | B04 | vs VFB | 14.4M | The writing is on the wall for this game. Leverkusen's attack has been at its very best with five goals in each of the last two games, while winless Stuttgart are at the top for shots conceded while being third for most goals conceded. I wouldn't be surprised if B04 score another five goals here, and Wirtz is the one midfielder that you must have from this game. |
| 3 | Christopher Nkunku | RBL | vs KOE | 17.9M | If he can do it against Bayern, he can do it against any team. |
| 4 | Jonas Hofmann | BMG | vs FCA | 14.9M | Although Augsburg kept a cleansheet against Union, I wouldn't count Hofmann out because they were fourth for the highest xGA (2.10) and were a bit lucky that Union didn't score. |
| 5 | Jesper Lindstrøm | SGE | vs WOB | 9M | Wolfsburg might've won the last game 4-1, but this time against quality opposition like Frankfurt, I expect them to go back to their old ways of struggling to defend as well as score. If you like Kostić this week, you can't help but like Lindstrøm too. |
| 6 | Joshua Kimmich | FCB | @BOC | 17.2M | Bayern Munich is every newly promoted team's worst nightmare. The last time Bayern went up against Bochum, they scored seven goals with Kimmich being the top-scorer for the matchday with two goals for 21 points. |
| 7 | Masaya Okugawa | DSC | @TSG | 7.6M | Wimmer's impact will be missed, but Okugawa can do more than just fill in. One to consider if you are expecting an open game. |
| 8 | David Raum | TSG | vs DSC | 11.2M | Kramarić is out and Baumgartner is out of form, so even though he might be reverse OOP, Hoffenheim will have to rely on Raum to create goals again just like the last match against Mainz where he had six key passes. |
| 9 | Julian Brandt | BVB | @FCU | 12.3M | |
| 10 | Corentin Tolisso | FCB | @BOC | 9.6M | Central midfielders might be considered as bad in Bundesliga Fantasy, but all logic goes out of the window when you have two goals and an assist in your last four games with scores of 10,15,13 and 14. |
Defenders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joško Gvardiol | RBL | vs KOE | 10.8M | FC Köln have been heavily reliant on Modeste's headers to score (9 of his 14 goals this season), and without a reliable target man to replace him, it looks bleak for them. |
| 2 | Jeremie Frimpong | B04 | vs VFB | 8M | Stuttgart currently have the worst attack in the league with just two goals in their last six games while conceding 13 goals in that period. Frimpong could possibly keep a cleansheet and also bag an attacking return for himself in this game. |
| 3 | Ramy Bensebaini | BMG | vs FCA | 10.7M | He was highly active in the attack against Arminia, with eight points for attempts on goal finishing on 13 points without a return. This week's opponents Augsburg are in the bottom six for least goals scored as well as most goals conceded, so he has incredible upside this week. |
| 4 | Aarón Martín | M05 | @SCF | 3.7M | When two of the top three defences in the league go head to head, it is hard to predict which team will keep a cleansheet. |
| 5 | Evan Ndicka | SGE | vs WOB | 11.2M | How bad do you have to be to concede two goals against a Stuttgart side going through their worst goal drought in history? Hint: Pretty bad. That being said, you are getting Ndicka for his attacking potential anyways, which rivals some of the best full-backs/wing-backs in the league. Frankfurt are second for the most set-piece goals (11), and Ndicka has been a massive threat, scoring three of them and also assisting two goals. |
| 6 | Benjamin Pavard | FCB | @BOC | 12.5M | |
| 7 | Nico Schlotterbeck | SCF | vs M05 | 9.5M | |
| 8 | Kevin Akpoguma | TSG | vs DSC | 5.3M | Early sub risk. |
| 9 | Raphaël Guerreiro | BVB | @FCU | 13.6M | Brandt taking over most of his set-pieces minimized his involvement in the attack significantly. It is best to avoid him until he finds form again even if he has a standalone fixture. |
| 10 | Maximilian Mittelstädt | BSC | @SGF | 7.5M |
Goalkeepers
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Flekken | SCF | vs M05 | 7.7M | |
| 2 | Sven Ulreich | FCB | @BOC | 1M | Even if there aren't many shots to save, Bayern have the best cleansheet odds this week, and Ulreich should start for the next 3-4 weeks until Neuer returns. |
| 3 | Lukas Hrádecký | B04 | vs VFB | 9.4M | |
| 4 | Micheal Esser | BOC | vs FCB | 1.1M | Could one of the greatest keepers in Bundesliga Fantasy history come up with a big performance against a mighty Bayern Munich side? I can see it. |
| 5 | Robin Zentner | M05 | @SCF | 6.7M | Plays for the second-best defence in the league, has the most cleansheets among keepers (8), costs a million less than Flekken, and is averaging 9.3 points in his last three matches. |
| Bonus | Yann Sommer | BMG | vs FCA | 9.5M | If you transfer in Sommer, you either get a negative score or 7+ points. There is no in between. |
Value Rankings
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchel Bakker | DEF | B04 | vs VFB | 6.7M | A double-up of Leverkusen defenders isn't always the best idea, but I can make an exception with games against Stuttgart, Mainz (early fixture), and Arminia coming up. |
| 2 | Andreas Linde | GKP | SGF | vs BSC | 4.7M | Prior to the Wolfsburg game, Fürth were pretty solid defensively, and if you are looking for a cheaper keeper combo, you can pair him with Schwäbe as they rotate for the next 5/6 matchdays. |
| 3 | Robert Andrich | MID | B04 | vs VFB | 8.6M | Andrich's recent performances have been no fluke. He has been a lot more attacking since he joined Leverkusen, is on set-pieces, and has a goal or assist in each of his last three games. |
| 4 | Marvin Schwäbe | GKP | KOE | @RBL | 1.5M | |
| 5 | Branimir Hrgota | FWD | SGF | vs BSC | 7.9M | |
| 6 | Anton Stach | MID | M05 | @SCF | 5.4M | He has mostly been reliant on shots for his recent scores, so I wouldn't expect much against Freiburg. |
| 7 | Jan Thielmann | MID | KOE | @RBL | 3.9M | Expected to play OOP as a striker. |
| 8 | Karim Onisiwo | FWD | M05 | @SCF | 9..1M | |
| 9 | Jonas Wind | FWD | WOB | @SGE | 9M | |
| 10 | Andres Andrade | DEF | DSC | @TSG | 2.4M | Both teams failed to score in the reverse fixture, and it wouldn't surprise me if it happened again. |
You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 21/22 season here.
The creator of the website.