RSL Fantasy 2026/2027 Round 2 Preview

RSL Fantasy Round 2 preview: best buys, captaincy and hidden gems

RSL Fantasy Round 2 has been reshaped by the latest round of expected lineups, and one change matters more than all the others: Theo Hernandez is back in Al Hilal's projected back line and is now the highest-scoring defender in the game. If you moved him on early, that is worth knowing before Thursday's deadline.

The other headline is Al Nassr. Their trip to Al Riyadh now prices as the strongest fixture of the round - 77% win probability and 2.77 expected goals, more than any other team - which pushes Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix right up against Julian Quinones at the top of the board. Round 2 opens on Thursday 20 August with Al-Fayha - Al Hilal and runs to Saturday.

Round 2 fixtures: who has the best week

Four teams stand clear on win probability and expected goals.

Al Nassr away at Al Riyadh is the pick of the round for attackers. Al Riyadh are given an 8% win chance and a 6% clean sheet chance - the lowest defensive projection on the board - and they conceded 1.83 expected goals per game last season with only four clean sheets in 34 matches.

Al Hilal at Al-Fayha remains the best defensive fixture. Al-Fayha are projected for 0.76 goals and managed just 1.02 xG per game last season, while Al Hilal conceded only 0.73 xG per game and kept 15 clean sheets - the best defensive record in the division, at a net expected goal difference of +1.60 per game. Al Ahli at home to newly promoted Abha is nearly as good, on 0.79 expected goals against.

The most lopsided game of the round is Al Qadasiya - Al Ittihad. Al Qadasiya are 61% to win at home with 2.44 expected goals; Al Ittihad sit at 19% with a 9% clean sheet chance. Fixtures to fade: Al Riyadh (8% win), Al-Fayha (9%), Abha (10%), Al Ittihad (19%) and Al Diriyah (25%). The full slate is on the RSL Fantasy schedule, and the underlying win, draw and goal numbers sit on the market probabilities page.

The Round 3 blank and the Round 4 double

Al Hilal and Al Ahli have no fixture in Round 3. Both then play twice in Round 4: Al Hilal go to Al Khaleej on 28 August and host Al Ahli on 1 September, while Al Ahli travel to Al Kholood and then to Al Hilal. The model prices that double very highly - Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both project 12.7 for Round 4, Theo Hernandez 11.8, Mohammed Mahzari 11.5, Ivan Toney 11.0 and Karim Benzema 10.5.

So a Hilal or Ahli player bought now gives you a strong Round 2, nothing in Round 3, and a very big Round 4. That is a good trade if you make it deliberately. It is an expensive surprise if you notice on Round 3 deadline day.

Goalkeepers

Yassine Bounou (5.5m, Al Hilal) is the premium option at 5.1 projected points behind the round's best clean sheet chance of 47%. He blanks in Round 3 and returns 9.7 across the Round 4 double, for a decay-weighted six-round score of 16.7 - the highest of any keeper in the game.

Bento Krepski (5.5m, Al Nassr) is the same money without the blank: 4.8 this round on a 42% clean sheet chance, 16.4 weighted, and a fixture in all six upcoming rounds. Al Nassr kept 16 clean sheets last season, one more than Al Hilal.

Value pick: Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi (4.5m, Al Ahli). He is the projected starter behind that 46% clean sheet, projects 4.8 points, and at 1.07 points per million no keeper in the game offers more per unit of budget. Under 8% of managers own him.

Goalkeeper is the position where the expected XI matters most, and this week it matters a lot. Three keepers owned by more than 9% of teams - Al Kholood's Al-Shahrani at 18.7%, Al Ahli's Edouard Mendy at 12.4% and Al-Ettifaq's Marek Rodak at 9.9% - are all projected for zero minutes. Check the RSL predicted lineups page before you commit.

Defenders

Theo Hernandez (6.5m, Al Hilal) is the biggest single change on the board this week. He is back in the projected XI at 89 minutes and now leads every defender in the game at 8.0 points, behind the round's best clean sheet chance of 47%. He is also the most attacking defender available: 5 goals and 1 assist in 2,743 minutes last season, 0.22 expected goal involvements per 90, which is a forward's rate from full-back. Round 2 onwards reads 8.0 - blank - 11.8 - 6.1 - 6.3 - 5.9, for 22.4 weighted, the best of any defender.

