DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Cash-Game EPL Picks for Sunday, May 28

The final matchday of the Premier League season brings us a massive 10-game slate at DraftKings. It's certainly something different and more to break down, so we split it up into parts. This article will focus on cash-game strategy. The great Jack Burkart wrote about tournament strategy and we all spoke poetic on the weekly DFS show.

MATCHES (ET)

• 11:30 am: Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton
• 11:30 am: Aston Villa vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
• 11:30 am: Brentford vs. Manchester City
• 11:30 am: Chelsea vs. Newcastle United
• 11:30 am: Crystal Palace vs. Nottingham Forest
• 11:30 am: Everton vs. AFC Bournemouth
• 11:30 am: Leeds United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• 11:30 am: Leicester City vs. West Ham United
• 11:30 am: Manchester United vs. Fulham
• 11:30 am: Southampton vs. Liverpool

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Sunday EPL Cheat Sheet

I'll start by simplifying things based on the odds and implied-goal totals. Four teams have implied totals above two goals. Three of them are Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, who all have favorable matchups that should produce floor points and goals. The fourth, Everton, are a bit of a surprise as it's the first time in 38 games that they've been above more than two, as they need to win to guarantee survival and have a prime matchup at home against Bournemouth. 

Besides those four, Crystal Palace look to be in a great spot at home against a Nottingham Forest team with nothing left to play for. Champions Manchester City still have everything to play for, just not Sunday. They'll have at least one eye on the Champions League final and maybe their third eye on the FA Cup final, and have little incentive to risk star players before it. Their lowish 1.79-implied total supports that and I think you can pretty much disregard them from cash-game consideration.

Lastly, I'll mention Leicester City, who need a win and some help to avoid relegation. They have a 1.70 implied total at home against West Ham. With one or two exceptions, these are the spots I'll be targeting. From an optimal point of view, there's not much reason to take chances on underdogs or spend significant salary on players with a high risk of being substituted early.

FORWARDS

Dwight McNeil, EVE vs. BOU ($9,700): McNeil has the highest floor at the position and comes with a hefty price tag as a result. He always plays 90 minutes while splitting set pieces and sending in crosses whenever he gets the chance. Everton have the highest motivation to win and a great matchup against Bournemouth that should produce plenty of floor points. Still, that's a lot of salary to spend on a 10-game slate that includes other viable options. In other words, he's the best option if you can afford it but not necessarily mandatory. 

For me, it might depend on what position he plays. Last match he started at left-back in the absence of Vitaliy Mykolenko and Ben Godfrey. If he starts there again, his goal upside is significantly reduced and $9,700 would seem a bit too pricey. On the other hand, if he starts in the front three I'd be almost certain to roster him. 

Bukayo Saka, ARS vs. WOL ($8,800): Out of form Arsenal have stumbled to the finish line and now Saka can be rostered for a discount. Sunday's home matchup against Wolves presents an ideal opportunity to end what was largely a great season on a high note. Saka is the most likely of Arsenal's attackers to play 90 minutes despite Mikel Arteta's recent comments about a possible injury. He splits corner kicks and carries considerably more goal equity than McNeil, which makes him a fine pivot if you need the $900.

Alex Iwobi, EVE vs. BOU ($7,300): Similar to McNeil, Iwobi has been priced up with Everton in such a good spot. He can't be expected to take any corners if James Garner is in the lineup, but he offers just about everything else. He plays 90 minutes while accruing a variety of peripheral stats and has decent goal/assist equity when you consider Everton's implied total. 

Elsewhere in this range, Cody Gakpo's ($7,100) salary has come way down to a point where you could consider him after two consecutive games of 90 minutes and double-digit floor points. I'd consider him a safer option than Leandro Trossard ($7,000), who might split corners but can't be expected to play longer than 70 minutes. It's worth noting that there's a chance Demarai Gray ($7,800) starts. If so, he'd split set pieces with McNeil and likely be on penalty-kick duty, which would make him viable, if not a priority. 

Considering there are 20 teams to choose from, the forward position is surprisingly weak. No player priced below $7,000 stands out as a desirable target for cash games. If you're thinking about spending down, you might as well go all the way to the $4,000 range in order to build a different type of construction. However, there is almost certainly going to be more value at midfielder and defender, which would make it more advantageous to spend up at both forward spots. That's something that needs to be analyzed when lineups come out. 

MIDFIELDERS

Michael Olise, CRY vs. NFO ($9,000): Olise probably has the highest floor of any midfielder and Crystal Palace have one of the best matchups on the slate, at home against Nottingham Forest, who have nothing left to play for after successfully avoiding relegation. Palace have one of their highest implied totals of the season, giving a boost to Olise's assist equity and ceiling potential. 

James Maddison, LEI vs. WHU ($9,100): Maddison is a similar option to Olise. He might have a slightly lower floor but his superior ceiling helps even things out. Leicester sit in 18th in the table, two points behind 17th-placed Everton. They're one of only a few teams playing Sunday that have significant motivation to win and it's reasonable if you'd rather roster him ahead of Olise for that reason. 

James Garner, EVE vs. BOU ($4,800): Garner is likely to be a relatively popular choice considering the need for some cheaper value and the narrative surrounding Everton. He'd be a good option as long as Demarai Gray doesn't start. Gray took all of the right-footed set pieces ahead of Garner after he came on at halftime last week. If Gray is on the bench, Garner will split corner kicks and that makes him worthy for cash games considering how good of a spot this is for Everton.

Lewis Hall, CHE vs. NEW ($4,800): Hall has really impressed in three consecutive starts at left-back. A just 18 years old, he's been splitting set pieces and providing a spark for a Chelsea team still in shambles. Sunday's matchup against Newcastle is tough but Hall has already proved he can succeed in any spot after 13.5 floor points away to Man City and 11 away to Man United.

DEFENDERS

Kieran Trippier, NEW at CHE ($7,500): It's been an incredible season for Trippier, for DFS purposes and on the pitch. He's started all 37 games and whipped in a whopping 388 crosses, and is coming off another 20-spot midweek. He has the highest, most consistent floor at the position and should have plenty of chances to cross against hopeless Chelsea. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV at SOU ($7,100): You could argue that Alexander-Arnold's floor may be slightly diminished in his new defensive midfield role but his upside is higher when Liverpool have soft matchups like the one against Southampton. If you prefer Pedro Porro ($6,400) in terms of value, that's fine, as both are good options. Kostas Tsimikas ($5,600) might end up being better value than both of them with the news that Andrew Robertson is nursing a groin injury. If Robertson doesn't make the bench, 90 minutes of Tsimikas at a discounted salary would be hard to pass up. 

You might need a cheap defender if you're planning to spend up twice at forward. No one particularly stands out but one of the options is Rico Lewis ($3,200), playing defensive midfield. He's played 90 minutes in each of his last five starts. Michael Keane ($3,100) might be deployed on the right side of a back three, which could lead to a few more peripheral stats than usual considering Everton's prime matchup and need to push. Luke Thomas ($2,800) is especially cheap and Leicester need to win. If he starts on the left wing there's at least a tiny bit of upside there.  

GOALKEEPERS

The bigger the slate, the more it makes sense to punt goalkeeper, which means there's no better time to do it than Sunday. I'm considering David Raya ($4,000), Wayne Hennessey ($4,000), Bernd Leno ($3,900), Neto ($3,800) and Alex McCarthy ($3,700). If I had any clue as to who the right answer was, I'd tell you. If you're insistent on spending up, Jordan Pickford ($5,700) has the best odds to keep a clean sheet. Good luck!