This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
INTRODUCTION
Saturday's slate includes five matches and Manchester City are massive favorites at home against Ipswich Town. Manchester City have an elite implied goal total and win percentage, and for the most part, DraftKings have put heavy price tags on their players.
An unconvincing Tottenham are solid favorites at home to Everton. Spurs seem to concede to every team while Everton struggle to score, so this one could be DFS beneficial for both sides. Fulham are in a good spot at home against Leicester City, while Crystal Palace and Southampton are at home against West Ham and Nottingham Forest, respectively. Those two matches project as pick 'ems.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. West Ham United
- 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Ipswich Town
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Nottingham Forest
- 10:00 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Everton
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS
Any Manchester City Forward (MCI vs. IPS): City forwards are going to be the best projected plays overall with an high implied goal total, and I want to play their forwards in all formats. Erling Haaland ($11,000) has -280 anytime goalscorer odds and he's always an option in cash and GPPs, but he needs a brace to destroy you at his price. Phil Foden ($10,600) is priced as if he takes set pieces. He split corners at the end of last season, but City only had three corners against Chelsea and Foden came off the bench. I'm hesitant to play him in cash at this price with that role uncertainty. Jeremy Doku ($8,400) is a cash option if you want to save money and pivot off of Haaland. Finally, Bernardo Silva ($8,800) has ruined many a slate with an oddball brace and he's a tournament leverage piece at his price.
It's possible to play, for example, both Haaland and Doku in cash games. This is a viable strategy given how good the matchup is for City. Still, there are some potential values in the mid-range at forward worth considering.
Dwight McNeil (EVE at TOT, $6,000): This might be a hot take, but without James Garner in the XI for Everton, I think McNeil is in the cash game conversation. I think he'll take most, if not all, of Everton's set pieces, and Tottenham allowed over seven set-piece crosses per match last season. Spurs are big favorites, but their play style lends itself to back-and-forth matchups and opposing players are capable of getting strong floors against them. Nobody is forcing you to roster McNeil in cash games, though. William Smallbone ($5,300) isn't as forward a player as McNeil, but he's in a better matchup and took most of Southampton's set pieces last match. Callum Hudson-Odoi ($6,200) logged 90 minutes last weekend and took a set piece for Nottingham Forest.
Fulham are in a solid matchup at home against Leicester City, and Alex Iwobi ($5,200), Adama Traore ($5,600), and Rodrigo Muniz ($7,500) are all cheap enough to consider in GPPs. Finally, every Southampton forward is cheap and Nottingham Forest are beatable opposition. Adam Armstrong averaged over eight floor points per 90 minutes played last season. At +170 goalscoring odds, I don't mind taking a couple stabs in tournaments at a cheap goal from him.
MIDFIELDERS
Many of the forwards I mentioned above are also midfield eligible, so you should definitely consider them along with the options below.
Kevin De Bruyne (MCI vs. IPS, $9,800): If you want to fade De Bruyne in cash games this weekend, please send a head-to-head my way. I'd probably play him if he was priced at $12,800. His role and Manchester City's matchup are too elite to pass up.
James Maddison (TOT vs. EVE, $9,100): Maddison is worth considering after he took a monopoly of set pieces against Leicester City last weekend. That's an excellent role and this game environment projects well for Spurs. That said, you have to compare Maddison to similar expensive Manchester City options. I'm being picky, but I'm concerned Maddison only played 80 minutes and logged just 4.16 floor points from open play at Leicester City. He's also less likely to score a goal.
Andreas Pereira ($7,600) played 90 minutes last weekend and took a monopoly of set pieces. Though he started as a defensive midfielder, his heat map showed he was getting plenty of touches in the final third of the pitch in addition to his set pieces. Leicester City just allowed 15 corners to Spurs, so Pereira is worth considering at this price.
I'm in no rush to play road underdogs given the alternative options, but I think Mohammed Kudus ($6,500) is an exception. He's extremely talented and has the potential to put up huge scores. Crystal Palace are only slight favorites against West Ham and there is some question about who will start on their back line given the latest transfer happenings. On the other hand, West Ham played like a passive team against Aston Villa, which is similar to how they played last season. Adam Wharton ($5,600) took a share of set pieces, while Daichi Kamada ($4,600) is cheap for his goal upside for Palace.
DEFENDERS
Defenders are very expensive. Pedro Porro ($8,000) is priced as if he takes set pieces and Maddison took everything last weekend. Manchester City center-backs are no longer bargains like they were last season. In the $5,000 to $6,000 range, I generally prefer the midfielders and forwards at a similar price. I expect paying down at the defender position to be a popular strategy.
Harry Toffolo (SOU vs. NFO, $3,800): I tend to be a bit of a Toffolo-hater for DFS, but I noticed he took a corner as a substitute last weekend. It seems like Nottingham Forest set pieces are up for grabs and he's fine at this price if he takes a couple corners. That said, if Ola Aina ($5,600) starts, all bets are off and then new signing Alex Moreno (not in DK's pool) is an option, as well.
West Ham's Emerson ($4,000) took a direct free kick last weekend and averaged just under 5.5 floor points per 90 minutes played last season. Kyle Walker-Peters ($4,600) averaged 6.92 floor points per 90 minutes played in the Championship last season and he took a corner without recording a cross last weekend. Finally, Vitaliy Mykolenko ($3,400) is cheap enough to consider. Tottenham are a tough but not prohibitive matchup, so there's a chance he puts in a solid shift. He certainly won't kill you in cash games if he busts at this price.
It required quite a bit of labor to make cases for the full-backs above and none of them have clear cut roles to set pieces, nor are their matchups particularly strong. It's completely fine to punt the defender position in cash games. Jack Stephens ($2,800) is not an attacking player, but he started at left-back last weekend. Marc Guehi ($2,700) has a pulse and is playing for a slight home favorite.
GOALKEEPER
Ederson ($6,000) has the best clean sheet odds, but his ceiling is probably 12, maybe 14 points. It's fine to play Ederson in cash, but in the 40 percent of matches where City concede a goal, he's an absolute anchor in your lineup compared to outfield players in his price range that can bail you out with a goal or an assist.
Jordan Pickford (EVE at TOT, $3,900): I generally am fine playing the cheapest possible option in cash games, but it's an awfully scary spot to roster Ipswich Town's Christian Walton ($3,600). I'll try to find the $300 needed to get up to Pickford instead. Call me a bad Tottenham supporter, but I think Everton have a much more realistic chance of winning this match than Ipswich, and he should still have plenty of chances for saves.
