This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Chelsea
- 1:30 pm: Liverpool vs. West Ham United
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
THE CHALK
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. WHU ($10,500): Salah is the most expensive player on the slate, but he also has the highest anytime goal scorer odds for the team with the highest implied goal total. There is a dearth of good floor forwards, and if we're going to target anyone in cash games, why not the guy most likely to score, especially since he's produced a solid floor from shots and chances created recently? Sadio Mane will continue to be less popular in cash games, but he surely makes for a viable GPP play given his goal-scoring upside (only Salah has higher anytime goal scorer odds).
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. WHU ($6,500): Choosing between Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson ($6,800) continues to be a chore whenever Liverpool are heavy favorites because they split their set pieces and cross plenty in open play. However, this slate seems like one where many people will choose both, as there really aren't many players at the other positions worth targeting, especially at midfield, which is where more people are likely to punt a spot, or maybe two, to focus on the high-floor defenders.
Ben Chilwell, CHE at BUR ($6,700): Chilwell has had a big role on set pieces for Chelsea, and that figures to continue if Hakim Ziyech ($9,200) doesn't start. Chilwell may not have a monopoly of set pieces, especially if Reece James ($6,100) starts at right-back, but one of them will certainly be popular in cash games if only one starts. Given the context of the slate, it seems very viable to pay up for three defenders, which is a build many could use in cash games because the two favorites use their defenders for their set pieces.
FORWARDS
Roberto Firmino, LIV v. WHU ($6,400): Diogo Jota ($6,300) profiles as the better play with goals in each of his past two games, but if your salary zeros out with him and he doesn't start, you end up not being able to roster a Liverpool front-line player because of the lack of salary. If you do have it, Jota is the call over Firmino, who does so much good for the Liverpool attack that doesn't get counted in the fantasy box score. Given how they are sizable favorites, targeting a goal-dependent forward from Liverpool is still likely to be popular in cash games, especially since the Chelsea forwards don't have floors either and they are almost $2,000 more. Dwight McNeil ($7,400) and Jarrod Bowen ($7,100) are the best floor options at the position, but they are both a bit too expensive given that you can get the goal upside of Jota/Firmino for less salary, which you can use to spend on the defenders.
Chris Wood, BUR v. CHE ($5,200): While Burnley are big underdogs, they're facing a Chelsea team that had some defensive struggles at points this season. Wood and Ashley Barnes ($4,800) could certainly be sources of cheap goals. We might get a discount on a West Ham attacker, with Sebastien Haller ($5,200) or Andriy Yarmolenko ($6,000) possibly starting for the injured Michail Antonio, but Burnley playing at home against a team that played in Russia on Tuesday seems like an easier path than against Liverpool at Anfield.
Timo Werner, CHE at BUR ($8,600): We could strangely see the Chelsea forwards not as popular on this slate despite being sizable favorites, as the Liverpool attackers are expected to score more and we have the salary to get them. However, Werner is an elite finisher who can certainly put up a slate-breaking score, and Christian Pulisic ($8,200) can't be ignored either. We could see some rotation given their plethora of matches lately, but no one should be scared about rostering Tammy Abraham ($7,300) if he's up front, or even Callum Hudson-Odoi ($7,800), who scored in the Champions League this week. Ultimately, these guys figure to be pretty unpopular in cash games, but they should definitely be strong GPP considerations.
MIDFIELDERS
Ashley Westwood, BUR v. CHE ($5,900): Westwood takes half of Burnley's set pieces, which sounds okay until you appreciate that they're probably not winning that many against Chelsea. However, paying up for Ziyech, if he starts, seems like a tough use of salary, and Mason Mount ($7,500) really shouldn't be a cash-game consideration unless there is a very clear path to set pieces. Ultimately, it seems more people are going to pay down at midfield, and Westwood at least has some kind of dead-ball upside. Otherwise, you're focusing on defensive midfielders on favorites like Jordan Henderson ($4,800) or Jorginho ($5,500), the latter of whom should be a $3,500 player but because he takes penalties he gets a bump. It's also worth noting that Jorginho missed his last attempt, but manager Frank Lampard didn't sound overly negative when asked if Jorginho would keep getting those opportunities.
Tomas Soucek, WHU at LIV ($3,700): Soucek is your prototypical defensive midfielder who can do some damage on set pieces, which keeps him in the GPP discussion even though he's playing for the biggest underdog on the slate. He's priced similarly to N'Golo Kante ($3,600), who people will play because he's on a big favorite but he's quite a long-shot to do much to make him viable in cash games other than to fill a midfielder spot. It seems unlikely, but we could get a random Robbie Brady ($3,100) start in place of the banged up Johann Berg Gudmundsson ($4,600, midfielder/forward), though he seems highly unlikely to take any set pieces even though he loves to cross.
DEFENDERS
Aaron Cresswell, WHU at LIV ($5,100): Why should you consider paying over $5,000 for a center-back on the biggest underdog on the slate? Set pieces, of course! Cresswell really shouldn't be in the cash-game discussion because of the other available options on the slate, but if you think West Ham can nip a goal from a set piece, then a Cresswell-to-Soucek correlative play could certainly happen.
Matthew Lowton, BUR v. CHE ($3,000): Lowton is Burnley's starting right-back, but he costs less than many center-backs. Then again, he's unlikely to be able to attack a lot because the expectation is that Chelsea will have most of the possession, but if you're someone who will play any cheap player on the wing then Lowton theoretically fits that mold.
GOALKEEPERS
Edouard Mendy, CHE at BUR ($5,600): Chelsea are the second-biggest favorite on the slate but they actually have higher clean-sheet odds than Liverpool. They're both pretty close, so paying up a little for Alisson Becker ($5,800) isn't a bad play, but the point is that this seems like a slate where you can make a strong argument for paying up a goalkeeper. With basically no impact midfielders, you can easily build a cash or GPP lineup with cheap midfielders to help pay up for Mendy, with the 2v2 basically Mendy and someone like Soucek versus Nick Pope ($4,000) and Westwood. If you're someone who just vehemently rejects the idea of paying up for a goalkeeper, Pope will surely be the most popular player at the position, as the Chelsea forwards are unlikely to be popular in cash games because of the Liverpool front-line players.
