This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 12:30 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City
- 3:00 pm: Manchester United vs. West Bromwich Albion
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
THE CHALK
Ross Barkley, AVL v. BHA ($7,400): I know, this feels weird. On a three-game slate that includes both Manchester clubs and Tottenham, here we are with Barkley potentially being the chalkiest player in cash games because he's (recently) had a monopoly of set pieces for Aston Villa. Jack Grealish ($8,800) continues to be a very viable play, though for $1,400 less you get Villa's set-piece taker who took six shots, created 10 chances and sent in 15 crosses in his last two games, taking 16 of the team's 18 free kicks in that span. It's not that Barkley is the best play on the slate, but his salary is low enough versus the elite guys that he'll likely slot into many cash lineups. Fantasy players seem likely to split between Bruno Fernandes ($11,000) and Kevin De Bruyne ($10,600) because it's pretty tough to build a lineup with both of them without punting at numerous other spots. That won't stop people from trying it, but choosing one of the high-end midfielders and pairing them with Barkley provides enough salary relief where you're not giving up at a lot of other spots.
FORWARDS
Riyad Mahrez, MCI at TOT ($7,200): Manchester City are the second-biggest favorite on the slate with the second-highest implied goal total, and Mahrez comes in averaging 10.1 floor points per start. The matchup against Tottenham isn't the easiest, but the Manchester City forwards are pretty cheap considering Harry Kane is $9,300 and Son Heung-Min is $8,300. For reference, Gabriel Jesus, who has the highest anytime goal scorer odds in the game, is $7,700, while Raheem Sterling is only $6,400 and Bernardo Silva $6,000. The City attack hasn't been as dominant as years past, but it's still a unit that can put the ball in the back of the net. There are likely to be goals on both sides in this match, so stacking it is certainly an option, it's just odd to see the underdog attackers so much more expensive; even Gareth Bale ($7,100) is more than Sterling and Silva.
Pascal Gross, BHA at AVL ($7,500): Gross has taken almost all of Brighton's set pieces over the past few games, and he makes for a decent cash-game play if it looks like that role continues. However, with Leandro Trossard ($6,900) and Solomon March ($5,900, midfielder) expected back, Gross could certainly lose his spot on set pieces, and possibly his spot in the starting XI. If you're looking for more upside, Neal Maupay ($8,000) is likely to be pretty overlooked given his price, though we shouldn't ignore that he has better anytime goal scorer odds than Kane, and Brighton have a higher implied goal total than Tottenham. On the other side of that match, Ollie Watkins ($7,800) has higher goal odds than everyone but Fernandes, Marcus Rashford ($8,500) and Anthony Martial ($7,300), the latter of whom could lead the line for the biggest favorite with the highest implied goal total but is the 10th-most expensive forward.
MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes, MUN v. WBA ($11,000): Fernandes is the most consistent and highest-scoring player for the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total, which is why he is also the most expensive player. Consideration for Fernandes is mostly about whether you want to play him instead of or with De Bruyne, with the latter fairly difficult from a salary perspective because of the sacrifices you have to make elsewhere. Fernandes comes out slightly on top if only because Man United are a bigger favorite, and he has the highest anytime goal scorer odds among expected starters. The one slight positive of fading De Bruyne is that you can still get viable floor players (Mahrez, for one) from Man City, while the Man United floor plays aren't that good, at least among their forwards and midfielders.
Tanguy Ndombele, TOT v. MCI ($3,000): Only one team in the Premier League has scored more goals than Tottenham's 19, and Ndombele has lined up as their central attacking midfielder in most of his starts. He has no role on set pieces and actually hasn't produced that many fantasy points, but in the game with the highest total it seems pretty decent to get an attacking player at minimum price. If you're looking for a little more upside, Ferran Torres ($5,500) has been red hot, both for Man City and Spain, and he could be an interesting tournament option.
DEFENDERS
Alex Telles, MUN v. WBA ($6,300): Telles still hasn't played a Premier League minute for Manchester United since joining them last month, but he did take some set pieces in his lone appearance in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, finishing with eight crosses and three chances created. The set pieces are certainly baked into his price, as he's the most expensive active defender on the slate by $1,100, but his crossing ability is excellent and he should be able to move up in the attack against West Brom. It's a high price, but he's just as viable as any midfielder or forward in his range, at least from a floor perspective.
Matt Targett, AVL v. BHA ($4,000): Targett and Matty Cash ($4,500) could be popular options as some of the cheaper fullbacks on the slate, especially for a favored home side. Cash has been scoring more fantasy points recently, though they've come from defensive stats like tackles won, while Targett has been crossing more and creating more chances. That could come into play, as Brighton have allowed the second-most crosses and most chances created per match among teams on the slate, and while that obviously helps Barkley and Grealish, Targett and Cash should be able to get involved too. If this salary range doesn't work, paying all the way down for a potential set-piece target center-back makes sense, but the floor will be very low.
GOALKEEPER
Hugo Lloris, TOT v. MCI ($4,200): Lloris is the cheapest home goalkeeper on the slate, though he's also in the game with the highest total. Paying up at the position doesn't seem like a lock, but we can't ignore that David de Gea ($5,900) has almost a 50 percent chance for a clean sheet and more than 70 percent for a win. Going down to Sam Johnstone ($3,700) could be popular because of the salary savings, and he can theoretically work out if Fernandes has a huge floor game, but it seems more likely that Lloris could sneak out a cheap win over Johnstone.
