Bundesliga Fantasy Scout: Five hidden gems for Matchday 18
Not sure which players should be in your Fantasy team? We've got you covered...
Pick your Matchday 18 Fantasy squad here!
Two thirds of all teams have Harry Kane in them. Indeed, not starring the Bayern Munich talisman when he's fit to play is almost a guarantee to lose rank.
So, instead of pointing out the well-known points machines, we're here to shine the spotlight on those hidden gems that could help you climb up the table...
Nikolas Nartey (VfB Stuttgart) 2.42M
Nartey enjoyed a run of five straight starts for Stuttgart prior to Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Frankfurt, when he came off the bench to net the winner with his first goal of the season. The 25-year-old Dane has very much worked his way into Sebastian Hoeneß’s reckoning for an in-form Stuttgart team who host Union Berlin on Sunday. And there are very few more budget-friendly attack-minded midfielders out there.
Arnaud Kalimuendo (Eintracht Frankfurt) 9.97M
Kalimuendo provided an assist on his debut with Frankfurt last weekend and is now also expected to bring the goals for the division’s second-highest scoring team, after injuries to Jonathan Burkardt and now also fellow new signing Younes Ebnoutalib. The Frenchman started against Stuttgart on Tuesday and should get a good run in the side, providing Fantasy Managers with an interesting cheaper option in attack.
Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim) 14.21M
It never rains but it pours - at least that has often been the case with Kramarić and scoring goals over his 10 years in the Bundesliga, with the Croatian tending to find the net in patches. After a seven-game drought, could his hat-trick on Wednesday be the start of another one? Still at a relatively friendly price for a forward, he’s a tempting option for an in-form Hoffenheim side up against a Bayer Leverkusen team that conceded four last time out.
Watch: Kramarić's hat-trick against Gladbach on Matchday 17
Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund) 18.57M
Schlotterbeck ranks tenth among defenders in Fantasy this season for total points, and has seen his popularity steadily increase since returning to fitness in September.
The centre-back scored last time out against Werder Bremen, and now Dortmund, who have the best home defence in the division, have another outing at Signal Iduna Park against the league’s lowest scorers, St. Pauli.
Watch: The best of Nico Schlotterbeck
Alessio Castro-Montes (Cologne) 3.88M
Castro-Montes was a somewhat surprise inclusion for Cologne’s opening game of 2026 at Heidenheim but then sat out the Bayern Munich match in midweek. The 28-year-old had very much been a bit-part player before the winter break but then announced himself with two assists from the left wing against Heidenheim. A cut-price midfielder facing second-bottom Mainz could be a great differential option for managers.
Get the latest team news here!
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