DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Simon Mignolet, LIV v. SUN ($3,900): This price is fairly inexplicable for Mignolet. Admittedly, Liverpool's defense hasn't been very good since the turn of the New Year with zero clean sheets during that time while Mignolet ended up with negative fantasy points in three of those five. However, four of those five games were against teams in the top six of the table, and the games prior to this sub-par run were consecutive clean sheets against Leicester and this Saturday's opponent…Sunderland. Liverpool is the heaviest favorite on the card, and priced $400 below the second-heaviest favorite, Hugo Lloris ($4,300), who stands strong as the chalk play on the card.

Other goalkeepers to consider: Fraser Forster, SOU v. WHU ($4,100); Mark Bunn, AVL v. NOR ($3,900); Ben Foster, WBA at NEW ($3,500)

Defenders:

Craig Dawson, WBA at NEW ($4,000): Dawson has been among the top of the league in crosses over the past couple of weeks, sending in 10 against Swansea at midweek. Dawson draws one of the teams that allows the most most peripheral stats in Newcastle, who he had 12 fantasy points against earlier this season.

Ivo Pinto, NOR at AVL ($2,400): With two consecutive starts following his transfer, it looks like Pinto will be the starting right back for Norwich. Games against Liverpool and Tottenham proved to be tough beginnings for the Portuguese defender, but he is still priced near the minimum so he can open up a lot of cap room. Prior to his transfer, Pinto tallied 10 fantasy points in the Champions League at Arsenal for his former club Dinamo Zagreb.

Aly Cissokho, AVL v. NOR ($3,400): Cissokho has been among the few working pieces for a Villa side appearing to be destined for relegation. In home matches, he's averaging 12 fantasy points per game, and the defensively poor Norwich City provides a favorable matchup to continue is good trend of games.

Other defenders to consider: Phil Bardsley, STK v. EVE ($2,100); Daryl Janmaat, NEW v. WBA ($4,400); Danny Rose, TOT v. WAT ($4,200); Nathan Ake, WAT at TOT ($3,200); Kyle Walker, TOT v. WAT ($3,900); Erik Pieters, STK v. EVE ($4,100); Leighton Baines, EVE at STK ($4,800); Alberto Moreno, LIV v. SUN ($4,500); Nathaniel Clyne, LIV v. SUN ($3,500); Cedric Soares, SOU v. WHU ($4,500); Ryan Bertrand, SOU v. WHU ($3,900)

Midfielders:

Wahbi Khazri, SUN at LIV ($2,900): Khazri made his debut for Sunderland on Tuesday by coming on as a halftime sub. In those 45 minutes he delivered seven crosses against Manchester City. I'm not trying to say that the matchup at Liverpool is much easier, but Khazari is going to be an immediate fantasy impact guy and currently at a price not indicative of it. Khazri may not be a familiar name now, but he will be a featured piece of the Black Cats' attack.

Christian Eriksen, TOT v. WAT ($7,400): Seemingly forgotten in the buzz around the goals Dele Alli and Harry Kane are scoring, Eriksen has averaged 27.7 fantasy points per game over the past three league matches. This is the Eriksen we grew accustomed to last year; he has a solid floor without tallying goals or assists, but he still takes free kicks and his high quantity of key passes and capacity to get shots on target create a very desirable fantasy selection (even at his newly hiked price).

James Ward-Prowse, SOU v. WHU ($4,000): When on the field, Ward-Prowse takes corners and contributes in the set pieces as well. This gives him a desirable floor without even taking into account his performance from open-play. Prior to a sub-par outing last time out at the Emirates, Ward-Prowse averaged 23.4 fantasy points per 90 minutes in January.

Other midfielders to consider: James Milner, LIV v. SUN ($5,600); James McClean, WBA at NEW ($5,200); Emre Can, LIV v. SUN ($2,800); Dimitri Payet, WHU at SOU ($7,700); Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA v. CRY ($6,500); Jordan Henderson, LIV v. SUN ($4,600); Xherdan Shaqiri, STK v. EVE ($5,00); Wilfried Zaha, CRY at SWA ($5,000); Dele Alli, TOT v. WAT ($6,200); Craig Gardner, WBA at NEW ($3,500); Andre Ayew, SWA v. CRY ($5,600); Sadio Mane, SOU v. WHU ($6,100); Jordan Veretout, AVL v. NOR ($4,700); Andros Townsend, NEW v. WBA ($3,800); Ibrahim Afellay, STK v. EVE ($3,200); Aaron Lennon, EVE at STK ($3,300); Lee Chung-Yong, CRY at SWA ($2,900); Scott Sinclair, AVL v. NOR ($3,000)

Forwards:

Charlie Austin, SOU v. WHU ($4,000): The former QPR forward had a solid debut for the Saints by scoring a goal at Old Trafford, where United has not given up many goals this season. Austin scored a wonderful 18 goals in the Premier League last season, had 19 goals the season prior in the Championship and had already tallied 10 goals in the first half of the Championship season this time around. Austin figures to slot directly into the starting striker role and should immediately begin contributing goals. This is a price tag you likely won't see again.

Alberto Paloschi, SWA v. CRY ($3,500): The new Swansea signee comes in with eight goals while playing for Chievo, which is already just as many as any Swansea player this season. He will bring a much needed goal-scoring presence to a Swansea side that is beginning to turn its form around by taking seven points from its last three games. Opponent Crystal Palace has dropped five consecutive matches, the worst form in the Premier League.

Other forwards to consider: Steven Naismith, NOR at AVL ($4,000); Harry Kane, TOT v. WAT ($8,200); Emmanuel Adebayor, CRY at SWA ($4,200); Romelu Lukaku, EVE at STK ($7,800); Roberto Firmino, LIV v. SUN ($5,800); Bojan, STK v. EVE ($4,300); Gabriel Agbonlahor, AVL v. NOR ($3,400); Marko Arnautovic, STK v. EVE ($4,800); Enner Valencia, WHU at SOU ($5,700); Aleksandar Mitrovic, NEW v. WBA ($4,500); Salomon Rondon, WBA at NEW ($4,000)