Fantasy Bundesliga: Must-haves and differentials for Matchday 1
Ahead of Matchday 1, we have highlighted a must-have player (M) and a differential pick (D) from each game that you should consider for your Fantasy Bundesliga team.
SV Werder Bremen v. FC Bayern München:
M: Jamal Musiala, Midfielder (FCB, 15M, 60%) - One of the top Fantasy players from last season, a maturing Musiala will be heavily relied upon by the Bayern brass. Securing double digit goals and assists last season in the league, nothing but a repeat of those feats will be expected.
D: Leonardo Bittencourt, Midfielder (SVW, 7M, 0%) - After an injury plagued start to the last campaign, Bittencourt still managed to find the back of the net three times with two assists. He seemed to knock the injury bug away by starting the final nine games last season and can hopefully continue the healthy streak into this year.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v. RB Leipzig:
M: Dani Olmo, Midfielder (RBL, 14M, 26%) - Fresh off his demolition of Bayern in the Supercup Final, Olmo looks poised to start this season hot. He has always shown flashes of excellence, consistency being the only thing holding him back from greatness.
D: Exequiel Palacios, Midfielder (B04, 10M, 1%) - Arguably the most exciting matchup of the weekend, expect many players from this game to have high ownership. Palacios will be one of the few slated starters with low ownership and the skills to possibly pull off some magic.
VfL Wolfsburg v. 1. FC Heidenheim 1846:
M: Koen Casteels, Keeper (WOB, 10M, 7%) - Wolfsburg have major work to do in regards to making up for an extremely disappointing season. Routinely in the bottom half, they played well below their abilities and skill. Even though Heidenheim were champions of 2.Bundesliga, their first game ever in the top flight is a whole different beast.
D: Jonas Wind, Forward (WOB, 10M, 1%) - Wind will get the nod up top for Wolfsburg and has a great chance to begin the new season off with a bang. He netted six goals with 15 starts last season and will look to start one for one.
TSG Hoffenheim v. Sport-Club Freiburg:
M: Vincenzo Grifo, Midfielder (SCF, 15M, 12%) - Since joining back up with Freiburg in 2019, Grifo has been one of the top players in the Bundesliga. A career year last season saw him grab 15 goals and five assists. There is no reason he could not match or exceed those numbers this season.
D: Michael Gregoritsch, Forward (SCF, 12M, 1%) - A resurgent year for the Austrian, he scored 10 times last season for the Black Forest club. He also attained four assists for the first time in the league. Along with Grifo, another great season is in the cards for Gregoritsch.
FC Augsburg v. Borussia Mönchengladbach:
M: Nathan Ngoumou, Midfielder (BMG, 6M, 3%) - Ngoumou will be expected to start producing for Gladbach as the young Frenchman has been given the keys to the right wing. He is a very exciting player and he will have many more eyes fixated on him after a stellar preseason. His low price point also makes him all the more desirable.
D: Ermedin Demirović, Forward (FCA, 9M, 1%) - A very respectable season for Demirović saw him score eight and assist four times for the Bavarian club. He will be expected to do more if Augsburg want to avoid another relegation battle.
VfB Stuttgart v. VfL Bochum 1848:
M: Philipp Hofmann, Forward (BOC, 8M, 3%) - Like Demirović, Hofmann did just enough by scoring eight goals to keep Bochum out of relegation. The veteran could do even better this year with a season of top tier football under his belt.
D: Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Forward (VFB, 9M, 1%) - The 24 year-old will hope to recreate his 2020 season now that he is healthy to begin the new year. Fans of the Bundesliga saw snippets of grandiose in that season and can only hope for more of the best to come from him.
Borussia Dortmund v. 1. FC Köln:
M: Julian Brandt, Midfielder (BVB, 15M, 15%) - Brandt had his best professional season last year and will be another very important piece to Dortmund’s title hopes. Another full year of a healthy Brandt could provide some spectacular results.
D: Luca Waldschmidt, Forward (KOE, 6M, 1%) - Waldschmidt started to show signs of life last season, finally tallying some numbers that were reminiscent of a youngster everyone gushed over some five years ago. At only 27, he still has plenty left in the tank.
1. FC Union Berlin v. 1. FSV Mainz 05:
M: Sheraldo Becker, Forward (FCU, 12M, 6%) - A breakout season last year saw Becker and Union grab the hearts of many around the world. Mainz struggled significantly down the stretch last season, paving the way for Union to begin this season like they ended last.
D: Kevin Behrens, Forward (FCU, 9M, 1%) - Becker’s counterpart, Behrens earned a starting role after scoring four times in Union’s last 10 games. An offseason together should only strengthen their partnership.
Eintracht Frankfurt v. SV Darmstadt 98:
M: Randal Kolo Muani, Forward (SGE, 15M, 33%) - Even with the PSG rumors, until he is gone, there are very few better in the league or the Fantasy game.
D: Aurélio Buta, Defender (SGE, 8M, 2%) - Buta had a very successful first season in the Bundesliga, scoring three times and assisting twice in 18 appearances. If he can build on that experience, we may be seeing the growth of one of the best young fullbacks in the league.
Looking for other Fantasy Bundesliga articles ahead of Matchday 1? Check out all of our Fantasy Bundesliga tips and information here.