This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Arsenal are huge favorites at home to Burnley, while Manchester United are big favorites at home to Luton Town. It's a get-right spot for United, who are coming off a brutal 4-3 loss in Champions League to Copenhagen. Arsenal have some fitness issues, so there may be some lineup surprises. Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze and his famous pre-loaded 14-point floor for fantasy returns for Crystal Palace against Everton.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Burnley
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Luton Town
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday Premier League Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS
Bukayo Saka (ARS vs. BRN, $10,400): Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reported that Saka didn't train Thursday, so he is questionable after picking up an injury in the Champions League. This is somewhat concerning and I wonder if he will be fit to play a full 90 minutes even if he starts against Burnley. Saka has a great role in fantasy, splitting set pieces and sometimes taking penalties, and the game environment against Burnley is elite. He'll be popular in cash games if he starts even with the risk. Eddie Nketiah ($8,100) is also questionable to start due to an ankle injury and missed the game Wednesday. I worry about his minutes if he starts, but he has the slate's best anytime goalscoring odds at -105. Kai Havertz ($3,900) probably deserves to be highlighted on price alone. Havertz has had a tough start to his Arsenal tenure, but his price tag is way too cheap for an attacking player in the best matchup.
Eberechi Eze (CRY vs. EVE, $9,600): Eze returned to action last weekend against Burnley, playing 30 minutes and recording an assist from the bench. I'm not certain he is fully match fit for 90 minutes, but Eze is such an important player for Crystal Palace that I think he's more likely than not to play the entire match. Even if you knew Eze was going to play 90 minutes, you'd have to weigh his monopoly set-piece role against the partial set piece role of someone like Gabriel Martinelli ($9,500). If Saka and Martin Odegaard are both ruled out, Martinelli could take a monopoly on set pieces, as well. I'm pretty set on playing Bruno Fernandes in cash games at this point, so it'll be a difficult decision which of Eze, Saka and Martinelli I ultimately play.
Rasmus Hojlund (MUN vs. LUT, $6,300): Moving onto tournaments, I think Hojlund will be one of the most popular players in GPPs. He's underpriced for his near even money goalscoring odds and he's positively correlated with the chalky Fernandes. It's worth noting that Hojlund has been getting subbed around the 75th minute the past few games as United navigate a congested fixture list. Odsonne Edouard ($6,600) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($5,900) won't be very popular due to that match's low implied-goal total, but Edouard might be worth a chance in GPPs if paired with Eze. Calvert-Lewin has played more than 85 minutes in two consecutive starts and he took Everton's most recent penalty (though that was last season).
If you really want to dig into the bottom-shelf forward options, I don't mind taking shots on some cheap Luton Town players. United simply aren't a dominant team right now and on a three-game slate it's more reasonable to look at options on big underdogs. Carlton Morris ($5,000) is your typical English striker and takes penalties for Luton. Andros Townsend ($4,900) played only 60 minutes in his first start last weekend and scored only 2.9 fantasy points. I'll note that Luton only had a paltry 26-percent of the possession in that matchup against Liverpool, so it's difficult to draw too many conclusions from that one game. Townsend took some corners and had 10 crosses in 51 minutes as a substitute in his two previous appearances, so there is some potential for larger-field GPPs.
Finally, Jay Rodriguez ($4,700) played 90 minutes against Crystal Palace last weekend. He's only on my radar since he took Burnley's penalties last season in the Championship, though it is wishful thinking to play for Arsenal to concede a penalty to Burnley at home.
MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes (MUN vs. LUT, $10,300): There aren't a lot of midfield-only cash game targets I'm excited about, and in this matchup against Luton I think Fernandes is a lock for cash games. He takes virtually all of United's corners and free kicks, and he's taken both of United's penalties this season. I think a fade is in play in tournaments since you can use options like Saka and Eze in midfield spots while chasing cheaper goals in the forward position.
There are some reasonable mid-priced midfield options, but none of them spark joy for me. Alfie Doughty ($5,900) will split set pieces with Ross Barkley ($6,400) and Townsend. United have conceded fantasy points to lesser opposition many times this season, but I can't help but feel Doughty is a bit too expensive for cash games. James Garner's ($5,600) floor has gotten worse since moving to central midfield, but he splits corners for Everton. He's a similar play to Josh Brownhill ($5,100), who is in a much worse road matchup against Arsenal. I don't want to prioritize any of these options in cash games. I'd rather start Havertz (who is midfield eligible) or Jorginho ($4,100) (if Havertz doesn't start) and spend up at other positions.
DEFENDERS
Raphael Varane (MUN vs. LUT, $2,500): Varane played 74 minutes off the bench in Champions League on Wednesday, as Jonny Evans picked up an injury early. Varane is underpriced for United's clean sheet odds just above 40 percent. Defender isn't very strong, so you aren't giving up much by punting a defender spot. William Saliba ($3,400) is another cheap center-back in this price range you can look to.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (MUN vs. LUT, $4,100): Wan-Bissaka is a perfectly fine option as he returns to the United starting XI. His scoring is based mostly on defensive stats and I won't expect many crosses or shots, but occasionally you can get lucky with a ceiling game when you play a favored cheap full-back. Issa Kabore ($3,800) might have some utility if you need to fill the three-team requirement.
Diogo Dalot ($5,600) is an obvious candidate as a defender who can separate from the rest of the defender position for GPPs. His return to left-back with Wan-Bissaka back in the lineup is worse for his floor since he is right footed, but he'll be more likely to shoot. I tried to sell myself on Vitaliy Mykolenko ($4,900) as a contrarian option. He scored a goal last weekend at home to Brighton along with three shots and an eight-point floor, but that is an outlier fantasy performance compared to his previous matches under Sean Dyche.
GOALKEEPER
David Raya, (ARS vs. BRN, $5,900): On slates with fewer matches I'm more likely to prioritize getting a premium goalkeeper. Raya is underpriced for his clean sheet and win odds, and the midfield and forwards in his price range aren't cash game priorities. Thomas Kaminski ($3,700) feels like a better option than James Trafford ($3,600) given Manchester United's current form. Both will have save opportunities, so you'll just have to pray neither ends up with a negative scoreline if you take that route.
