This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Liverpool
10:00 am: Burnley vs. Fulham
10:00 am: Cardiff City vs. Huddersfield Town
10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Watford
10:00 am: Leicester City vs. Southampton
12:30 pm: Chelsea vs. Newcastle United
FORWARDS
Eden Hazard, CHE v. NEW (£26): Hazard had strung together six straight performances of 10+ points prior to consecutive duds against Southampton and Crystal Palace. He'll face another bottom-half side, with Chelsea being the biggest favorites on the slate and Hazard having the highest goal-scoring odds. Ideally, you save enough money elsewhere to also put Mohamed Salah (£27) in your lineup, as he'll face Brighton with Liverpool coming off consecutive defeats.
Roberto Firmino, LIV at BRI (£21): Along the lines of the selection decision between Hazard and Salah, Firmino and Willian (£20) are similarly priced with differing fantasy profiles. Firmino followed up a hat trick against Arsenal with a consolation goal against Manchester City, giving him eight for the season. He'll now face a Brighton side that allow the second-most shots on the slate, giving a boost to his floor. Willian has recovered from a slight injury and should start against Newcastle, and his role on set pieces gives him a floor in the seven-to-nine point range, while Firmino's ceiling is higher due to shots and goal potential.
Ashley Barnes, BUR v. FUL, (£14): In this week's edition of the forward bargain bin, we welcome Barnes, who has two goals and an assist in his last four games. He and the Clarets will play host to Fulham, the Premier League's worst defensive team. Although they've leaked goals both home and away, they've conceded five more goals than any other team on the road (28). Barnes is my preferred option for cheap strikers, but it might be worth looking at Shane Long (£14) (What did I just say?!) as he is quite literally Southampton's only healthy striker.
MIDFIELDERS
James Maddison, LEI v. SOU (£19): Maddison comes in as the most expensive midfielder on the slate, which isn't all that bad considering some of December's slates. He's Leicester's main set-piece taker, which is boosted by his ability to contribute shots, as he's taken six in his past two matches. Maddison has been involved in a nearly a third of Leicester's goals this season (five goals, three assists) and will continue to be in the thick of it against Southampton. This slate is so thin on midfielders that Maddison may be one of the top-owned players.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at LEI (£14): With Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suspended for Saturday's match, Ward-Prowse should keep his spot the starting XI. When in the lineup, Ward-Prowse has taken a majority of set pieces for the Saints and will likely retain that responsibility against the Foxes. His price is low enough that anything above six points will be a solid return, and it could be boosted if he can add a couple peripheral stats.
Victor Camarasa, CAR v. HUD (£14): Camarasa takes almost all of Cardiff's set pieces and will have a matchup with the Premier League's current bottom side. Along with his role on free kicks, he's also been able to contribute with tackles and interceptions. Although it's not saying a lot, he's been the most consistent fantasy piece in either of the teams in this matchup. Josh Murphy (£15) is an alternative option to Camarasa if you badly feel you need a Cardiff City midfielder.
DEFENDERS
Virgil van Dijk, LIV at BRI (£16): van Dijk became the first defender in six years to be named the Premier League Player of the Month for his performances during Liverpool's impressive December. He helped keep five clean sheets over eight matches before they conceded twice to Manchester City. In Liverpool's previous meeting with Brighton, van Dijk had a season-high 108 passes completed, which equates to a little over five fantasy points. This gives him a solid floor that could be boosted by a clean sheet and any other peripheral stats. Andrew Robertson (£17) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£16) will see plenty of opportunities to get higher up the pitch against Brighton and have slightly higher ceilings than van Dijk.
Ricardo Pereira, LEI v. SOU (£14): As noted above, Southampton are down to their last healthy striker and will need to be extremely creative to manufacture goals Saturday. Meanwhile, Leicester's defense has allowed five goals in their past six games. Pereira has managed at least nine points in his past four outings, including three with at least 10.00. Southampton's decimated attack is another good opportunity for him to continue that trend.
Calum Chambers, FUL at BUR (£13): Chambers continues to be a midfielder masquerading as a defender. He hasn't played in the back line since October and has been able to take advantage of the clean sheet bonus in two of the past three matches. He's eclipsed seven fantasy points in four of his past six outings, making him a consideration given his cheap price.
GOALKEEPERS
Tom Heaton, BUR v. FUL (£10): Burnley might have the deepest goalkeeping stable in the Premier League, which doesn't really make any difference because you can only field one. Nick Pope (£10) made his first appearance since dislocating his shoulder in late July during Saturday's FA Cup win and could come back into the match day squad against Fulham. Joe Hart (£14) appears to be the odd man out, making both Heaton and Pope viable plays at minimum price. I expect Heaton to keep starting after doing so in their previous two Premier league matches. Burnley concede the most shots and shots on goal of any team on the slate and have middle-of-the-road clean sheet odds, giving their keeper the potential for a big performance. Fulham haven't scored more than one goal over the past nine matches while being shut out on four occasions over that time period.
