This article is part of our Daily Fantasy Soccer Cheat Sheet series.
MATCHES (EDT)
12:15 p.m: Las Palmas v. Granada
12:15 p.m: Alaves v. Sporting Gijon
2:15 p.m: Athletic Club v. Barcelona
4:15 p.m: Villarreal v. Sevilla
ODDS REPORT
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS:
Las Palmas: Jonathan Viera
Granada: Javi Marquez
Alaves: Ibai Gomez
Sporting Gijon: Moi Gomez, Burgui
Athletic Club: Benat
Barcelona: Ivan Rakitic
Villarreal: Samu Castillejo
Sevilla: Hiroshi Kiyotake
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, BAR at ATH: With Claudio Bravo off to Manchester City, ter Stegen is expected to get more playing time in goal for Barcelona. It should be noted that he recently recovered from a knee injury that kept him out for a good portion of the preseason, but with newly acquired Jasper Cillessen only 48 hours removed from signing his contract, we could get the steal of the season with ter Stegen in goal.
DEFENDER
Sergi Roberto, BAR at ATH: If there's a defender to pay up for, it's Roberto, who was much more active in the attack last weekend than teammate Jordi Alba, who is actually more expensive on DraftKings. Neither are double-digit crossers, but they make their opportunities count; plus, you know Barca will score multiple goals, so it's all a matter of getting the guy passing to the prolific attackers.
Tito, GRA at PAL:Tito had a solid opening match last weekend, finishing with four crosses, one foul drawn, two tackles and four interceptions. With Las Palmas the second-highest favorite on the slate, there's every reason to believe that Tito
MATCHES (EDT)
12:15 p.m: Las Palmas v. Granada
12:15 p.m: Alaves v. Sporting Gijon
2:15 p.m: Athletic Club v. Barcelona
4:15 p.m: Villarreal v. Sevilla
ODDS REPORT
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS:
Las Palmas: Jonathan Viera
Granada: Javi Marquez
Alaves: Ibai Gomez
Sporting Gijon: Moi Gomez, Burgui
Athletic Club: Benat
Barcelona: Ivan Rakitic
Villarreal: Samu Castillejo
Sevilla: Hiroshi Kiyotake
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, BAR at ATH: With Claudio Bravo off to Manchester City, ter Stegen is expected to get more playing time in goal for Barcelona. It should be noted that he recently recovered from a knee injury that kept him out for a good portion of the preseason, but with newly acquired Jasper Cillessen only 48 hours removed from signing his contract, we could get the steal of the season with ter Stegen in goal.
DEFENDER
Sergi Roberto, BAR at ATH: If there's a defender to pay up for, it's Roberto, who was much more active in the attack last weekend than teammate Jordi Alba, who is actually more expensive on DraftKings. Neither are double-digit crossers, but they make their opportunities count; plus, you know Barca will score multiple goals, so it's all a matter of getting the guy passing to the prolific attackers.
Tito, GRA at PAL:Tito had a solid opening match last weekend, finishing with four crosses, one foul drawn, two tackles and four interceptions. With Las Palmas the second-highest favorite on the slate, there's every reason to believe that Tito will get plenty of opportunities to rack up the defensive stats.
Michel Macedo, PAL v. GRA: While the assist last weekend was certainly a plus, the more reliable statistic is Macedo's five tackles won, an important note given that one tackle is worth more than one cross. Las Palmas are also a strong favorite, and the clean sheet isn't out of the question.
MIDFIELDER
Hiroshi Kiyotake, SEV at VIL: Kiyotake had a brilliant opening match of the season, scoring 25 fantasy points on DraftKings thanks to a goal and an assist. He also sent in five crosses during the game, with some coming off corners, and he'll likely be plenty active against Villarreal, who have allowed at least one goal in their three matches in all competitions this season.
Benat, ATH v. BAR: Barcelona may be strong favorites, but they don't even have the best clean sheet odds on the slate, so there's little reason to completely ignore Athletic Club. Benat drives the attack, so while he requires a little more salary than you'd ideally like for a player going up one of the best teams in the world, he does have a very solid floor thanks to his crosses and corners.
Javi Marquez, GRA at PLM: Marquez sent in seven crosses in only 66 minutes last weekend against Villarreal, while also adding one shot, three fouls drawn and four interceptions. The upside isn't prolific this weekend, but he has demonstrated a strong enough floor at a fairly decent price.
FORWARD
Lionel Messi, BAR at ATH: Messi showed his ridiculous upside in Barcelona's La Liga opener last weekend against Real Betis, finishing with two goals on 12 shots (five on target), one assist, two crosses, two fouls drawn and one tackle won. While his $11,100 salary on DraftKings is high, it's hardly prohibitive. It will be much rarer for people to win GPPs without Messi this season than with him this season.
Luis Suarez, BAR at ATH: If there is a player in La Liga not named Cristiano Ronaldo who can match Messi's upside, it's Suarez, who bagged a hat trick last weekend en route to 37 fantasy points (he also got a yellow card). Spending $22,000 on two players sounds absurd, but their 84 combined points last weekend were certainly a great foundation for a strong final score.
Deyverson, ALV v. GIJ: While Alaves aren't expected to score a ton of goals Sunday, they are a decent favorite and their attack will be led by Deyverson, who averaged more than two shots per game last season and bagged nine goals in 33 appearances with Levante. Paying up for Messi and Suarez is the smarter play, but Deyverson allows for some flexibility in other places thanks to his lower salary.
