This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 2:30 pm: Leeds United vs. Chelsea
- 2:45 pm: Leicester City vs. Norwich City
- 2:45 pm: Watford vs. Everton
- 3:15 pm: Wolverhampton vs. Manchester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Bernardo Silva, MCI at WOL ($9,300): With City's implied goal total sitting at 2.20, it's going to be hard not to have at least a share of them on this slate. Riyad Mahrez ($11,000) comes in at $900 more than the next closest forward option, so it might make sense to look at either Silva over Phil Foden ($9,600) to avoid paying up, assuming Raheem Sterling ($10,100) and/or Gabriel Jesus ($9,400) doesn't get the start. Of course, Silva is definitely a boom-or-bust play, as he has the lowest per 90 floor of any of Manchester City's attacking options at just 8.20 fantasy points.
Jamie Vardy, LEI vs. NOR ($7,300): Considering Vardy has the best goalscoring odds on the slate at -150 (60 percent), he's an absolute steal at this price and comes in cheaper than teammates Ademola Lookman ($9,100) and Kelechi Iheanacho ($7,600). Per 90 minutes, Vardy is scoring .61 goals this year which is second to only Mahrez on this slate. Vardy isn't a guarantee to start after coming off the bench in three straight EPL appearances, though he went a full 90 in UECL last week. Speaking of players not guaranteed to start, Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($3,700) has been an unused substitute for Everton's previous two tilts but is almost a 'must play' if he breaks into the starting XI at that price against Watford.
MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at WOL ($10,000): Despite De Bruyne's recent run of form in which he has racked up four goals on 19 shots (seven on target), five assists, 54 crosses (10 accurate) and 36 corners in his last nine outings, he is actually cheaper than James Maddison ($10,700) amongst midfield-only eligible players. It's an expensive price for the Belgian, but he has recorded more than 20 DraftKings points in seven of those nine appearances and has a per-90 floor of 15.26 points.
Richarlison, EVE at WAT ($8,800): This might be cheating since Richarlison is also forward eligible, but he should be in play even if Calvert-Lewin does feature up top, pushing the former to an attacking midfield role. The Brazilian has been scoring in every other match over his last six outings, so he is due to put one into the netting if that trend continues. Teammate Anthony Gordon ($8,200) is another option, as he has taken the majority of the Toffees' corners in all but one of the club's last six contests.
DEFENDERS
Reece James, CHE at LEE ($6,700): Looking solely at crosses per 90 minutes, James sits second only behind teammate Marcos Alonso ($7,700) on this slate and is likely to play further up the pitch in a midfield role with a back three. Of note, Thomas Tuchel has often changed his mind on James and Cesar Azpilicueta during matches, so nothing is guaranteed. Still, if on the wing in the initial starting XI, James should continue racking up crosses and will likely get a portion of corner-taking duties if Alonso doesn't start.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, WOL vs. MCI ($5,300): Few defenders on this slate take a bigger share of their team's free-kicks than Ait-Nouri. Similar to James, he figures to actually fill in a left-midfield role for Wolves but that should help him generate more crosses. The matchup obviously isn't great with City likely to dominant position, but Ait-Nouri won't break the bank compared to many of his contemporaries. In a similar price range, Vitaliy Mykolenko ($5,100) has been performing well for Everton with one goal on two shots (one on target) and seven crosses (three accurate) in his last five outings but doesn't have a role on corners.
Michael Keane, EVE at WAT ($2,800): There are so many options to go clean-sheet hunting on this slate without having to pay up, starting with Keane at the cheapest for $2,800. All four of the favorites have a clean-sheet percentage above 30, led by Manchester City at 52.13. Mason Holgate ($3,300), Wesley Fofana ($3,500) and Caglar Soyuncu ($3,700) round out the lowest price options while Aymeric Laporte will cost significantly more at $4,700.
GOALKEEPERS
Kasper Schmeichel, LEI vs. NOR ($5,700): The Foxes keeper is not a huge discount compared to Ederson ($5,900) but among the four favorite keepers, Schmeichel could see the most shots on goal, as Norwich City are averaging 3.4 over their last five games and Leicester City have the highest clean-sheet percentage other than Manchester City. Everton's Jordan Pickford ($5,300) has been tremendous of late and is the cheapest option of the four, yet he may not be very busy considering Watford have just nine shots on goal in their last five.
Illan Meslier, LEE vs. CHE ($3,900): Based on odds and implied goal totals, it's hard to give any of the remaining four keepers much consideration. Still, Chelsea have put 38 shots on goal over their last six outings, so Meslier should see a high volume of shots but probably won't be able to count on much offensive support considering his side has scored just one goal in its last three matches.
