DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Sunday EPL Picks

MATCHES (EDT)

• 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester City
• 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Arsenal
• 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. AFC Bournemouth
• 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Newcastle United
• 10:00 am: Leicester City vs. Chelsea
• 10:00 am: Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton
• 10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Cardiff City
• 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Huddersfield Town
• 10:00 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Everton
• 10:00 am: Watford vs. West Ham United

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Sunday EPL Cheat Sheet.

FORWARDS

Sergio Aguero, MCI at BHA ($8,800): We pretty much never get full 10-game slates, but here we are for the final week of the Premier League season. A common theme throughout this year has been how much Manchester City exposure you need when they are huge favorites with high implied goal totals, and we're at that point again this week, with the added caveat that a victory Sunday against Brighton would give them the Premier League title. Man City have been surprisingly disappointing of late, at least in terms of smashing their opponents, but they're still a high-powered attack that scored multiple goals in their first encounter with Brighton this season. Aguero comes in with the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, and his price is surprisingly low given how heavy of favorites they are and the fact he comes in averaging more shots per 90 minutes than any expected starter. Pairing Aguero with Raheem Sterling ($8,400) isn't crazy given the goals City are expected to score, and given that situation, you could see people adding in Leroy Sane ($7,900), Riyad Mahrez ($7,900) or Bernardo Silva ($8,000) if they start, though you're really putting your eggs in one basket despite 19 other teams to consider. Paying up at forward in GPPs leaves a decent number of options too, with Mohamed Salah ($10,500) expected back from a concussion and Liverpool needing three points to have a shot at winning the title themselves (if they win and City draw or lose, Liverpool win the trophy). Sadio Mane ($9,600) is fine too, though I think the $900 more for Salah makes sense from a points perspective, while Mane figures to be slightly lower owned. The Arsenal duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($8,300) and Alexandre Lacazette ($7,700) are interesting against Burnley, though after a Thursday trip to Valencia that saw them clinch a spot in the Europa League final, it wouldn't be surprising to see heavy rotation given the match means basically nothing. If anything, you may want to take a look at Marcus Rashford ($7,900) because Manchester United are the second-biggest favorite on the slate as they host already-relegated Cardiff City. Rashford's production has been pretty awful recently, but he's likely to be leading the United attack because Romelu Lukaku ($7,700) and Anthony Martial ($8,700) look likely to miss out.

Danny Ings, SOU v. HUD ($5,700): Ings' fantasy production has been pretty disappointing in 2019, but he represents an interesting opportunity for GPPs because he's a forward with the sixth-best anytime goal scorer odds among expected starters and is playing for the fourth-biggest favorite on the slate, with win and implied goal total odds similar to Liverpool's against Huddersfield. Shane Long ($8,200) has been much more successful recently, and his price will likely make him almost unowned in tournaments, but Ings offers more because of the salary reduction. Speaking of low salaries, if Daniel Sturridge ($5,000) gets the start for Liverpool over Divock Origi ($7,900) then he'll be one of the most popular options because of his high anytime goal scorer odds and fact he'll be leading the line for Liverpool.

Joshua King, BOU at CRY ($4,900): Being able to pick from all 20 Premier League teams gives us a ridiculous number of viable GPP forwards, and while King, like Ings, hasn't been great recently and has a teammate -- Callum Wilson ($8,100) -- who has been, their goal odds are similar enough that the price difference is kind of surprising. Tournaments are bigger this week, so getting lower-owned goals is even more important, but with so many options there's no need to go truly off the board like rostering a substitute. Guys like King, Cenk Tosun ($4,500), Troy Deeney ($6,000), Chris Wood ($6,900), Ashley Barnes ($7,000), Aleksandar Mitrovic ($7,200), Salomon Rondon ($7,600), Fernando Llorente ($7,700), Ryan Babel ($7,700), Gylfi Sigurdsson ($7,800) and Jamie Vardy ($8,100) all figure to be low owned because of the top-tier forwards who have something to play for, and any one of those guys could score at least one goal in their respective matchups.

