This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 12:30 pm: Crystal Palace vs. West Ham United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Crystal Palace v. West Ham SD Cheat Sheet
There should be goals in this match. The implied total is 2.82 and when these teams met in August, it finished 2-2. Last January, West Ham won this same fixture 3-2. The GPP method would be to bet on a clean sheet for either side. Palace have four home clean sheets this season, but their last two came against Norwich and Wolves. Otherwise, they've allowed multiple goals to Southampton and Villa in two of their last four and they may not have top defender Joachim Andersen for this match.
Meanwhile, West Ham have allowed at least one goal in nine of their last 10 matches and haven't looked completely right without their top center-backs or full-backs. Only a week ago, they gave up multiple set-piece goals to Southampton.
You could always win a GPP by captaining a goalkeeper and hoping for some saves with a win and clean sheet, but this probably isn't that slate (me saying this means it will happen).
Palace are underdogs, but they've lost just one match at home this season and West Ham haven't exactly been good away from home despite beating Watford last game. With Conor Gallagher again a doubt, Will Hughes ($7,200) could be the most popular cash captain after racking up 15.6 floor points last match. Without Gallagher, Hughes has the majority role on set pieces and he was subbed off early last match, which means he could go the full 90 if needed. Everything else depends on who starts up front for Palace, as they could rotate after recent COVID-19 issues.
That said, it'll be hard to bench Odsonne Edouard ($8,800) after scoring and assisting twice last match. He's started each of the last three matches and will produce if the matchup is right, but his floor has been unreliable. Still, he's cheaper than Wilfried Zaha ($10,000) and probably the better choice in GPPs. Zaha always draws a couple fouls and takes penalties, but his floor is far from guaranteed. Jordan Ayew ($9,400) has quietly held a decent floor the last month, though he's gone a full 90 the last two games. He doesn't have a shot on target in those matches, but he's combined for 19.5 floor points mostly from crosses and fouls drawn. Christian Benteke ($9,800) could start, but he's harder to use in cash games than Edouard. Benteke is more expensive and may have less of a floor as purely a central striker.
I mentioned Jeffrey Schlupp ($4,600) in my last article and he turned in a goal and 21 fantasy points. That probably won't happen again, but he's surprisingly cheap for a midfielder who often looks to attack. Neither Tyrick Mitchell ($5,000) nor Joel Ward ($4,400) are musts unless you also have Vicente Guaita. Mitchell was great against Norwich, but he doesn't usually hold much of a floor and will probably have to be more defensive against this West Ham attack.
West Ham have a few more options because almost everyone on the team is viable since Tomas Soucek ($4,800) and Declan Rice ($3,000) are always good for the random goal. If you don't take any of the expensive Palace players, it's possible to use both Jarrod Bowen ($11,200) and Michail Antonio ($10,200), no matter the format. Bowen would be the most popular cash captain, but his price means people will likely look elsewhere if needed.
Bowen has the best floor on the team and splits sets, while Pablo Fornals ($7,400) and Manuel Lanzini ($6,600) are always there to take corners. In fact, if Lanzini starts, he could be the better cash captain having hit at least 6.8 floor points each of his last four appearances in addition to taking a PK in the win against Chelsea. The worry is that he won't go a full 90, but he'll allow you to get a lot of attacking talent in the side and it's not like he doesn't have upside. Said Benrahma ($9,200) is in the same category as Lanzini except he doesn't take set pieces, leaving him with a smaller floor.
Vladimir Coufal ($6,400) is the safest defender on the slate, but with Lanzini and Hughes in the same range, it's not a must. In good matchups, his floor usually reaches seven or eight points, which is serviceable for cash games. The difference with Arthur Masuaku ($6,200) and Ben Johnson ($5,400) is that neither of them are guaranteed to play full 90s.
If you want a center-back, Craig Dawson ($4,000) presents the most upside, but there's little reason to use him in cash games, especially after finishing in the negative of a 4-1 win last match. If you want to punt in cash games, Declan Rice may be the best option.
