This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed stats and odds, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet, which is available to RotoWire subscribers. Not a member? Join here!
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Watford
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Everton
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Burnley v. Leicester City
12:30 p.m: Liverpool v. Bournemouth
FORWARDS
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. BOU ($13,400): First things first: this price is ridiculously high, at least in terms of what we've seen from Salah and other top-priced players this season. However, with Salah having the best anytime goal scoring odds and Liverpool having dominant win odds and a very high implied goal total compared to every other team on the slate, it becomes pretty tough to fade the Premier League's Golden Boot leader. Paying down for Roberto Firmino ($10,100) is also a possibility in cash and GPPs, but I think it makes more sense to fit in more Liverpool pieces than to play him alone. The same applies to Sadio Mane ($9,600), though if I needed a Liverpool attacker for cash who wasn't Salah, I'd find the $500 extra for Firmino.
Riyad Mahrez, LEI at BUR ($9,400): Mahrez is the upper-tier forward pivot for those who want to fade Liverpool, a potentially dangerous strategy but one that could pay off if manager Jurgen Klopp heavily rotates his side (i.e. sits Salah, Firmino and/or Mane) after their huge triumph over Manchester City in the Champions League earlier this week. Jamie Vardy ($7,700) is always in consideration for GPPs regardless of opponent, but he's completely goal dependent to make any kind of value (for the record, he's scored one goal on two shots in three straight games). Mahrez hasn't been as good as he was at the beginning of March, but he's still a vital part of the Leicester attack, including a role on set pieces. Burnley have been one of the better defensive teams this year, but it's not because they are always shutting teams out. In fact, they have just one clean sheet in their last 10 matches, allowing exactly one goal in every other game during that span.
Yannick Bolasie, EVE at SWA ($4,800): Everton are slight underdogs away to Swansea, but Bolasie's price makes him an affordable target. Teammate Wayne Rooney ($5,600) may be the safer pick because he's likely to be on most set pieces, but playing as a deeper holding midfielder limits his upside in open play, which is the opposite of how Bolasie makes his money. He's usually reliable for a few shots and crosses, and while he's not a high volume shooter or crosser, the combination of his totals usually helps pay off his salary, which looks much easier to make value on than Theo Walcott's $6,700 tag.
MIDFIELDERS
James Milner, LIV v. BOU ($8,300): Milner's price feels a bit high, but as the set piece taker on the biggest favorite, it's justified. He seems like a good candidate to be rotated out of the starting XI, but Liverpool don't have a plethora of fit midfielders to knock Milner to the bench, which gives us a little more confidence that he will start. If he doesn't, we can always pivot to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ($7,800), who isn't a lock for set pieces but does more in open play than Milner.
Yohan Cabaye, CRY v. BHA ($6,300): Cabaye regained his role on set pieces last weekend, and while it didn't end up in a myriad of crosses, he still managed to score 7.75 points while committing three fouls and getting a yellow card. A home match against Brighton is a ripe opportunity for Palace midfielders, and while Cabaye is the safest of the group, there'd be nothing wrong with trying your luck on Wilfried Zaha ($8,700, forward/midfielder) or Ruben Loftus-Cheek ($5,000) in GPPs, while Andros Townsend makes for a better cash-game play except for his $8,100 salary.
Tom Carroll, SWA v. EVE ($4,300): Carroll has taken some corners recently and could resume that role Saturday if Sam Clucas ($4,400) is unable to recover from the calf injury he suffered in training this week. Ki Sung-yueng ($5,700) is also around to potentially poach corners, but Carroll's low price at least allows some potential return even if we have to rely on open-play production. Swansea are hardly a high-powered attack, but the return of Jordan Ayew ($6,200, forward) from suspension should help. For those looking to go even further down the salary list, holding midfielders like Etienne Capoue ($3,300), Philip Billing ($3,300), James McArthur ($3,300), Hamza Choudhury ($3,300), Dale Stephens ($3,300) and Idrissa Gueye ($3,600) are all worth a sniff for a few points; just don't expect a ton.
DEFENDERS
Jose Holebas, WAT at HUD ($6,700): As long as Holebas maintains his dominant role on set pieces, he'll maintain a spot in many cash lineups. He took eight corners last week against Burnley, which contributed to his 15 crosses, the third time in his last four games with at least 10 (the one that came up short was against Liverpool at Anfield when he still won six tackles en route to 12.25 fantasy points). Teammate Kiko Femenia ($5,300) will get some looks if he continues to start as an attacking midfielder, but his floor is much lower than Holebas, even after scoring 10.25 fantasy points last week without a goal or an assist.
Terence Kongolo, HUD v. WAT ($4,400): Known mostly for his defensive work, Kongolo surprisingly sent in five crosses and drew three fouls during last weekend's draw with Brighton. It was his second consecutive game with at least 6.75 fantasy points (he finished with 9.75), and his matchup against Watford should still allow for plenty of tackle and interception opportunities.
Stephen Ward, BUR v. LEI ($4,300): Ward and teammate Matthew Lowton ($4,200) are players I consider each week, mostly because they are usually on the lower end of the pricing spectrum, at least for fullbacks, and they're reliable for anywhere between four and six fantasy points. It's not a huge total, of course, but we've seen a few times this season when they move up in the attack and make things happen.
GOALKEEPER
Jordan Pickford, EVE at SWA ($4,500): All of the goalkeepers outside of Loris Karius ($5,800) and Asmir Begovic ($3,600) feel the same to me. The four non-Liverpool/Bournemouth matches are basically pick 'ems, so I wouldn't overspend to get any keeper from those games. If you're not playing any Swansea attackers, then Pickford seems to fit well after making at least three saves in six of his last seven starts, with his lone single-save outing in that span coming in a 3-1 loss to Manchester City. The Swansea attack should be better with Ayew returning from suspension, but it's still one that's scored multiple goals just once in their past seven matches.
