This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Brentford vs. Luton Town
- 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Sheffield United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday Premier League Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS
Bukayo Saka (ARS vs. WOL, $10,500): Arsenal players are expensive, but they are in the best matchup home against Wolves with an implied goal total north of two. Saka has eclipsed 10 fantasy floor points in six of his last eight starts and he has two goals and four assists in his past four starts. The one concern for Saka is that Arsenal's set-piece situation has been volatile lately, but I still think the most likely outcome is that he takes half of the team's corners. His crossing and shooting in open play is enough for him to pay off his price even without the corners.
I thought Gabriel Jesus ($8,500) would have better goalscoring odds given his role and Arsenal's team total. His price is very tempting in GPP formats. I don't think the price gap between Gabriel Martinelli ($10,000) and Saka is enough. Martinelli's role on set pieces is even less certain than Saka's and I think his sub risk in league matches is higher than Saka's. He is a leverage option on Saka in tournaments.
Bryan Mbeumo (BRE vs. LUT, $9,700): Brentford also enjoy a positive matchup hosting Luton Town. Their implied win probability and goal total is only slightly below Arsenal's and Mbeumo splits set pieces, takes Brentford's penalties and has the best goalscoring odds on the slate. I think Mbeumo has a better role in his team than Martinelli and prefer him in cash games.
It's a bit outrageous to see Neal Maupay priced at $8,400, but he has a goal and assist in his past two starts and played at least 88 minutes in each of those two matches. He has slightly better goalscoring odds than Gabriel Jesus, depending where you look, and while I'm a bit skeptical of those odds, he needs to be considered in GPPs for this reason. I think Yoane Wissa ($6,800) will be more popular than Maupay due to price. It's concerning to see that Wissa has been subbed off at the 72nd minute in two consecutive starts but on a three-game slate with three big underdogs, this is less of a concern than usual.
Finally, Burnley are favorites to win at home against the shambolic Sheffield United. Johann Berg Gudmundsson ($7,300) continues to see strong minutes while splitting set pieces and you can also use him in a midfield spot. Zeki Amdouni ($5,100) looks like the best budget forward option. The Swiss international has not made the scoresheet since mid-September, but he has the best goalscoring odds of all the Burnley players. Finally, Jay Rodriguez ($5,900) scored a penalty last week. He's been priced up a little bit, but he's still fairly priced for a penalty taker.
MIDFIELDERS
Leandro Trossard (ARS vs. WOL, $8,200): Martin Odegaard ($9,500) is a good option for GPPs, but his fantasy point output seems a bit too volatile for his price. Mathias Jensen ($7,600) would be a good play if he weren't ruled out via injury, which leaves Trossard as the best spend-up option at midfield. He usually splits set pieces whenever he plays and has gone at least 80 minutes in his past three starts and was rested midweek in Champions League. He's simply too cheap in this matchup.
Gustavo Hamer (SHU at BRN, $5,100): Say what you will about Sheffield United, but at least their higher upside players are cheap. Hamer is not a priority by any means if he starts with Oliver Norwood ($5,500), but I still think he is one of Sheffield's best creative players. Burnley have not been good themselves this season, so I am fine rostering Hamer with one of his cheap forward teammates such as Oliver McBurnie ($5,500) or Cameron Archer ($4,800) in larger tournaments. Josh Brownhill ($5,900) is an uninspiring play if Gudmundsson starts with him, but he'll take most of the set pieces if Gudmundsson is not in Burnley's XI.
Luca Koleosho ($4,700) and James McAtee ($4,400) both have some attacking upside and seem like reasonable GPP targets. Though the prices are tempting for both sides of this Burnley-Sheffield United matchup, it still has the lowest implied total of the slate. There are plenty of outcomes where this match doesn't offer much in terms of fantasy output, so I don't think it's a good idea to get carried away in playing options on either team.
Finally, Vitaly Janelt ($3,900) has made three starts recently at left-back for Brentford and has 11 crosses in those contests, so I think he is worth considering if you need a punt.
DEFENDERS
Oleksandr Zinchenko ($5,900) has had some solid performances lately, but there is also a large sample size of him offering mediocre (at best) fantasy scores, even in good matchups (see the Lens match). Takehiro Tomiyasu ($5,200) received a price bump and got two assists in UCL play on Wednesday, but he is generally not a particularly attacking player. There are certain roster constructions where you can afford Zinchenko or Tomiyasu, but my first impression for cash games is that I prefer to punt at defender and use the extra salary to play a better midfielder or goalkeeper. Both are worth considering in tournaments, as it won't take much to be the highest scoring defender. If either hits a ceiling performance, they are likely to outscore the rest of the position by a large margin.
Kristoffer Ajer (BRE vs. LUT, $3,700): Ajer isn't a natural right-back, but he has been deputizing at the position recently due to Brentford's injury issues. Brentford have implied clean sheet odds above 40 percent, so I think the price is right on Ajer even if you can't expect much offensive output.
Vitinho (BRN vs. SHU, $3,500): I've been targeting full-backs against Sheffield United all season and Vitinho is an attacking-minded right-back who played in an attacking midfield role last season in the Championship. He's also played over 85 minutes in his past four starts. I don't have huge expectations for Vitinho and while the price is right, it's worth keeping in mind that his best fantasy performance this season is six points.
Issa Kabore ($3,600) and George Baldock ($3,300) might start as wing-backs. Even though they play on underdog sides, they are interesting options in an otherwise uninspiring defender position. Baldock got an assist last weekend, though he started the game as a center-back in a back three. Kabore is coming back from a concussion, so I worry he might be more likely to be subbed early.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya (ARS vs. WOL, $5,900): In cash games on a three-match slate, I think it's worth spending up at goalkeeper if there is a big favorite. I'll do my best to get up to Raya, but if I absolutely needed the $300, I think Mark Flekken ($5,600) is a fine consolation prize. In tournaments, I've noticed that the field has been gravitating toward the expensive home favorite goalkeepers in these small slates. In these situations, I don't mind taking shots at less popular options and crossing my fingers that goalkeeper variance works in my favor. Wes Foderingham ($4,200) has had many strong save performances this season and I think his rostership won't reflect his actual chance of keeping a clean sheet.
