This article is part of our DraftGoal Fantasy Soccer series.
For the past few weeks, RotoWire has joined forces with online fantasy soccer website DraftGoal.com to provide strategic recommendations that could result in cash prizes for contestants.
To refresh, DraftGoal hosts daily fantasy games that allow users to manage a virtual team and compete against other users through any one of their many contests. It's as easy as selecting a league, building a team under a virtual salary cap of $100,000 and then selecting a contest.
From there, users can edit their teams until rosters lock five minutes prior to kickoff, allowing for late swaps depending on the starting lineups named by Premier League managers. Additionally, the site offers global edits, which allows users to make substitutions to numerous lineups with only a few quick clicks.
After a team in locked in place, contestants can monitor their performance through DraftGoal's real-time data, which updates team scores live as statistics are accumulated during matches.
However, this is where DraftGoal's uniqueness shines. Not only are the usual fantasy soccer stats – goals, assists, clean sheets and saves – counted, but more advanced contributions, like shots on target, interceptions, duels won and game-winning goals are tallied to provide a more sophisticated scoring system for contestants to strategize around.
For example, Everton holding midfielder James McCarthy entered last weekend's game versus Manchester United with just one goal and one assist on the season. Knowing that, McCarthy is a non-factor in most fantasy formats. However, through scoring the match-winning goal and also tallying seven recovered balls, three winning tackles, one pass interception and a clean sheet, McCarthy prevailed from last Sunday's game against the Red Devils with 26 points on DraftGoal.
As a result, DraftGoal's scoring system makes contestants carefully consider the formation they use. Sure, a 4-3-3 might maximize attacking potential, but a more traditional 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 may best capitalize on the steady defensive contributions that aren't measured in other fantasy formats.
With DraftGoal's innovative scoring and salary evaluations in mind, here are some candidates from the latest round of Premier League action that could help users earn money in various contests:
Goalkeepers
Last weekend's owners of West Ham's Adrian ($8,800) surely enjoyed the 38-point haul he provided versus Queens Park Rangers. In that performance, the Spaniard produced seven saves, one penalty stop and a clean sheet. Overall, Adrian ranks third on DraftGoal at his position with 11.00 points per game, which could grow against last-place Burnley this weekend. West Ham plays at home and Burnley has gone scoreless in each of their past five matches.
Everton's Tim Howard ($9,700) could also be a worthwhile investment, as he too is coming off a proud performance last weekend. Not only did Howard beat his former club Manchester United, but the veteran also led the way with four saves and a clean sheet. This Saturday, Howard heads to Aston Villa for a matchup against fellow American goalkeeper Brad Guzan. While Villa has done relatively better lately, still no team has scored fewer goals on offense. Additionally, no team has allowed fewer goals than Everton over their current six-match unbeaten streak.
Since taking over for injured teammate Fraser Forster (knee), Southampton's Kelvin Davis ($4,800) has experienced his share of ups and downs. To that point, Davis notched 21 DraftGoal points three matches ago versus Hull City. However, since then, he's horribly combined for -10 points over Southampton's last two outings. Fortunately, the inexpensively priced Davis has a terrific bounce back opportunity this weekend at Sunderland, who are averaging less than one goal per game this season, and have won just once in their past 10 Premier League appearances.
Defenders
Like his goalkeeper, West Ham's Aaron Cresswell ($6,300) is another fantastic option for this weekend, as the Hammers prepare for last-place Burnley. The Clarets have failed to win in their past 10 Premiership games on the road and overall haven't scored a goal since mid-March. Factor in the well-rounded Cresswell, who recorded one of his four assists this season against Burnley earlier in the campaign, and is very budget-friendly at $6,300.
Another London-based defender, Chelsea's John Terry ($10,900) is on the cusp of reaching the Premier League summit once again. All Terry and Chelsea need to do is beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to clinch the Premier League title. While Terry has secured a clean sheet in three of his last four efforts, he also scored the match-winning goal in Chelsea's midweek win at Leicester City. Now, he returns to Stamford Bridge to face a Crystal Palace team fresh off going scoreless in back-to-back home matches.
