This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Everton v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Wolves
10:00 a.m: Tottenham v. Fulham
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Bournemouth
12:30 p.m: Chelsea v. Arsenal
FORWARDS
Willian, CHE v. ARS ($8,900): Paying $8,900 for a set-piece taker from a minus-125 favorite is a move we make time and time again, but facing Arsenal adds some hesitation even if they got smoked by Manchester City last weekend. Willian was his regular solid self in Chelsea's opener against Huddersfield, picking up an assist on three chances created, taking one shot, sending in six crosses and drawing two fouls. He took most of Chelsea's corners -- Eden Hazard ($9,300) took one after he came on as a substitute -- and could be in for a similar workload if Cesc Fabregas ($7,000, midfielder) is held out again. Chelsea-Hazard isn't as cash friendly as Belgium-Hazard, some of which is because their matches are much closer, so he leans more as a GPP option, though if Willian and Fabregas sit, Hazard could be in play for cash games.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, EVE v. SOU ($7,100): Sigurdsson was a lineup killer last weekend after getting pulled in the 43rd minute thanks to a tactical change following Phil Jagielka's red card, but he still makes sense as the primary set-piece taker at home against Southampton, at least in cash games. The Everton team trend shows that Leighton Baines ($5,100, defender) took four of the team's six corners in their draw with Wolves last week, but all of them came after the red card and there's every expectation that Sigurdsson will reclaim the monopoly. We also can't ignore the huge game that Richarlison ($7,500) had, though for cash games we should be more interested in the fact that he scored only 4.50 points without the goals (or 6.00 without the goals and yellow card), and his cash-game viability continues to rest of his foul drawing and tackle winning.
Marko Arnautovic, WHU v. BOU ($6,600): The West Ham attack could provide us with a number of cash-viable options this season, and while Arnautovic doesn't project as one right away because of his lack of set pieces, he's an active shooter who gets a decent number of those attempts on goal. He's also a good chance creator and could be very active against a Bournemouth defense that isn't expected to be that good (West Ham have the lowest win odds among the favorites but a higher implied goal total than Everton and Leicester City). Andriy Yarmolenko ($6,600) is a player people could target if he starts because he could potentially take set pieces, but there's no guarnatee he takes them, especially after Jack Wilshere ($5,000, midfielder) and Felipe Anderson ($6,800, midfielder) split them last week.
Harry Kane, TOT v. FUL ($11,000): Kane has great anytime goal scorer odds for the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total. However, he didn't look 100 percent in last weekend's opener and he's never scored in August. Obviously the latter thing has nothing to do with whether he can dominate against Fulham, but his salary makes it tough to fit in enough cash-game-type players and I think a balanced lineup without Kane will outscore a Kane lineup, as long as he doesn't score a hat trick.
MIDFIELDERS
James Maddison, LEI v. WOL ($6,600): Maddison was Leicester City's primary set-piece taker in their loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford last Friday, and his versatile game pushed him to 12.00 fantasy points in only 63 minutes thanks to two shots, including one on goal, six crosses, four fouls drawn and one interception. The matchup against Wolverhampton should be easier, though it's worth acknowledging that Maddison could lose some free kicks to Marc Albrighton ($6,700) if he starts. Given his well-rounded production, there is no way I'd roster Albrighton over Maddison given their prices. If there is a Leicester player to consider other than Maddison it is Demarai Gray ($5,600), who had 13.00 fantasy points against Manchester United thanks to three shots, including one on goal, four crosses, three fouls drawn, two tackles and two interceptions in 90 minutes. Gray can go hot-and-cold, but he's a much more dynamic player than Albrighton and could be a reasonable pivot if set pieces aren't that important to you.
Christian Eriksen, TOT v. FUL ($10,100): In the simplest terms, Eriksen is the main set-piece taker for the team with the highest win odds and implied goal total. He scored 10.50 fantasy points last weekend against Newcastle with two shots, including one on goal, eight crosses, one foul drawn and one interception (he also created a league-high five chances), and he has arguably the highest floor on the slate if he keeps his role on corners and free kicks. However, it might not be that simple. While Eriksen didn't cede any dead-ball opportunities to Ben Davies ($5,500, defender), it's possible he could lose some corners to Kieran Trippier ($6,000, defender) if he returns to the starting XI after being left out of the 18-man squad for their Premier League opener due to his late arrival after the World Cup. If Trippier is on the bench against Fulham, Eriksen could be one of the highest-owned players in cash games because of his reliability, though paying up this much could take you out of other expensive options.
Mohamed Elyounoussi, SOU at EVE ($5,800): If you thought Dusan Tadic's transfer to Ajax would end the Southampton tilts, think again! The initial thought was "at least we'll know James Ward-Prowse ($6,300) will get almost all of them," which is really something we already knew anyway. However, it took just one match for manager Mark Hughes to mess with all of us, as Ward-Prowse didn't play at all in the opener and six of Southampton's eight corners were taken by Elyounoussi, who came on in the 56th minute. Elyounoussi played well enough to get a spot in the starting XI at Everton, and while Southampton might be one of the worst teams in the Premier League, his price should allow us some leeway elsewhere. I'd be really hesitant if Ward-Prowse also starts, so definitely make sure to check lineups before deciding on Elyounoussi.
DEFENDERS
Ryan Bertrand, SOU at EVE ($4,400): Bertrand and Cedric Soares ($4,100) are pretty cheap given their crossing histories, and the matchup at Everton isn't really one that needs to be avoided. There are definitely high-priced defenders worth paying up for, but Bertrand and Cedric have an easier path to make value.
Ben Chilwell, LEI v. WOL ($5,300): Chilwell is one of the fullbacks worth paying up for, and we saw his attacking upside last week against Manchester United when he sent in eight crosses, drew two fouls and created three chances. Maddison will likely take most set pieces, but Chilwell also got some last week, which only helps his floor. Paying up here likely means you're not paying up for Trippier if he starts, and while he's an excellent open-play crosser too, he also has more substitution risk given Tottenham's defensive depth and his lack of a full preseason.
Matt Doherty, WOL at LEI ($3,600): Doherty is the cheapest likely starting fullback, and he had a team-high five crosses last week against Everton, though they were up a man for 50 minutes. If you're down in this range and looking for help, you're probably better off playing center-back roulette, with Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger ($3,700) an interesting option after putting one of his two shots on goal and winning three tackles last week. Otherwise, it's always good for correlation purposes to choose a center-back with that team's set-piece taker, so if you end up with Elyounoussi then Jannick Vestergaard ($2,700), who had seven goals over the past two season for Borussia Monchengladbach, could be a good option.
GOALKEEPERS
Hugo Lloris ($5,900): Would you pay $5,900 for a guaranteed 10.00 points from a midfielder? Of course you would, but here we are thinking that paying this much for a goalkeeper is crazy since one goal allowed almost guarantees he doesn't get to double digits. Then again, a $5,900 midfielder has a much harder path to 10.00 fantasy points but a few set pieces convinces us he'll get there. Lloris has very high win and clean sheet odds (much higher than anyone else), which is why he's the most expensive option. If you want to pay down, you're always best off choosing a guy who isn't going up against one of your attackers, so if you're fading Chelsea then Petr Cech ($4,000) -- revenge game! -- could be an option or even Fabri ($3,800) if you really want to nail down that Kane fade.
