FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.

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MATCHES (EST)

10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Cardiff City
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Newcastle
10:00 a.m: Tottenham v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Wolverhampton v. Bournemouth
12:30 p.m: Fulham v. West Ham

FORWARDS

Harry Kane, TOT v. BRN ($14,000): This looks and feels like a trap, but Kane will be hard to pass up. He's by far the most expensive player on the slate, and if you use him you'll likely limit yourself at one or two other spots. The upside is that he could score a hat trick and it'd be close to impossible to win without him. The downside is that he doesn't score and finishes with fewer than 10 fantasy points, which he's done numerous times over the years against weaker clubs. It's hard to ignore the stats, though, as Burnley have given up 331 shots, including 107 on goal, the worst and second-worst rates in the league.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, FUL v. WHU ($10,500): Not only does Kane cost an outlandish amount, but the rest of the strikers cost more than their usual amounts due to the lack of high-end options. Mitrovic surprisingly costs less than a few others even though he has the next-best odds to score after every Tottenham player. While his recent numbers don't look great, you can't fault him for difficult matchups because he's still been effective at home in seven games, scoring five goals on 14 shots on target and 10 chances created. West Ham are a road favorite, but this match is expected to have the second-most goals, just behind Tottenham-Burnley. If you roster Chicharito ($11,500), just know that he has no floor. Meanwhile, Lucas Moura ($11,000) could be a decent play if Kane sits, but he did nothing at Leicester last start, and while Ayoze Perez ($11,000) may have the best floor of these guys, his upside is capped.

Diogo Jota, WOL v. BOU ($7,000): If Jota starts again it'd be hard not to use him given the price. He's scored in back-to-back matches, and while his floor is only around five points, that shouldn't be a huge deal because your other forward would likely be Kane. Teammate Raul Jimenez ($9,500) has a better floor, but you have to pay for it. And if you're still considering Chicharito, he has just a 3.6 percent better chance to score than Jota, which doesn't match the prices. Wolves are a decent home favorite and Bournemouth have allowed the third-most shots (87) in the last five gameweeks, so there will be opportunities. I'm also keen on Joshua King ($7,500) because he's capable of a good outing, while Lucas Perez ($7,500) has the same goal odds as Jota.

MIDFIELDERS

Son Heung-Min, TOT v. BRN ($9,000): You have to roster at least two Tottenham players, and a lot of that depends on what the starting XI looks like. Son has started the last four, so I'm not convinced he'll make the squad, while Dele Alli ($10,000) costs too much for low floor and Christian Eriksen ($8,500) is a favorite to be rested. However, if Eriksen starts, he's going to be in all of my lineups. As for Son, it doesn't matter that he may only play 70 minutes because he has nine shots on goal and five chances created in his last four starts. He also has the second-best odds to score of any Tottenham player (I'm not counting Fernando Llorente). If Son doesn't start and you need to spend money, I'd lean to James Maddison ($9,000) due to his strong floor, while Felipe Anderson ($9,000) has often been goal dependent.

Robert Snodgrass, WHU at FUL ($8,000): I'm not completely sold on Snodgrass in away matches, but it's hard to avoid using at least one player against Fulham. Even at Craven Cottage, Fulham are allowing more than two goals per match, and they are near the top of the charts in most relevant stats like shots, chances created and corners allowed. That's good news for Snodgrass, who has dominated free kicks in his last five starts, racking up 45 crosses in that period. His floor has been lower on the road, but if he can throw in a couple tackles and create chances, he should hit at least 15 points before a goal or assist. There are a few other viable options in this range, with Andros Townsend ($8,500) up there even though he just blanked at West Ham. Ryan Fraser ($8,000) has slightly more upside but is on the road, and Wilfred Ndidi ($8,000) has the same floor but no upside.

Alex Pritchard, HUD v. NEW ($6,000): If you roster Kane, you'll undoubtedly have to punt at least one spot. Pritchard is cheap and has a floor around five points, which makes him prime punt material. He's averaging 2.46 shots per 90 minutes, and that's what you're banking on in GPPs. Newcastle have oddly been better on the road, but Huddersfield are still a small favorite with the Magpies hurting on their back line. For cash games, Aron Gunnarsson is the safer pick at the same price because his floor has often been around 10 fantasy points as a defensive midfielder. If you have a few extra bucks, Ki Sung-yueng ($6,500) continued to take most of Newcastle's set pieces last week, while Jean Michael Seri ($7,000) is a good player to combine with Mitrovic.

DEFENDERS

Matt Doherty, WOL v. BOU ($6,500): If you don't get Kane, there's a likelihood you can spend up at defender, and Doherty has more upside than the rest with a goal or assist in each of his last three starts. His floor has reached 20 points at times, and he should have at least 15 in this matchup, as he's averaging 1.48 shots and 1.28 chances created per 90 minutes. Bournemouth have allowed the fifth-most shots (44) and crosses (119) to defenders this season, and there's been at least three goals scored in their last seven matches. That means Doherty should get up the field his usual amount while also providing a few tackles, interceptions and clearances. If Kieran Trippier ($6,500) starts, I'd throw him in the mix, but if you prefer safety, Sol Bamba ($6,500) has been the most consistent defender this season.

Christian Kabasele, WAT v. CAR ($5,000): Kabasele is back in the starting XI, and that's good news for fantasy players. In five of his last seven starts in which he's played 90 minutes, he's had at least 16.9 fantasy points. He's averaging 6.16 clearances, 2.87 interceptions and 1.70 tackles per 90 minutes, and that's close to a floor of 15 points. Meanwhile, Cardiff have forced the second-most clearances from defenders (106) in the last five gameweeks and that's where Kabasele steps in. Teammate Craig Cathcart ($5,000) has a slightly lower floor, while Mamadou Sakho and Steve Cook have similar floors for the same price.

Javier Manquillo, NEW at HUD ($4,000): This is maybe the worst slate I've seen in terms of finding cheaper defenders who have decent floors, but if you look close enough, there are some options. Manquillo is set to start after Federico Fernandez ($6,000) injured his calf last match, and considering Fernandez had a floor of 15 fantasy points as a center-back, this is a steal. In six appearances, Manquillo has been viable, averaging 5.35 clearances, 2.43 interceptions and 1.70 tackles per 90 minutes, though a lot of that came as a full-back. More enticing is that Huddersfield have forced the most clearances to defenders this season (309). Even if Fernandez plays, there's still a chance Manquillo makes the lineup in place of the suspended DeAndre Yedlin, while Ciaran Clark ($5,000) is also available for a few more dollars.

GOALKEEPER

Rui Patricio, WOL v. BOU ($4,500): I'd rather spend up on Kane than Hugo Lloris ($6,500), so that left me with Patricio, who isn't in a bad situation. Wolves have the third-best odds to win and Bournemouth's Callum Wilson likely won't be at 100 percent, if he even starts at all. Patricio fell off once Wolves started losing, but he's allowed two total goals in the last two matches and Bournemouth are projected to score just over one goal. Jonas Lossl ($5,000) and Ben Foster ($5,000) have better chances for clean sheets but lower odds to win.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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