Last weekend against Terry and Chelsea, Arsenal's Hector Bellerin ($6,100) also earned clean sheets points. However, the youngster added 10 recovered balls, pushing his DraftGoal score to 18 points, despite playing the league-leaders. What's more, last weekend's showing followed Bellerin's 19 points from his previous outing, and goal-scoring display the game before. Clearly, the right-sided defender is in the midst of some stellar form, which could take it further at 15th-place Hull City come Monday.
Manchester United's Chris Smalling ($10,000) may be reeling from having shipped three goals at Everton last time out, but he racked up 14 DraftGoal points in spite of the Red Devils' demise last Sunday. Now, Smalling and his teammates return home their two-match road trip to take on West Brom. Smalling scored a goal the last time United played at Old Trafford, but this weekend he boasts a great clean sheet opportunity. That's because he'll be tasked with defending West Brom, who rank dead last in the Premier League in away goals this season.
Midfielders
In the midfield, few players can match Chelsea's Nemanja Matic ($8,900) in weekly production on DraftGoal. However, Matic does virtually all his damage in defensive categories, as he's now tallied at least 16 defensive points in each of his last five matches. On the whole, only teammates Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas claim a higher DraftGoal points per game average than Matic. This weekend, the Serbian will aim to break up a Crystal Palace attack that has managed to keep just 40.5 percent of possession this season – the Premier League's lowest average.
Keeping the trend of midfield-eligible players that prove capable defensively as well, West Brom's Chris Brunt ($10,300) has actually held down the Baggies' left back position for most of this season. In that role, Brunt's DraftGoal stock has soared, as he's scored over 18 points in four straight appearances. Those totals come thanks to good balance, as Brunt has eight assists, 51 successful crosses and 148 recovered balls this season. One of those assists came earlier this season against Manchester United, who Brunt takes on this weekend and should be plenty busy defending as well.
A more versatile midfielder, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson ($10,200) has been good for an average of 14.00 points per match on DraftGoal this season. Specifically, Henderson offers around six points in attacking categories and eight defensively, evidencing his box-to-box skill set. He also comes cheaper than offense-oriented teammates Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho, while still matching their average point totals. This weekend, Henderson will be at Anfield to go against Queens Park Rangers, who hold the Premier League's worst defense both overall and on the road.
However, an even better bargain in that match could be QPR's Matthew Phillips ($3,600), who is pretty much available for the minimum midfielder salary on DraftGoal. No matter, Phillips has registered respective totals of 24, 15, 35 and 21 points over his past four matches, making him among DraftGoal's best values. Even though Queens Park Rangers are looking to avoid relegation, Phillips has been one of their few bright spots this season, and should still play a big role in their fight for survival.
Forwards
Compared to previous weeks, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero ($20,800) is not as expensive this round on DraftGoal. That's great news, since the Argentine is set to go against a Tottenham team that Man City has beaten in five of their last six meetings. Moreover, Aguero sensationally put four goals past Spurs in a game earlier this season, and has accumulated eight goals over his last five matches versus Tottenham overall. In more recent times, Aguero has scored four times in Man City's last three Premier League games, putting him ahead of Tottenham's Harry Kane with 21 scores on the campaign. The two top strikers will go head-to-head Sunday, but Aguero clearly carries significant momentum into the competition.
A fellow South American, Manchester United's Falcao ($12,200) may be a selection reserved for the gamblers this weekend. The Colombian has really struggled since joining Man U on loan, as his mere four goals and four assists might suggest. However, with teammates Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney banged-up, Falcao may get an opportunity to lead the line versus West Brom on Saturday. The Red Devils have scored at least two goals in 13 of their past 14 matches versus the Baggies across all competitions, potentially making Falcao a relatively less risky proposition.
However, for just $400 more, Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez ($12,600) will allow fantasy owners to rest easier, as he leads all strikers with 20.00 points per game on DraftGoal. Furthermore, few players in any position have more than Alexis' 200 balls recovered, adding a bonus to his 17 goals and nine assists. This weekend, the Chilean is paired against Hull City, a team he's already faced twice since moving to England. In fact, Alexis has scored both times he's played the Tigers, providing further confidence behind potentially investing in him.
