This article is part of our Mondogoal Fantasy Soccer series.
With Arsenal and Manchester City, two of the Premier League's top three teams and squads littered with fantasy stars, not facing off until Monday, Mondogoal's contests this weekend will demand less reliance on the usual heavyweight options.
Knowing that, here are a few high upside players from the rest of the pack to pinpoint while building Week 17 lineups:
Riyad Mahrez, MID (£12.5M)
Point blank, Mahrez has been the best player in the Premier League this season. The Algerian attacker has fired Leicester City into first-place with 11 goals and seven assists, putting him in the top three in both categories league-wide. Mahrez supplied one of each in spectacular fashion in Monday's win over Chelsea, which followed a hat trick against Swansea City the week prior. Overall, his 14.36 points per game on Mondogoal lead all players heading into Saturday's matchup against an Everton side that's tied for the fourth-most goals allowed at home this season.
Ayoze Perez, FWD (£5.1M)
In scoring a 93rd-minute goal at Tottenham on Sunday, Perez not only clinched victory for Newcastle, but also brought his tally to four goals and two assists over his last 10 matches. Perez now ranks 10 in Mondogoal points among forwards slated to play Saturday. However, his £5.1M salary is among the cheapest at the position, making him an excellent value. This weekend, that could prove especially true, since Newcastle welcome last-place Aston Villa to St. James' Park. No team has conceded more goals than Villa over the past six weeks, so Perez will be keen to capitalize on their misfortune.
Adrian, GK (£6.8M)
Another player that's relatively inexpensive when considering his standing among his peers, Adrian's 47 saves place him eighth league-wide, despite the fact that he missed three games earlier this season. More recently, the Spaniard has put together clean sheets in back-to-back games, giving him consecutive outings with at least 8.80 Mondogoal points. With West Ham's defense in good form, the Hammers, who are tied for the third-most points on the road, travel this weekend to play Swansea City, whose 15 goals scored this season are better than merely two teams.
Allan Nyom, DEF (£7.6M)
Thanks to a match-winning assist and a clean sheet last weekend versus Sunderland, Nyom registered a season-high 12.96 points on Mondogoal. In fact, that too marked Nyom's second straight clean sheet, leaving only one Premiership defender with more such outings than the Cameroonian. Similarly, entering this weekend's matchup against Liverpool, only one defender scheduled to play Sunday boasts more Mondogoal points than Nyom. With three wins on the spin, Watford has actually surpassed Liverpool in the standings, and could hold the Reds scoreless for a second consecutive away outing this weekend.
Junior Stanislas, MID (£7.4M)
Don't look now, but Bournemouth, in their first ever Premiership campaign, have beaten Chelsea and Manchester United in consecutive matches on their current four-game unbeaten streak. Over that sensational span, Stanislas has scored three goals and averaged 12.16 points per game on Mondogoal, making him one of the league's most in-form midfielders. On the whole, the Englishman has notched five goals across 10 total appearances for the Cherries this season, and he gets a chance to continue his stellar play at a West Brom outfit that's allowed the most goals at home this season.
Romelu Lukaku, FWD (£12.4M)
Coming off another goal last weekend at Norwich City, Lukaku has somewhat quietly scored in six straight matches. That stretch has inflated Lukaku's season total to 12 goals, leaving only Leicester City's Jamie Vardy (£11.6M) still in front of him in the category. This weekend, Lukaku and Vardy will square off at Goodison Park, where Lukaku has contributed toward eight goals (five goals, three assists) in eight games this season. Considering Everton and Leicester compose two of the Premier League's top four scoring teams, Lukaku could benefit from an open affair as his strives to prolong his streak Saturday.
