Now that we have data for the first three gameweeks, tipster Zahid takes a look at the best players in Bundesliga Fantasy so far and those that could come good in gameweek 4, along with the teams to target.
After a week full of emotions and so many goals, yet another adventurous game week awaits us. We observed lots of surprising moments such as Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen, where we were expecting Dortmund to be the more dominant side. On the other hand, the goal-scoring machine of Bayern München didn’t hesitate to stop against VfL Bochum. In this week’s article, we’ll consider some of the matches in which we expect to gain a significant number of points from.
SC Freiburg vs. VfL Bochum
The opening game of this week attracts a lot of attention. After a disastrous start to the league, Bochum will once again clash for points, while SC Freiburg will definitely try to optimize their performance in front of its fans after a not-so-efficient game against VfB Stuttgart.
There are quite a few players in the home side’s squad that can be considered to be worth transferring. Without a doubt, in a match where Freiburg is considered to be an advantageous side, Vincenzo Grifo [13.8M] and Christian Günter [12.9M] are the two obvious additions if you still don’t own them. However, despite not having his best performance in the last match, I believe that Japanese newcomer Ritsu Doan [8.4M] should also be considered as a priority as he is available for a cheaper price and attributes efficiently to the attack. This is really a choice concerning budget, although one fact should be bear in mind that Grifo is also a set-piece taker which obviously puts him a few steps ahead in the offense. Kilian Sildillia can also be an alternative to Günter costing only 3.6M, while still delivering decent points.
Of course, it is almost impossible to make some observations from the latest game of the guests. At the same time, if we look at the last four Bundesliga away games for Bochum, they have conceded at least three goals in every single match, which makes them the underdog of this match. Manuel Riemann [8.3M] remains to be the best pick in Bundesliga Fantasy as he shares 1st place with Schwolow for saves per 90 minutes (6.3). It’s no secret that he is expected to receive a generous amount of shots at his goal once again.
FSV Mainz 05 vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
This match is one of my favourites in this week’s fixture as we’re going to observe two sides with contrasting starts to the season. Mainz had the best start to the league in four years, winning their two games and drawing against a strong side in Union Berlin. On the other hand, things are definitely not going well for Bayer. Early elimination from the cup and on top of that, three consecutive losses for the red blacks made the situation quite stressful for Gerardo Seoane. Their motivation to escape from this downfall will surely be decisive.
It’s well known that Mainz has a solid defence from which Aarón Martín [8.2M] can be considered as the best pick in Bundesliga Fantasy as he played a good match against Augsburg except for his penalty miss which cost his owners three points. However, the most important addition to your team can be Karim Onisiwo [9.8M] who also had a great start to the season and is the league’s top scorer along with Musiala and Mané with three goals. Although Jonathan Burkardt [10.8M] returned from injury and got his first appearance in the league in the last match, it was clearly seen that Onisiwo is more attacking He is always active around the penalty area which can be even more dangerous for the fragile defence strength Bayer Leverkusen has shown in the last matches. He is also in first place in terms of shots on target since the start of the season.
A counterreaction to the horrible results is certainly expected from the guests. Nonetheless, it is still hard to make that addition to our teams as besides the dreadful defence, previous matches did not result in any good points for Leverkusen’s attack either. Meanwhile, I would personally prefer Patrick Schick [15.1M] over Moussa Diaby [13.3M] as he is the main goal threat of the team and was so close to scoring against Hoffenheim if his own teammate Azmoun didn’t interrupt. Diaby offers more mobility on the wings, which makes him dangerous against some teams, but I’m not so sure about this team being Mainz. The reason is that they have two solid wingbacks with both capable of good defensive play. I also brought Jeremie Frimpong [10.8M] two games weeks ago, which was in fact quite a disappointment and I believe that it’s linked with how the team cannot build the game from the defence that in my opinion is the result of the absence of playmaker midfield player. So, I’d avoid picking him considering his high price.
RB Leipzig vs. VfL Wolfsburg
This is one of the matches that I’m looking forward to as it’s interesting to see how Leipzig reacts to the defeat against Union berlin. On the other hand, although showing a significant performance against S04, Wolfsburg are still searching for their first win of the season. Both teams are not at their optimum level but match after match we’re starting to observe some major progress.
RBL experienced hardship passing through the defence of Union Berlin as they were perfectly positioned and left no space behind. Although, a few through balls targeted behind the defence gave some opportunities for newcomer Timo Werner. One of these chances was created by my favourite RB player of this season, Benjamin Henrichs [9.4M], which at the end met the post after Werner’s shot. Besides his defensive contribution as a wing-back, his offensive play will be needed in this match. Dani Olmo [12.6M] can also be considered as a solid alternative to Christopher Nkunku [15.8M] in Bundesliga Fantasy if you experience some problems with the budget, as he leads the Bundesliga in big chances created. But you should be aware that free kick duties will put the French star a few steps ahead.
Meanwhile, Niko Kovac tries to implement his ideas on the squad. The situation looks more optimistic with the return of Paulo Otávio [7.2M], who played his last match back in December and missed out due to a knee injury. Clearly, his contribution to the team was obvious in both defence and attack. He crossed lots of threatening balls to the penalty area which could’ve ended up as goals with better finishing. At the same time, he is well known from previous seasons for points gained from won duels, which were in fact six in the last match.
SV Werder Bremen vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Newly promoted side Werder wrote history last weekend, winning the match against BVB despite being 2-0 in the 89th minute—the first team in the Bundesliga to ever do so. Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt on the other hand are looking for their first win of the season after failing to win in their last 11 Bundesliga matches.
It may sound strange but the people watching the game would agree that Werder was the stronger side since the start of the match at the Signal Iduna Park. Werder currently takes 1st place in total interceptions per match (16.3). In this case, Mitchell Weiser would be my first recommendation as despite only costing 3.4M, he has delivered 10+ points in the last two matches. You may also consider Leonardo Bittencourt [5.2M] as a differential, who is actively contributing to the attack.
My favourite pick from the guests would be Daichi Kamada [10.3M], as he has the highest xG+xA per 90 minutes after Thomas Müller in the league. He has also shown how talented he is with the free kicks after becoming one of the main set-piece takers with the departure of Filip Kostić. It should also be considered that Werder has conceded at least two goals in each match this season. Meanwhile, Luca Pellegrini [8.2M] also showed in the last match that he is a worthy addition to your Bundesliga Fantasy squad with his threatful shots. Although I find his price higher than average, he can still be picked as he has 0% ownership.
You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 22/23 season here.
