DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (EST)

10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Manchester City
10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Huddersfield Town
10:00 am: Burnley vs. Crystal Palace
10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Southampton
10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Cardiff City
12:30 pm: West Ham United vs. Newcastle United

FORWARDS

Sergio Aguero, MCI at BOU ($10,800): Stop me if you've heard this before: Manchester City are the biggest favorite with the highest implied goal total, and no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds than Aguero. He comes into the match in great form, scoring nine goals on 25 shots, including 12 on target, in his last six matches while Bournemouth have conceded 11 in their last four. You can blame the schedule a bit, as that run included playing Liverpool and Arsenal, who are both good but not as good as Manchester City in the attack. Any consideration of City in this situation puts multiple attackers in play, with Raheem Sterling ($9,000), Leroy Sane ($9,200) and Riyad Mahrez ($9,500) warranting attention in the forward spots, not to mention Bernardo Silva ($7,700) to a lesser extent (both in price and upside). If you don't want to believe in Manchester City, Manchester United are heavily favored at home against Southampton, and Marcus Rashford ($10,000) is expected to start after playing off the bench during the midweek. He isn't likely to have a role on set pieces, and while his floor is dependent on shots and fouls drawn, he has the highest anytime goal scorer odds among non-Manchester City players. Going a bit more off the chalk, Raul Jimenez ($8,900) is pricey but comes in with four goals on 18 shots in his last five games, and his price is close enough to the Man City and Man United guys that he'll be overlooked by plenty. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Wolves are the second-biggest favorite on the slate against Cardiff, who allowed eight goals in their last two games.

Wilfried Zaha, CRY at BUR ($7,800): The Burnley v. Crystal Palace match is actually packed with solid cash-game forward options, highlighted by Zaha, who has four goals on 12 shots, including six on target, and 11 fouls drawn in his last four games. Many players turn to Andros Townsend ($8,000) when they think of a floor because he crosses more and even chips in with a few defensive stats. Both guys will be facing a Burnley side that's conceded the most shots, most shots on goal and second-most crosses in the Premier League this season. Speaking of Burnley, Dwight McNeil ($8,300) profiles similarly to Townsend, though his peripheral stats have declined a bit recently and Palace have conceded the third-fewest shots among teams on the slate. On the plus side, they've also conceded the third-most crosses, but with the possibility of Johann Berg Gudmundsson ($7,000) starting too, McNeil's open play attacking may reduce a bit.

Miguel Almiron, NEW at WHU ($5,200): Almiron didn't score a goal in his first two starts for Newcastle, but he's been very active thanks to seven shots, including four on goal, eight chances created and six crosses in 161 minutes. Newcastle are playing much better with him in the lineup and now face a West Ham side that has one clean sheet in its last 11 Premier League games. Almiron could be popular in cash games because he's cheap and has a decent floor, with the former making it easier to fit in multiple elite attackers. In terms of cheaper GPP options, Glenn Murray ($6,100) is expected to lead the line against Huddersfield, who conceded nine goals in their last four games, though that included a thrilling (for them) 1-0 win over Wolves earlier this week (hello, let-down spot). Murray's floor is pretty low, but only players from Manchester City or Manchester United have higher anytime goal scorer odds.

MIDFIELDERS

Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at BOU ($8,000): De Bruyne is the safest cash-game play among the Manchester City attackers, coming in with fantasy scores of 10.25, 14.25 and 15.00 in each of his last three games, respectively, none of which included a goal or an assist. That latter part is actually the only negative with De Bruyne: he could provide a very solid floor for his price, but you're also giving up the potential upside of guys like Sane, Sterling, Aguero or Mahrez. You can certainly pair one of the forwards with De Bruyne, but again, the combined upside isn't as high unless you get all of their goals and De Bruyne gets the assists. Nevertheless, he is underpriced compared to his teammates, and he could be the most popular midfielder in cash games because people will be scared to pay all the way up for Paul Pogba ($9,700).

Manuel Lanzini, WHU v. NEW ($4,700): Recently back from a long-term knee injury, Lanzini played 45 minutes during Wednesday's loss to Manchester City, and he could be ready to start Saturday against Newcastle. The West Ham set-piece situation is a bit cloudy, but Lanzini did take two corners during that Man City match, and he had the role before he suffered his injury last May. Robert Snodgrass ($7,100) could get looks in cash games because of his role on set pieces when he starts, though Felipe Anderson does a lot more in open play and costs $1,100 less, a fairly surprising price after he was $8,700 just two games ago against Fulham. More importantly, they are playing a Newcastle side that's conceded the most crosses, fourth-most shots and second-most fouls drawn among teams on the slate. If you'd rather not rely on West Ham since they've been somewhat unreliable, Wolverhampton's Joao Moutinho has been a better open-play attacker of late, creating at least four chances in four of his last five games, while his role on corners has helped him to 28 crosses in his last three.

Robbie Brady, BUR v. CRY ($4,300): Brady's spot in the starting XI is hardly guaranteed, but we were reminded what he can do with enough playing time during the midweek, as he took one shot and sent in six crosses in 45 minutes against Newcastle. He usually has a role on set pieces when he's on the pitch, though not necessarily a monopoly, and he's facing a side that's conceded the third-most crosses among teams on the slate. Even if Gudmundsson starts (Brady would likely start ahead of McNeil), Brady's price is low enough to warrant consideration.

DEFENDERS

Ashley Young, MUN v. SOU ($5,800): There aren't many defenders worth paying up for, which could make Young fairly popular if he starts because he'll likely have a role on set pieces for the team with the second-highest implied goal total. You can convince yourself that he has goal upside because he found the back of the net against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but he's only taken 10 shots in 21 appearances (20 starts) this season, so don't go overboard. And while Luke Shaw ($4,700) could start on the other side and occasionally takes corners, his production has been pretty weak lately, though three yellow cards in his last five games contributed to that.

Jonny, WOL v. CAR ($4,400): His attacking upside isn't as high as teammate Matt Doherty ($5,400), but the $1,000 difference doesn't seem justified when we're looking at their floors. Playing against Cardiff could allow Jonny to move up more in the attack, and his defensive stats will still be there while playing with the third-best clean sheet odds.

Patrick van Aanholt, CRY at BUR ($3,900): This is a trap, but I'm going to fall right into it. van Aanholt has a strong attacking pedigree, one that doesn't always equate to fantasy points. That being said, he's taken at least one shot in five of his last six games, creating 11 chances over that span. He isn't crossing nearly as much as he used to, but at this price against the team that concedes the most shots and third-most crosses, van Aanholt is very tempting.

GOALKEEPER

Martin Dubravka, NEW at WHU ($4,300): Dubravka comes in with back-to-back clean sheets, and he's only conceded three goals while making 11 saves in his last six starts, a run that included matches against Manchester City, Tottenham (away) and Wolves (away). He now faces a West Ham side with five goals in its last six Premier League games, which included three against Fulham, who have conceded more goals than any other team this season.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew M. Laird, the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's Head of DFS Content and Senior Soccer Editor. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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