Mohammed Mahzari (5.0m, Al Hilal) is the cheaper way into the same clean sheet: 7.3 points on 89 minutes, a position-best 1.46 points per million, and 21.0 weighted. He played 2,943 minutes across 33 league games last season, so the minutes are as safe as they get in this league. A Bounou-plus-Mahzari-plus-Hernandez block triples up on the same 47% projection - just remember the cap is three players per club.

Roger Ibanez (6.5m, Al Ahli) at 6.2 is the equivalent route into Al Ahli's 46% clean sheet, and he carries the same blank-then-double shape at 8.3 in Round 4.

If you want defensive coverage that never blanks, Mohammed Abu Al Shamat (6.5m, Al Qadasiya) is the answer: 5.7 this round, a fixture in every one of the next six rounds, 19.2 weighted, and 8 assists last season from defence.

Budget pick: Marin Petkov (5.0m, Al-Taawoun). 6.0 points at 5.0m is 1.20 points per million, and his programme improves rather than pauses - 6.0 now, then 6.6 in Round 3 when Al-Taawoun host Al-Fayha. At 20.2 weighted he is the third-best defender in the game over the horizon despite costing 1.5m less than the premiums, and only 5% of managers hold him.

Hidden gem: Ahmed Al-Nakhli (4.5m, Al Hazem). Owned by roughly one manager in a thousand and projected at 6.0 - level with Petkov and behind only the two Al Hilal defenders - on 88 minutes as Al Hazem host Al Diriyah. He played 2,182 minutes last season, so this is an established starter at the cheapest end of the market, not a lottery ticket. At 1.33 points per million he is second only to Mahzari for efficiency in the position, and he costs 0.5m less.

Second gem: Shaquille Pinas (5.0m, Al Kholood). Barely owned, projected 4.7 on 88 minutes, and he takes 98% of his side's penalties - a rare and very useful thing in a defender. He improves to 6.3 in Round 3 and scores 18.3 weighted. Compare every option side by side on the RSL Fantasy player picks page.

Midfielders

Julian Quinones (12.0m, Al Qadasiya) is still the highest-projected player in the game at 9.9, and the highest over the whole horizon at 33.1 weighted. He faces one of the weakest defensive projections in the round, a 9% clean sheet chance, and he backed up his price last season with 33 goals from 27.5 xG - 1.07 expected goal involvements per 90. He is also the most-owned player in the game at 51%, so owning him protects your rank rather than improving it.

Joao Felix (10.5m, Al Nassr) has closed the gap to 9.1 on the back of that Al Riyadh fixture, and he is the better structural buy: 88 projected minutes, a fixture in all six upcoming rounds, and 30.5 weighted with no blank to manage. He produced 20 goals and 13 assists last season at 0.81 xGI per 90.

Malcom (8.5m, Al Hilal) is the differential of the round. He projects 8.7 - fifth-highest of any player in the round - yet only 5.5% of managers own him, because the attention goes to his more expensive team-mates. He is on 86 minutes, and his Round 4 double projects at 12.7. Weighted 24.2, with 7 goals and 10 assists behind him last season.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (9.5m, Al Hilal) is the same trade one price bracket up: 8.3 now, 12.7 across the double, 24.2 weighted, 6.7% ownership and 2,859 minutes last season. Pick one of the two rather than both, unless you are happy spending two of your three Hilal slots in midfield.

Yannick Carrasco (9.0m, Al Shabab) is the buy-now-hold-longer pick, and the best weighted midfielder outside the top two at 26.2. He projects 7.3 this week, then 8.5 in Round 3, takes 93% of Al Shabab's penalties, and scored 18 with 8 assists last season at 0.88 xGI per 90.

Kingsley Coman (8.5m, Al Nassr) at 7.0 and 24.0 weighted is the cheaper Al Nassr route if Felix is beyond your budget; he returned 10 goals and 11 assists last season at 0.67 xGI per 90.

Budget midfielder: Musa Barrow (6.0m, Al Khaleej) is the standout at 6.8 points and 1.13 points per million, rising to 7.5 in Round 3, with 23.1 weighted - better than any midfielder under 7.0m. Only 2.6% of managers hold him. Aboubacar Bah (5.5m, Al Hazem) at 5.8 and 1.05 per million is the other efficient option, on 85 minutes, with 2,074 minutes played last season and well under 1% ownership.

