Yahoo DFS Soccer: Sunday EPL Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Sunday EPL Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

MATCHES (EDT)

FORWARDS

Willian, CHE v. WOL (£20): The matchup against Wolves isn't ideal, but Chelsea need a result to guarantee they finish in the top four and Willian continues to be their dominant free-kick taker, a role that helped him score at least 8.05 fantasy points in all but two games since the restart. He is also Chelsea's penalty-taker, and in a match that could be close, there's always the possibility that that comes into play. And speaking of goals, Olivier Giroud (£19) is likely to lead the line and has the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the team.

Gabriel Jesus, MCI v. NOR (£26): Manchester City are locked into second place and Norwich City cannot move above 20th, so neither team has anything to play for. With that said, Manchester City are -1667 to win at BetMGM with the highest implied goal total on the slate, which means many will try to stack their attackers. Jesus is fairly affordable given he has the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, and while fantasy players could still target guys like Raheem Sterling (£29) or Riyad Mahrez (£27, midfielder), Jesus provides a little salary savings and plenty of upside.

Jarrod Bowen, WHU vs. AVL (£18): West Ham have nothing to play for in this match while Aston Villa need at least one point to guarantee survival, but Bowen shouldn't be ignored because of that. Aston Villa are in trouble because of their defensive woes, which has seen them allow the most shots, second-most goals and third-most accurate crosses in the league, which all fits in well with Bowen's fantasy profile. Midfielder Michail Antonio (£27) has been the dominant goal scorer for West Ham of late, but Bowen's floor makes him very safe for cash games, and he still has upside for tournaments at a relatively low price.

MIDFIELDERS

Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. NOR (£29): De Bruyne continues to take a majority of set pieces for Man City, who should absolutely crush Norwich City. It's a hefty price to pay, but no player in the league is as reliable as De Bruyne, considering how much of the attack revolves around him. You can save slightly with Mahrez, though he's more goal-dependent to really produce (then again, Man City are expected to score a load of goals).

Jack Grealish, AVL at WHU (£20): Aston Villa need at least a draw to guarantee they stay in the Premier League, and Grealish continues to be their best fantasy option. He's incredibly consistent because of his fouls drawn, corners won and accurate crosses, and while isn't a volume shooter, there are plenty of expectations that he'll be more active in that category as they play for a win. John McGinn (£15) and Conor Hourihane (£14) are also considerations in the Aston Villa midfield, while Trezeguet (£12) comes in with three goals in his last three games.

Youri Tielemans, LEI v. MUN (£19): Despite struggling since the restart, Leicester City can still claim a Champions League spot if they defeat Manchester United on Sunday. That isn't expected to happen, as Leicester are +220 home underdogs, but if they pull off the upset it'll likely be because of contributions from Tielemans, who has taken on a more attacking role with James Maddison out injured. The floor isn't as high as Man United's Bruno Fernandes, whose £29 salary is tied for the highest on the slate, but Tielemans is still a very capable fantasy-point scorer and is lining up in a must-win match.

DEFENDERS

Diego Rico, BOU at EVE (£13): Rico has been taking most of Bournemouth's set pieces recently, and in a must-win game to potentially avoid relegation, he's likely to be very active if he starts. Adam Smith (£12) could return now that he's recovered from a concussion, though he's not a good pivot from Rico because he doesn't attack nearly as much and won't have set pieces. The clean sheet is highly unlikely for Bournemouth, but Rico should be able to do enough in the attack to justify his relatively low price.

Eric Garcia, MCI v. NOR (£14): Garcia is potentially the cheapest Manchester City defender, and while his upside is fairly limited, he has the highest clean sheet odds on the slate. His spot in the starting XI isn't guaranteed since manager Pep Guardiola frequently adjusts his lineups anyway, but Garcia would be a good value if he's available.

George Baldock, SHU at SOU (£11): Neither Sheffield United nor Southampton have anything to play for, which could allow them to open up a little bit defensively and get their fullbacks and wing-backs moving up into their attacks more. That obviously doesn't help Baldock's clean sheet chances, but he is very capable in the attack and could certainly get on the score-sheet if this one opens up. His low salary is obviously helpful, though it's also worth mentioning that many teams with nothing to play for could bring in some younger players into their starting XIs, which could give us even more cheap value options.

GOALKEEPER

Pepe Reina, AVL at WHU (£13): Admittedly, the Aston Villa defense is a big reason they are in a relegation battle, but one point Sunday ensures they stay in the Premier League. That being said, they allowed just one goal in Reina's last three starts, a run that included two wins and one draw, and they are facing a West Ham side that isn't battling for Europa and is safe from relegation.

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. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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