MIDFIELDERS

James Maddison, LEI v. CHE ($8,000): Under normal circumstances, Maddison playing at home for $8,000 is a near lock for cash games because of his monopoly of set pieces for Leicester City. Playing against Chelsea isn't the easiest matchup, though we could see a heavily rotated side after they went to penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday, and they've already clinched a top-four spot. The biggest difficulty with Maddison, at least in cash games, is that he's a bit tough to afford if you're paying up at both forward sports. It's not impossible, but it likely forces you into at least one lower-priced midfielder, and possibly a low defender. Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser ($8,000) is also a solid cash-game option, but I don't see how you can build a strong-enough lineup with the two of them given the sacrifices you have to make at forward to fit them in.

Ilkay Gundogan, MCI at BHA ($6,400): Gundogan has been taking a majority of Manchester City's corners recently, something that helped him send in 12 crosses in last weekend's win over Leicester City. Man City aren't a high-crossing team, and Gundogan does very little crossing in open play, but in a game they absolutely have to score in if they want to win the title, the expectation is that they'll be on the front-foot quite often. Brighton clinched their Premier League survival by clamping down defensively, allowing three goals in their last four games, which impressively came away to Wolves, away to Tottenham, home against Newcastle and away to Arsenal. However, they conceded the most corners and crosses over that time span, not to mention the most shots. With Man City likely having tons of possession and winning corners, Gundogan's floor seems secure for a decent price.

Tahith Chong, MUN v. CAR ($3,500): While there isn't likely to be a ridiculous amount of rotation despite most sides having nothing to play for, Manchester United could be forced into it because of a few injuries in their attack. Chong has played 37 Premier League minutes this season, 36 of which came last week away to Huddersfield when he put one of his two shots on goal and drew one foul. Given Manchester United's very strong win odds and implied goal total, getting exposure to their attack at this price is a pretty simple pick, and while you probably can't expect 90 minutes if he starts, the salary savings is really what's helpful. It's also a reminder to check all the lineups for value plays because we'll surely get a few.

Jack Wilshere, WHU at WAT ($3,000): Just kidding.

DEFENDERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. WOL ($6,300): Liverpool need a victory over Wolves to have a shot at winning the Premier League, and Alexander-Arnold's role on set pieces, not to mention his solid open-play crossing, should make him a viable option for cash games and GPPs. He's been an excellent fantasy scorer of late, assisting eight goals on 17 chances created in his last eight starts, a span that saw him send in 44 crosses thanks to 25 corners. He's the most expensive defender on the slate, but it's tough to argue any player at his position has higher upside outside of goals.

Lucas Digne, EVE at TOT ($6,000): While Alexander-Arnold's ceiling is high because of his assist streak, there is no defender with a higher floor than Digne, who has scored double-digit fantasy points in 25 of 32 Premier League starts this season. His low point happened to come against Tottenham, when he finished with only 5.25 points in a 6-2 loss. However, this Spurs side isn't quite the same, as they could rotate after their dramatic comeback victory over Ajax in the Champions League earlier this week, and they pretty much have a top-four spot locked up. Then again, Digne has still had double-digit fantasy points against Manchester United, Arsenal Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, so there's little hesitation anyway. Paying up for Alexander-Arnold and Digne could be popular in cash games, and there's definitely a case for playing three defenders because the $4,500-$5,500 defenders like Ryan Bertrand ($4,800), Jose Holebas ($5,500), Kieran Trippier ($5,500), Ashley Young ($5,400) and Joe Bryan ($5,400) all make for stronger plays than midfielders and forwards at similar prices.

Antonio Valencia, MUN v. CAR ($3,000): Valencia has started just five Premier League games this season, with his last one coming Jan. 2, but he could be thrust back into the starting lineup at right-back in his final match for Manchester United. His attacking upside is suspect because he's not a consistent crosser, but at this price and against Cardiff City, he makes sense as a salary saver. There are also a plethora of center-backs who could always score goals like Harry Maguire ($2,800) playing against a banged up Chelsea back line, but he makes more sense as a correlation play with Maddison than on his own, much like any center-back and his team's set-piece taker.

GOALKEEPER

Whoever fits after you've built the rest of your lineup. On a slate with 20 starting goalkeepers, no one is going to be owned enough to ruin you in cash games, and the position is simply too volatile to accurately project who is going to make seven saves in a clean-sheet win. You could pay up for Ederson ($6,000) with the expectation that Brighton don't score, but is he really going to make enough saves to make it worth it? Try not to take a goalkeeper against a guy you're hoping scores a goal, but with options from Ederson down to Mathew Ryan ($3,500), your guess is as good as mine as to who will be the best play.