Cheaper still: John Buckley (5.5m, Al Kholood) at 5.3 points and 18.9 weighted is dependable never-blank filler, and he played 2,702 minutes last season. Rashad (4.5m, Al-Taawoun) has the best points-per-million of any midfielder at 1.16 on 5.2 projected points, but he was a substitute for most of last season, so treat him as a cheap bench-slot punt on the model's read of the XI rather than a nailed starter.

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo (12.5m, Al Nassr) is the top forward this week at 9.4 projected points, up sharply on the back of that Al Riyadh fixture. He takes 89% of Al Nassr's penalties and plays in every one of the next six rounds - 9.4, 8.6, 8.4, 7.7, 10.2, 7.6 - for 31.5 weighted, the best of any forward by a distance. He converted 28 goals from 26.6 xG last season at 1.00 xGI per 90.

Ivan Toney (12.0m, Al Ahli) projects 8.8 at home to one of the two weakest attacks on the board, with an 86% penalty share and 32 goals last season at 1.06 xGI per 90. The difference is the schedule: Toney blanks in Round 3 and comes back at 11.0 across the double, for 24.5 weighted against Ronaldo's 31.5. If you want one premium forward and no admin, take Ronaldo. If you are planning around the double, take Toney.

Karim Benzema (10.0m, Al Hilal) is the value premium at 8.2 - within 1.2 points of Ronaldo for 2.5m less, on the round's best clean sheet fixture. He returned 17 goals in 1,907 minutes last season at 1.05 xGI per 90. Same blank, same double, cheaper entry.

Joshua King (7.5m, Al Khaleej) is the mid-price pick at 6.4 with 93% of his side's penalties, improving to 7.2 in Round 3, and 21.7 weighted. He scored 20 last season. At 37% ownership he is close to template.

Alexandre Lacazette (7.0m, Neom SC) at 5.6 and 21.2 weighted is the never-blank alternative in the same bracket, and his programme improves to 6.8 in each of Rounds 4 and 5.

Budget pick: Afimico Pululu (5.5m, Al Hazem) at 5.2 points and 0.95 points per million, on 78 minutes with a 58% penalty share as Al Hazem host Al Diriyah. Under 5% own him, and he is the cheapest forward in the round projected above 5 points. Mateo Retegui (9.0m, Al Qadasiya) at 6.0 is the third route into the Al Qadasiya - Al Ittihad game and takes their penalties, though Quinones is the better use of that money.

Captain picks for Round 2

1. Julian Quinones (Al Qadasiya) - 9.9 projected points, still the highest in the game, at home to an Al Ittihad side given a 9% clean sheet chance. His armband case also runs deepest: he is the top option again in Round 5 at 10.0 and Round 7 at 10.4, so buying him is a multi-round decision rather than a one-week punt.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) at 9.4 is the closest he has been to the top spot, and he is the safer holding: penalties, no blank anywhere in the horizon, and his own captaincy peak of 10.2 arriving in Round 6. 3. Joao Felix (Al Nassr) at 9.1 is the same fixture 2.0m cheaper, which makes him the better value armband if you are also trying to fund a premium defender.

Captaincy is a plan, not a single pick. Between Quinones and one Al Nassr premium you have a strong armband in every one of the next six rounds without another transfer, and that continuity is worth more than a 0.5 edge this week. The live solver on the optimal teams page will show you the highest-scoring legal squad and the implied captain for whichever round window you pick.

Who to sell before Round 2

Crysencio Summerville (8.5m, Al Hilal) is now the clearest sell in the game. He is owned by 27% of managers and the model projects nothing for him in any of the next six rounds - no minutes and no points, in Round 2 or beyond. That is 8.5m of budget doing literally nothing. Move it into Malcom at the same price and you get one of the five highest projections in the round.

Kalidou Koulibaly (5.0m, Al Hilal) and Joao Cancelo (6.0m, Al Hilal) have both dropped out of the projected back line, at 1.0 and 0.9 points on 10 and 8 minutes respectively. Al Hilal's projected defence is Hernandez, Mahzari, Tambakti and Al-Harbi. If you own Koulibaly, the swap to Mahzari is free at the same price and worth more than six points this week.

Abderrazak Hamdallah (8.0m, Al-Taawoun) projects 61 minutes and 2.7 points, and the programme gets worse rather than better: 2.7, 3.3, 1.6, 2.8, 1.1, 0.6 over the next six rounds. He is still held by 24% of teams.

Danilo Pereira (6.0m, Al Ittihad) is held by 25% and projects 2.8 away at Al Qadasiya on a 9% clean sheet chance. Al Ittihad conceded 1.51 xG per game last season with only nine clean sheets, so a bad matchup is meeting a shaky baseline.

