This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 a.m: Burnley vs. Arsenal
- 10:00 a.m: Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
- 10:00 a.m: Manchester City vs. Southampton
- 10:00 a.m: Norwich City vs. Watford
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Nicolas Pepe, ARS at BUR ($8,700): Manchester City and Liverpool are big favorites and will be popular targets, but neither team really has any cash plays at forward. Meanwhile, Pepe scored a whopping 23 floor points last weekend. He's been taking a majority of Arsenal's set pieces and has played the full 90 minutes in all three of his starts this season. The matchup away to Burnley is above average, and Pepe brings plenty of goal/assist upside to go along with his substantial floor. Tournament options in this range include Gabriel Jesus ($8,500) and Riyad Mahrez ($8,400), as Manchester City have an implied goal total north of 2.5 for their home matchup against Southampton. The Liverpool options are more expensive for their equally good matchup at home to Crystal Palace, but Diogo Jota ($8,300) is still affordable.
Bukayo Saka, ARS at BUR ($7,100): Saka is coming off his best game of the season last weekend when he took six shots, drew four fouls and assisted four shots on his way to 15 floor points. Just as encouraging was the fact that he played 90 minutes for the first time this season. It won't be long until he scores his first goal of the season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($7,700) and Raheem Sterling ($7,600) are appealing but goal-dependent options in this range, with Sterling's anytime goal-scoring odds of -105 stand out for the salary.
Emmanuel Dennis, WAT at NOR ($5,800): Dennis took five of Watford's six corners last weekend, and plus a matchup with Norwich is good enough to make anyone a solid play. He offers considerable goal/assist equity, and he's played the full 90 in three consecutive games. The other side of this game is also worth targeting, as record-signing Christos Tzolis ($5,300) will be eager to impress in his home debut. Milot Rashica ($5,100) has been racking up crosses of late, both from corners and open play, while Teemu Pukki ($5,600) has anytime goal-scoring odds of +125, significantly higher than others in his price range.
MIDFIELDERS
Jack Grealish, MCI vs. SOU ($8,800): Manchester City are the biggest favorite on the slate so that must mean Kevin De Bruyne ($10,200) right? I don't want to jump the gun, but it might be the end of an era. De Bruyne returned to action midweek in the Champions League and took ZERO corners. It was Grealish who clearly had priority. Will this be the norm going forward or is it only temporary? Assuming both start against Southampton, Grealish is the safer bet for me. Not only is he $1,400 cheaper, but he's been playing in a more advanced role and probably offers more goal upside. He just scored a brilliant one Wednesday, his Champions League debut, when he cut inside and curled past the keeper in trademark Grealish fashion. If it were Phil Foden ($9,500) who starts, we can expect some corners from him after he took them midweek when he came on as a substitute. Moving to the mid-range, Conor Gallagher ($6,800) and James Ward-Prowse ($6,500) each have near-monopolies of set pieces, but both are in less than ideal spots; away matchups against Liverpool and City, respectively, are as bad as it gets in the Premier League.
Billy Gilmour, NOR vs. WAT ($3,700): Aside from the expensive players, there isn't much to like at midfield on this slate. We also have to pay top dollar to afford to elite forwards and defenders. Both of those factors make Gilmour viable. He might take a few corners but doesn't offer much in the way of upside. If he's ever going to find an assist though, it could be at home against Watford. Juraj Kucka ($3,500) has a similar floor in the same game. For tournaments, it might be better to gamble on someone like Thomas Partey ($3,200), especially if you have Arsenal players in your lineup.
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV vs. CRY ($9,000): Midweek we saw Juan Cuadrado and Alexander-Arnold with salaries in the 8K range. Saturday will mark the first slate we've ever seen with a defender priced at $9,000. It might seem crazy, but based on recent evidence, he's worth at least that. He's averaging a massive 18 floor points per game in four matches this season, and that doesn't include his clean sheets or assists. If you don't want to pay a record price for a defender, Andrew Robertson ($6,400) would be a great pivot. He also has a double-digit floor and offers plenty of upside. He's recorded 19 assists in the last two seasons, just one shy of Alexander-Arnold's 20. Joao Cancelo ($5,500) would be a less popular but still worthy option for tournaments, as he's coming off another goal midweek, his fourth in the last year across all competitions.
Danny Rose, WAT at NOR ($3,700): Rose put up eight fantasy points despite picking up yellow card in his season debut last weekend. Brandon Williams ($3,900) is an option in the same game because the matchup is a favorable one for both teams. Separately, Ruben Dias ($3,500) would offer more clean sheet equity per dollar than any defender on the slate.
GOALKEEPERS
Ederson, MCI vs. SOU ($5,900): Both Ederson and Alisson Becker ($5,800) have 50 percent odds to keep a clean sheet, though City have a slightly higher win percentage. When there are two keepers on a slate who project so well, it's likely that one of them will score at least 12 points. This makes spending up at keeper more appealing, especially considering this is a smaller four-game slate.
Daniel Bachmann, WAT at NOR ($4,600): Rostering a $4,600 keeper against Norwich City is always acceptable. Though slight underdogs, it's possible that Watford are just the better team. If you want to pay all the way down, Vicente Guaita ($3,700) offers the most save upside on the slate.
