DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Jakob Haugaard, STK v. SWA ($2,900): An injury to Jack Butland opens the gates Haugaard, who led his former club Midtjylland (yes, the one that beat Manchester United in the Europa League) to a league title, so there is a precedent for his success.

Petr Cech, ARS v. WAT ($3,500): Cech is questionable due to a calf injury that has held him out for the past few weeks, but if he starts, he's a must-use. His backup, David Ospina is the most expensive keeper on the card.

Defenders:

Gael Clichy, MCI at BOU ($3,800): Clichy isn't as offensively minded as Aleksandar Kolarov, but he's $1,000 cheaper with a good defensive stats and crosses.

DeAndre Yedlin, SUN v. WBA ($3,000): Yedlin has been uninspiring defensively over his last two games, but a return home, where he had 18 fantasy points against Crystal Palace two games ago, could get him back on a run of form.

Jon Flanagan, LIV v. TOT ($2,900): Flanagan lacks much inspiration to get forward, but his defensive exploits in the absence of Alberto Moreno are not to be overlooked. DraftKings has sharpened their pricing, and getting a solid defender at sub-$3,000 is not to be ignored.

Midfielders:

Jesus Navas, MCI at BOU ($5,100): Navas has picked up some corner taking duty, and with a lack of depth is getting all the minutes he can handle. In his last two Premier League appearances he totaled 23 crosses. One thing to watch out for is that Samir Nasri is back from injury, which could each into some of Navas' minutes.

Ibrahim Afellay, STK v. SWA ($3,800): Discount names like Alex Iwobi will garner much attention, but the recent injury bug to hit Stoke has left Afellay in an interesting spot with a position over corners. This raises his floor substantially in a desirable home matchup against Swansea.

Robbie Brady, NOR v. NEW ($5,800): Brady scored a goal in his last league match, and his move up to the midfield will probably boost his ownership, unfortunately. He stands over free kicks and corners, and is hardly shy to take a shot at goal. Newcastle have been awful defensively at home this season and continue to face a number of injury concerns along the back line, making Brady's day even easier.

Dimitri Payet, WHU v. CRY ($8,600): Payet has quickly become the top DFS option in the Premier League. He does everything and does it masterfully. He is singlehandedly leading the Hammers towards the Europa League, with a shot at the Champions League. He has 30 crosses over his last two games, and Crystal Palace's abysmal defense still is very exploitable.

Whabi Khazri, SUN v. WBA ($5,400): Khazri is a far cry from his sub-$3,000 days, but maybe now that he's over $5,000 you can own him at a lower rate. He's scored against Manchester United and assisted against Liverpool, so his consistent ability to reach double-digit fantasy points through peripherals is not capped. Sunderland are sharp favorites at home against West Brom despite their separation in the table.

Jason Puncheon, CRY at WHU ($4,200): If Yohan Cabaye misses, Puncheon turns into a fantastic play, as he'll likely be on all corners and set pieces.

Forwards:

Patrick Bamford, NOR v. NEW (N/A): Bamford is not in the player pool, which is a real shame because he's a promising young talent with a great matchup.

Danny Welbeck, ARS v. WAT ($5,500): With the Gunners being heavy favorites and Welbeck likely to start at striker, this price makes him the heavy chalk pick.

Daniel Sturridge, LIV v. TOT ($4,600): This is possibly the game of the weekend and Sturridge is still criminally underpriced considering his talent. In 70 minutes against Southampton before the international break he had one goal on four shots (three on target), two crosses and three fouls drawn.

Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. WAT ($7,800): Though I'm often a proponent of not spending up at the forward position due to its usually low floor, Alexis breaks that mold as a solid high-floor, high-upside play. He hasn't really exploded for any big days since his return from injury, but don't mistake that as an inability to do so. The Chilean gives you the upside of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane at a lower price and very possibly lower ownership, thought the odds heavily in Arsenal's favor will point more people than usual in his direction.

Marko Arnautovic, STK v. SWA ($5,600): Arnautovic has been solid on the wing, contributing 10 goals and four assists this season. He also provides a reasonable floor for the forward position given his ability to accumulate peripheral stats.