Al Ittihad's attackers are a one-round fade rather than a permanent sell. Steven Bergwijn projects 4.2, Youssef En-Nesyri 4.1 and Moussa Diaby 3.3 this week, but the first two recover in Round 3 - 6.0 and 5.8 - when Al Ittihad host Al Hazem at a 58% win probability. Bench them rather than burning a transfer, unless you need the funds elsewhere.

Finally, if you hold three Al Hilal or Al Ahli players you are carrying a triple blank in Round 3. Decide this week whether you are riding it out for the Round 4 double - doing it now costs one free transfer, doing it next week costs four points on top.

Summary: where Round 2 is actually won

Everyone will own Quinones, Ronaldo and Toney. Those picks protect your rank; they do not improve it. This round is won in the slots nobody talks about: Hernandez back in the XI at 8.0 after a week in which most of the game had written him off, Mahzari at 5.0m returning 1.46 points per million, Malcom at 8.5m producing a top-five score at 5.5% ownership, Al-Nakhli at 4.5m and Petkov at 5.0m matching defenders twice their price, and Barrow at 6.0m outscoring midfielders 2.0m dearer. Get those right and you can afford whichever two premiums you want at the top.

Full numbers for every player are on the player picks page, this round's best legal squad is solved live on the optimal teams solver, expected XIs land on the predicted lineups page before each deadline, and every future round preview goes up in the RSL Fantasy preview hub. New to the game? Start with our RSL Fantasy Round 1 preview and the wider fantasy football guides.

FAQ

Who should I captain in RSL Fantasy Round 2?

Julian Quinones (12.0m, Al Qadasiya) is the top captain pick at 9.9 projected points, at home to an Al Ittihad side given a 9% clean sheet chance. He scored 33 goals from 27.5 xG last season. Cristiano Ronaldo (12.5m, Al Nassr) at 9.4 and Joao Felix (10.5m, Al Nassr) at 9.1 are the alternatives, both away at an Al Riyadh side with the round's worst defensive projection at a 6% clean sheet chance. Ronaldo is the safer long-term armband because he plays in all six upcoming rounds.

Should I sell Theo Hernandez in RSL Fantasy Round 2?

No. He is back in Al Hilal's projected starting eleven at 89 minutes and now projects 8.0 points - more than any other defender in the game - behind the round's best clean sheet chance of 47%. He scored 5 goals with 1 assist in 2,743 minutes last season, an unusually high attacking return for a defender. The only reason to move him is the Round 3 blank, and even then his Round 4 double projects at 11.8.

Which teams blank in RSL Fantasy Round 3?

Al Hilal and Al Ahli have no fixture in Round 3, then play twice in Round 4 - Al Hilal at Al Khaleej and then at home to Al Ahli on 1 September. The model projects large returns from that double: 12.7 each for Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, 11.8 for Theo Hernandez, 11.5 for Mohammed Mahzari, 11.0 for Ivan Toney and 10.5 for Karim Benzema. Holding through the blank is defensible, but make the decision this week rather than paying a points hit to fix it later.

What are the best differentials in RSL Fantasy Round 2?

Malcom (8.5m, Al Hilal) is the standout at 8.7 projected points - fifth-highest in the round - on just 5.5% ownership. Ahmed Al-Nakhli (4.5m, Al Hazem) projects 6.0 at near-zero ownership and 1.33 points per million. Marin Petkov (5.0m, Al-Taawoun) also projects 6.0 at 5% ownership and has the third-best six-round weighted score of any defender. Musa Barrow (6.0m, Al Khaleej) at 6.8 points and 2.6% ownership is the best budget midfielder in the round.

Who should I sell in RSL Fantasy Round 2?

Crysencio Summerville (8.5m, Al Hilal) is the clearest sell: 27% of managers own him and the model projects him no minutes and no points in any of the next six rounds. Kalidou Koulibaly (5.0m) and Joao Cancelo (6.0m) have both dropped out of Al Hilal's projected back line, at 1.0 and 0.9 points. Abderrazak Hamdallah (8.0m, Al-Taawoun) projects 2.7 on 61 minutes and declines from there, and Danilo Pereira (6.0m, Al Ittihad) projects 2.8 on a 9% clean sheet chance. Al Ittihad's attackers are better benched for one week than sold, since their fixtures improve in Round 3.

This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI - verified by Nicolai @ TheFantasyTool