This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
This slate is a little difficult to assess before lineups are out since Nottingham Forest are a home favorite against Ipswich Town and they have multiple questions for the starting XI. Anthony Elanga was forced off with injury last week and Nuno Espirito Santo didn't have a great update before this game, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson have been battling issues. If none of them start, that could make James Ward-Prowse ($5,500) more appealing, though this is far from the Southampton JWP.
Additionally, Brentford are the biggest favorite of the four matches and their only listed forward who is a projected starter is Keane Lewis-Potter ($5,800), who has been playing as a left-back.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Brentford vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle United
- 10:00 am: Nottingham Forest vs. Ipswich Town
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. AFC Bournemouth
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS
Matheus Cunha (WOL vs. BOU, $10,800): Given the above questions, it may be easier to not think about it too hard and lock in Cunha, who has been one of the best players in the league this season. He's not crossing as much as Pedro Neto used to with Wolves, but he's still on set pieces and is their most likely player to make the scoresheet. It's not the best matchup, but it's not prohibitive enough to suggest he's going to bust.
Jamie Vardy (LEI at BRE, $3,900): This looks like a joke on the surface, but Vardy is priced like a defensive midfielder who doesn't do anything. He's old, yet he still has four goals this season and prior to the Chelsea match had a run of three straight matches making the scoresheet. There are questions about playing time under a caretaker manager, but Vardy still seems like a lock for more than 70 minutes, seemingly. Following their midweek antics, I wouldn't be surprised if Leicester showed a bit more life and made a fun game of this trip to Brentford.
Jordan Ayew ($6,700) and Stephy Mavididi ($5,900) are reasonable options, though it's hard paying almost $3,000 more for Ayew when Vardy is more likely to score.
Elsewhere in cash games, there are a lot of ho-hum options, which is to be expected from these teams. Unless starting XIs change, there may not be another set-piece taker as a forward-eligible player. Jota Silva ($5,500) is interesting if he starts over Elanga, though more than 70 minutes can't be expected. Omari Hutchinson ($6,200) will have a good floor in certain matchups, but without set pieces he's far from reliable. Ismaila Sarr ($6,800) is in the same boat after his Crystal Palace breakout last week.
For the real ones, Chris Wood ($8,500) is home against Ipswich and seems automatic for a goal.
MIDFIELDERS
Bryan Mbeumo (BRE vs. LEI, $10,400): Mbeumo isn't required, but along with Cunha, he's most likely to rip 30 points with multiple goals or assists and you don't want to be on the other end of that. Yoane Wissa ($8,800), as usual, is a better tournament play. If you don't have the money for Mbeumo, Mikkel Damsgaard ($6,900) is viable, but a healthy Mathias Jensen ($5,300) makes more sense when he's cheaper and after he took sets with Mbeumo last game.
Facundo Buonanotte (LEI at BRE, $7,100): Assuming the Leicester lineup isn't nuts, this is a perfect spot for Buonanotte fresh off suspension. He should get majority of sets, play a full 90 and face a team that will allow floor points to anyone. I think he's a great play in all formats. As an underdog in the mid-price range, he won't be overly popular. To me, it feels like a spot for a 15-point floor with plenty of upside.
Marcus Tavernier (BOU at WOL, $7,200): I think you could get away with Buonanotte and Tavernier in the midfield while fading Mbeumo. Tavernier is more likely to go 90 without Antoine Semenyo available and even at home, Wolves aren't going to possess the ball a ton. Tavernier doesn't have a great gamelog in recent matches, but this is the type of game that could pop off the page for him. If you're fat and happy from Thanksgiving and want to relax Saturday morning, Lewis Cook ($5,900) might be your kind of play.
DEFENDERS
Lewis Hall (NEW at CRY, $6,700): Hall isn't a must at close to $7,000, but he has a better matchup than Leif Davis ($6,000) and also splits set pieces. On a per-90 basis, his floor is also not much behind Davis'. Is that enough to back Hall at $6,700? Maybe.
Either Crystal Palace wing-back is fine and may even make more sense than Hall because they're cheaper. The same goes for the Leicester City full-backs. If Milos Kerkez ($4,700) goes 90 minutes, he may end up being the best defender on the slate.
It's a slate of mostly mediocre options and I'm mainly suggesting Hall because his floor has been much better over the last month. Even in cash games, center-backs may not be bad plays, though if you find the full-backs who both hit 10 points, that could be a reasonable edge on this slate.
GOALKEEPER
Arijanet Muric (IPS at NFO, $3,800): Forest have been best when they don't possess the ball and play off the counter. How will they create and score against Ipswich Town? Muric is always in play for one mistake per match, but he can also make five saves and keep a clean sheet in this spot. Dean Henderson ($4,400) is the other obvious choice after Newcastle couldn't hit the back of the net home against West Ham.
