This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 2:45 pm: Chelsea vs. Arsenal
- 2:45 pm: Everton vs. Leicester City
- 2:45 pm: Newcastle United vs. Crystal Palace
- 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Riyad Mahrez, MCI vs. BHA ($10,300): Wednesday's slate features four games and it's another one where Manchester City are big favorites with a considerably higher implied goal total than the other teams. Mahrez is the most expensive player and he has the best goalscoring odds at +105. He's cooled off a bit recently, failing to score or assist in his last five appearances (three starts), but he's still splitting set pieces and taking penalty kicks for a team with a 2.3-implied total which makes him worthy of the big price tag. There really isn't much else in the expensive range. Wilfried Zaha ($8,800) is the next most expensive forward and he will go overlooked with so many options to spend up for at the other positions.
Phil Foden, MCI vs. BHA ($7,400): Foden's salary continues to fall, making him an appealing pivot off of Mahrez for $3,000 cheaper. Of course, they can be rostered together, but you'll need to save some salary in multiple positions and Foden has similar upside to Mahrez. It's worth noting that he's ceded most of the left-footed set pieces to Mahrez in recent games which probably has something to do with the gap in salaries. In tournaments, however, I'm not rostering a Manchester City forward because they're going to take a few corners. I'm looking for goal contributions for an affordable price which makes Foden stand out as he has the second-best odds to score on the slate.
Moving away from Manchester City as there are seven other teams on this slate, Kelechi Iheanacho ($6,600) has the next best goalscoring odds at +175 for Leicester away to Everton. He doesn't have much of a floor and he almost always get subbed, but the odds are decent for his price. I'd prefer the much cheaper Chris Wood ($4,500), who has the same odds to score as Iheanacho with Newcastle at home to Crystal Palace. Looking elsewhere, Richarlison ($7,600) has scored at least nine floor points in three consecutive matches and he almost always plays 90 minutes. Besides Manchester City, he might be the next best forward option with Everton slight favorites at home against a Leicester City team that has dealt with injuries and a congested schedule recently.
MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI vs. BHA ($9,500): The midfield position is a bit more interesting than usual as we have three good options who are priced within $500 of each other. As usual, I'm going to side with De Bruyne as he's been in great form and plays for the best team. He's scored four goals in his last three league games and the combination of floor and upside that he possesses is unmatched with City having the most favorable matchup. James Maddison ($9,300) has been in good form, as well, with a goal or assist in three consecutive starts. He continues to take most of Leicester's set pieces and the matchup against Newcastle has the second-highest implied total on the slate. Mason Mount ($9,000) has been the hottest of the bunch. He had two goals and an assist against Southampton last week and then followed it up with a goal and assist against Real Madrid in the Champions League before scoring against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final over the weekend. It's definitely worth noting that he took fewer corners than Marcos Alonso in all of those games and Chelsea's matchup against Arsenal looks slightly tougher, at least on paper. For me, De Bruyne is the clear-cut option for cash games. For tournaments, take your pick as Maddison and Mount will be less popular and it wouldn't be surprising to see either of them as the highest scoring player on the slate.
Anthony Gordon, EVE vs. LEI ($7,300): Gordon has been taking most of Everton's set pieces and it's led to double-digit floor points in consecutive matches. He's played at least 89 minutes in four of his last five starts and he's coming off a great performance last week when he scored the winner in Everton's upset of Manchester United. Wednesday's matchup at home against Leicester City looks like a pretty good spot as Everton have the third-highest implied goal total behind Man City and Chelsea. Moving down, Conor Gallagher ($6,100) keeps getting cheaper, but he's scored fewer than seven fantasy points in four consecutive games. He should take at least half of the corners but doesn't have much upside playing slightly deeper and more defensive than he was earlier in the season. There isn't much in the cheap range. If you're looking for a punt in GPPs, consider Jeffrey Schlupp ($3,900) or Alex Iwobi ($3,600) for an outside chance at a goal contribution.
DEFENDERS
Marcos Alonso, CHE vs. ARS ($6,200): Alonso has taken the majority of Chelsea's corners over the past three games and split them with Reece James ($6,500) on Sunday against Crystal Palace. Keep an eye on the formation because James played in the back three in that match with Cesar Azpilicueta ($4,300) on the right wing. Assuming James is back on the wing, he and Alonso are equal options and I plan on having one of them in all my lineups. Joao Cancelo ($6,700) will be less popular than the Chelsea options which increases his appeal as a tournament pivot. Matt Targett ($6,200) continues to take most of Newcastle's corners, but he has considerably less upside than the other three in this range.
Nathan Ake, MCI vs. BHA ($3,100): Ideally, I'd roster two of the expensive options, but it's more difficult on this slate based on midfield being loaded at the top. Second defender seems like a good spot to save some salary. Ake has started at left-back a few times this season and could line up there again on Wednesday since Kyle Walker isn't fit. I still wouldn't call him a great option, but he's cheap and has good clean-sheet odds.
GOALKEEPERS
Ederson, MCI vs. BHA ($5,900): Like usual, Ederson is worth it if you can afford him. His 58-percent clean-sheet odds are significantly higher than anyone else's for Manchester City's home match against Brighton, who have struggled scoring all season. Kasper Schmeichel ($4,600) and Vicente Guaita ($4,500) seem like decent underdog options to save some salary, while Martin Dubravka ($4,900) isn't much more expensive as a favorite. Paying all the way down for Robert Sanchez ($3,600) makes sense if you're going to fade Manchester City in GPPs.
