This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)10:00 a.m: Hull City v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Middlesbrough
10:00 a.m: Liverpool v. Sunderland
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Crystal Palace
12:30 p.m: Chelsea v. Tottenham
ODDS REPORT
EXPECTED FREE KICK AND CORNER TAKERS
Hull City: Robert Snodgrass
West Brom: Matt Phillips, Chris Brunt
Leicester City: Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton
Middlesbrough:Gaston Ramirez, Stewart Downing
Liverpool: Philippe Coutinho, James Milner
Sunderland: Patrick van Aanholt
Swansea City: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Crystal Palace: Jason Puncheon, Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend
Chelsea: Eden Hazard
Tottenham: Christian Eriksen, Heung-Min Son
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Ben Foster, WBA at HUL ($5,000): Coming off a clean sheet last time out, Foster now travels to face the worst attacking team in the league in Hull City, who have scored just 10 goals all season. His 70 percent save percentage puts him above league average, and he has a good clean sheet possibility with the game having the the lowest over/under of the entire weekend.
Victor Valdes, MID at LEI ($4,200): With Riyad Mahrez struggling and Islam Slimani likely to miss out once again, the Leicester attack can be exploited by opposing defenses. Starting the season shakily, Valdes has come around to some spectacular form, as he has 16 saves while allowing just two goals in his last four games, coming against Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester City and Chelsea.
DEFENDER
James Milner, LIV v. SUN ($6,700): Simply by being by far the most expensive defender, you'll never need to worry about seeing very high ownership on Milner. This season, Milner has one game with fewer than nine fantasy points. Eden Hazard can't say that. Philippe Coutinho can't say that. Riyad Mahrez, Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend can't say that. He's scored all four of his goals this season from penalties, but he had four shots on goal in the two previous games before traveling to face Southampton last weekend. Taking some corners, crossing from open play, picking up a handful of defensive stats, all while still having clean sheet bonus eligibility, Milner has a spectacular floor with a very straight forward path to scoring goals. We've seen Santi Cazorla reach double-digit goals in a season mostly through penalties, but Milner is capable of the same as a defender.
Kyle Naughton, SWA v. CRY ($4,300): Naughton has shown some upside in good matchups this season. In the first game of the season, the Welsh international had five shots and seven crosses. Since then, his attacking contribution has waned slightly, but he's picked up high quantities of tackles and interceptions. Crystal Palace have been central to many quick paced games this season, and with that pace upgrade at home, Naughton will be in a good spot to contribute on both ends of the field.
Luis Hernandez, LEI v. MID ($3,200): There's not a whole lot to be excited about here, but given the price and the position, Hernandez is a good value at the back. He doesn't have high upside attacking or defending, but he is capable of contributing a few crosses and do enough to certainly constitute such a low price.
MIDFIELDER
Philippe Coutinho, LIV v. SUN ($9,500): The most talented player on the most favored team, Coutinho should be the first piece you key into your lineups. While Liverpool struggled in front of goal last week, Coutinho still racked up three shots, eight crosses and three fouls drawn. Traveling to St. Mary's was a tough task, but hosting 19th-place Sunderland is about as good a matchup as possible in the Premier League.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA v. CRY ($8,100): Sigurdsson and the rest of the Swansea attack were anemic to start the season, but as Bob Bradley's footprint deepens the attack has improved as well. Sigurdsson has scored or assisted in three consecutive matches, and four of his last five in the Premier League. Last time out traveling to Everton, Sigurdsson provided a well-rounded stat line with a goal (via penalty) on four shots (three on goal) along with five crosses and three fouls drawn. Sigurdsson has reached at least five crosses in each of his last five matches, while also taking 16 shots (nine on target).
Adama Traore, MID at LEI ($5,400): Despite yet another loss, Traore was a highlight last time out against Chelsea, contributing two shots, eight crosses and two fouls drawn. Since missing the first part of the season, Traore has been quietly productive, as his 11.1 dribbles per 90 minutes is nearly three more than the next highest in the league. The former Barcelona youth product, still just 20 years old, has a lot of upside and is a buy low option fantasy-wise.
FORWARD
Sadio Mane, LIV v. SUN ($8,700): Choosing between Roberto Firmino and Mane can feel like a coin flip, but in terms of goal threat I'd give Mane the edge while Firmino is stronger as a creator of chances and assists. Watching last weekend's match against Southampton, Mane had the best singular goal chance on the day but Virgil van Dijk made a spectacular tackle to thwart the attempt. With four shots on goal in the last two matches, the Senegalese international can capitalize on a great home matchup Saturday.
Jermain Defoe, SUN at LIV ($6,200): As great as they've been on the attack, Liverpool have been skeptical at the back. Enter Defoe, who's now up to seven goals and two assists on the season, and a streak of goals in three straight matches (and assists in his last two). Liverpool have two clean sheets this season, and they've both come in 0-0 draws. With Liverpool expected to score multiple goals Saturday, that attacking tendency can lead to an inconsequential Sunderland goal, and Defoe is the most likely contributor of such. Defoe has scored 54 percent of Sunderland goals this season, the highest proportion of any player for his team in the league by more than 10 percentage points.
Demarai Gray, LEI vs. MID ($4,600): With speculation that Riyad Mahrez could be rested, Gray could get a shot at making the starting XI. In Gray's last 135 minutes (roughly 1.5 games), he has four shots (all on target) and 15 crosses. If he can achieve just half that, two shots on goal and seven crosses puts him near double-digit fantasy points with goal upside.
