This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Leeds United vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Nottingham Forest
- 10:00 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Southampton
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Son Heung-Min, TOT vs. SOU ($11,900): Tottenham are the biggest favorite on Saturday's slate, with an implied goal total around 2.15 for their home matchup against Southampton. These are the spots where it often makes sense to roster both Son and Harry Kane ($11,200), however, DraftKings has done no favors with the pricing this week. The Spurs forwards are more expensive than usual and considering there are multiple defenders worth paying for, it probably isn't optimal to roster both of them together. Son has the highest floor on the slate and of course plenty of upside after finishing last season as joint-top scorer in the league with 23 goals. Kane probably has a higher ceiling as he takes penalty kicks and is the more likely of the two players to score a hat trick, while Son is the clear option for cash games. The $700 savings might be enough reason to favor Kane in tournaments.
Pedro Neto, WOL at LEE ($7,400): We didn't see the best of Neto last season after he returned from a 10-month absence (knee) in February. He's been a great DFS option when at his best and apparently he's back to full fitness now. He splits set pieces and rarely passes up the chance to shoot. Wolves play away to Leeds, who conceded a ton of goals last season and lost their best two players over the summer. Elsewhere in this range, Callum Wilson ($7,800) has the next-best goalscoring odds after Son and Kane. After finishing last season in impressive style, Newcastle have a favorable home matchup against newly promoted Nottingham Forest. Wilson scored a brace on the final day of the season and it wouldn't be surprising to see him open the new campaign in similar fashion.
Looking a bit cheaper, Jaidon Anthony ($6,100) should split set pieces for Bournemouth, who host Aston Villa in a matchup they'll expect to get something out of. Anthony scored eight goals and added seven assists in the Championship last season. He played 90 minutes more often than not in his 38 starts, but there could be more subs than in previous seasons as the Premier League now allows five instead of three. I'd expect this to be a popular range for GPPs as there are three center forwards priced right next to each other. Ollie Watkins ($6,400), Dominic Solanke ($6,300) and Patrick Bamford ($6,200) all have decent matchups and you'd expect one of them to score. Odds say that Bamford is the most likely. If you're looking to save more salary, Rodrigo ($5,000) and Leon Bailey ($4,900) are decent options. Both have scored multiple goals in pre-season friendlies which should bode well for a confident start to the season.
MIDFIELDERS
Jack Harrison, LEE vs. WOL ($7,500): Overall, the midfield position is weak. Spending all the way up for Dejan Kulusevski ($9,200) would make sense in tournaments. He'll be considerably less popular than Kane and Son and has almost as much upside. We just saw him score a brace on the final day of last season and he led the league in assists since debuting in February. On many four-game slates, I'd be highlighting James Ward-Prowse ($8,500), especially for under $9,000, but Southampton's away matchup against Tottenham is tough. I'm expecting them to create few chances and be largely dominated which isn't good for a defensive midfielder like Ward-Prowse who relies so much on set pieces for value. Harrison seems like the better option from a point-per-dollar and upside perspective considering that Leeds are home favorites against Wolves. He should take at least half the corners and he usually plays 90 minutes. Leeds lost Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha in the summer which should make Harrison's role in the team more prominent and secure. It's difficult to know what to expect as the team looks so different now, but he'll have his chance to step up and the same goes for Brenden Aaronson ($7,200), who signed from Red Bull Salzburg in May. The 21-year old has massive potential and should adapt quickly to the Premier League. It remains to be seen who will take the right-footed sets for Leeds without Raphinha, Phillips or Stuart Dallas (injured) in the squad. It could be Aaronson after he took them at times for Salzburg last season and in recent friendlies. Regardless of that role, his goal/assist upside from open play makes him a viable target for GPPs.
Looking at mid-range options, Ryan Christie ($5,200) split set pieces with Anthony last season and should do so on Saturday, as well. That floor makes him an option for cash games, but I'll likely avoid him in tournaments based on a lack of upside. If I'm in this range, I'd prefer pairing a central midfielder from Spurs with either Kane, Son or both.
Marc Roca, LEE vs. WOL ($3,200): If it's not Aaronson, there's a good chance Roca takes some corners for Leeds. He took four in his most recent start for Bayern Munich all the way back in January and he took some back in 2019 during his time with Espanyol. Keep in mind that he's a defensive midfielder and won't offer much value if he doesn't take any sets. He's also near-minimum salary and on a slate where there are very few options in the way of punts. He might not need to offer much value if the expensive players have ceiling games and you need Roca to make it all fit.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Digne, AVL at BOU ($5,800): There are multiple defenders worth spending up for but not much to differentiate them when trying to decide which one is best. Digne offers slightly more from open play than the Newcastle full-backs and Aston Villa have a favorable matchup against promoted Bournemouth. He splits set pieces and seems the safest option all things considered.
Matt Targett, NEW vs. NOT ($5,600): Newcastle are in a better spot than Digne and Aston Villa so you could make the argument that Targett and Kieran Trippier ($6,700) are slightly better options than Digne assuming they have higher assist equity. If salaries were equal, Trippier would be my pick. I'd guess that he's more expensive because he takes direct free kicks and scored with two of them last season. He and Targett should split set pieces and Newcastle should have plenty of them against promoted Nottingham Forest at home.
The Spurs wing-backs have the most upside for tournaments but I worry about the sub risk. They signed Ivan Perisic and Djed Spence ($5,400) over the summer, giving them depth on both sides. Matt Doherty ($6,500) would be the most likely defender to score or assist from open play and makes sense paired with Kane in GPPs.
GOALKEEPERS
Hugo Lloris, TOT vs. SOU ($5,900): Tottenham have the best win and clean sheet odds on the slate which makes Lloris the top option at goalkeeper. Newcastle have similar clean-sheet odds which makes Nick Pope ($5,600) a decent option too. If you're planning on rostering just one Spurs attacker, or even fading all of them in tournaments, spending up at keeper would be a good way to use the extra salary.
Mark Travers, BOU vs. AVL ($4,400): On the flip side, if you're trying to get as much exposure to Kane, Son, Kulusevski and the expensive defenders, you'll need to pay down at keeper. Travers is the cheapest home goalie and it wouldn't be surprising to see Bournemouth come away with a win on the opening Saturday. Likewise, no one would be shocked if Jose Sa ($4,600) and Wolves shut out Leeds. Both players are good options, so chose the one that correlates best with your lineup.
