Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

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 (£25): I'm going to be out in the open to start this column: pay up for Aguero. When I looked through the forward pool, things really get bleak with clear-cut value plays tough to come by. Aguero has the best goal-scoring odds by a country mile and will face a Bournemouth side that have allowed at least two goals in each of their last seven meetings against City. Meanwhile, Aguero has scored nine goals in his past six matches while averaging a little over four shots per 90 minutes. The Manchester City forward stack is totally in play, especially with a few value plays in the midfield that should allow you budget flexibility. Raheem Sterling (£23) played the final 35 minutes of Wednesday's 1-0 win over West Ham but still managed an impressive 7.70 points despite playing a third of the match. Elsewhere, Leroy Sane (£21) wasn't nearly as impressive for City but could come back into the starting XI. Gabriel Jesus (£22) is unlikely to return from a hamstring injury to replace Aguero as the lead striker, leaving him as a fantasy piece to forget unless he surprisingly makes the lineup.

Marcus Rashford, MUN v. SOU (£21): Rashford was deemed fully fit Friday and is expected back in the starting XI on Saturday. Prior to the ankle injury suffered against Liverpool, Rashford had six performances with at least 8.0 points in the Premier League. United have the second-highest implied goal total on the slate, making their attack a viable option. Romelu Lukaku (£20) scored twice against Crystal Palace, giving him his first performance of 10-plus points since Jan. 2. I prefer the City attack over United's, but Rashford has shown he can produce against nearly everyone.

Wilfried Zaha, CRY at BUR (£18): Firstly, Burnley concede the most shots, shots on goal and accurate crosses among teams on the slate. Zaha had scored in three straight matches prior to being shut out against Manchester United on Wednesday, but he will enjoy a much easier matchup against the Clarets. Burnley came back to Earth against Newcastle following an eight-match unbeaten run, which limited all of their forwards to under three points due to their goal dependency. Michy's (£18) price has gone up £6 in the past two matches, which doesn't provide a lot of value for the bargain bin hunters. Karlan Grant (£10) made his first start Wednesday and could get another call Saturday against Brighton, making him a sneaky option who is unlikely to be on many fantasy radars.

MIDFIELDERS

Paul Pogba, MUN v. SOU (£23): Pogba returned to double digits in Wednesday's win over Crystal Palace after being held to 8.4 in the draw with Liverpool. He'll benefit from Rashford being back in the lineup, particularly in a home match against Southampton. This isn't the most imaginative pick, but Pogba has hit at least eight points in his last 11 Premier League appearances, including seven times with at least 15.

Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at BOU (£19): I'm going to be forthright and say this price is outrageous. De Bruyne's past three starts have all produced eight or more fantasy points, and he hasn't provided a goal or assist in any of those appearances. The Belgian has clear control of Manchester City's free-kick duties and is averaging three shots per game, including one on goal.

Anthony Knockaert, BRI v. HUD (£13): Pascal Gross (hamstring) is ruled out for Saturday's clash against the Premier League bottom feeders, which should keep Knockaert in the starting XI after he made his first start in over two months during Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Leicester City. Knockaert took over on set-piece duty following Gross' departure and will likely continue that trend against Huddersfield. He had three accurate crosses (on 11 total crosses), helping him finish with 6.45 points, a modest return for a £13 midfielder. Obviously, a home match against Huddersfield is a bit better position to be in than an away trip to Leicester City, further boosting his value.

DEFENDERS

Jon Stankovic, HUD at BRI (£14): Stankovic came into the starting XI for just the second time this season during Wednesday's win and walked away with 8.75 points. He was boosted by the clean sheet bonus, which will be tough to guarantee Saturday, but most of his value came from his defensive work as he finished with two shots, two tackles won and two interceptions. It helps that he's classified as a defender but operates as a defensive midfielder, similar to Calum Chambers of Fulham, who's played as a midfielder all season.

Vincent Kompany, MCI at BOU (£13): Most of the City backline is in play due to their form and matchup against the Cherries, though Kompany is the cheapest of the potential starters. The return of John Stones (£16) could move Kompany or Nicolas Otamendi (£15) out of the starting XI, while Benjamin Mendy (£17) made the bench Wednesday and will likely be brought back slowly due to the length of his knee injury. Danilo (£17) and Kyle Walker (£17) both come in on the expensive side, making Kompany my selection as I play for the clean sheet bonus. He made his first start since January against West Ham and came away with 6.75, which is enough to justify his price.

Wily Boly, WOL v. CAR (£13): Wolverhampton were upset by Huddersfield on Wednesday, which I can say I didn't see coming but I'm ready to return to the well again. Cardiff have scored nine goals in 13 away matches, while Wolves have been a top-third defensive side. Matt Doherty (£15) provides more in attack than Boly, but Boly's defensive work gives him a better floor due to amount of tackles and interceptions he makes (1.55 and 2.10 respectively).

GOALKEEPER

John Ruddy, WOL v. CAR (£10): When I first looked at the pricing structure, I went with Rui Patricio because he had a moderate price and faced a Cardiff side that struggles scoring goals on the road. Wolverhampton manager Nuno Espirito Santo said Friday that Ruddy would get the start as Wolves prepare for the FA Cup quarter-finals against Manchester United in two weeks. This made it a done deal for me due to Ruddy being minimum priced and having the third-best clean sheet odds behind Manchester City and Brighton. Jonas Lossl (£13) is an intriguing option after finishing with double-digit points in consecutive matches. This is a huge gamble with Brighton being favored over Huddersfield, but one that could pay off due to Lossl's predictably low ownership. As mentioned, Brighton and City have the best clean sheet odds, which always makes Ederson (£17) a play; the most expensive goalkeeper on the slate has kept three straight clean sheets in the league and could keep that going in a trip to Bournemouth.

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. Christopher Owen plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: owenc8888 (DraftKings, FanDuel), RotoCrook (Yahoo!).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Owen
Chris covers fantasy soccer for RotoWire. In his free time he enjoys watching Jurgen Klopp celebrate goals on the touchline and beyond.
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