DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Gameweek 28 - Wednesday

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Goal = +10 PTs
Assist = +6 PTs
Shot = +1 PTs
Shot on Goal = +1 PTs
Crosses = +1 PTs
Fouls Drawn = +0.75 PTs
Red Card = -1 PTs
Saves (GK) = +2 PTs
Goal Allowed (GK) = -2 PTs
Clean Sheet (GK, D) = +5 PTs
One Goal Allowed (GK, D) = +2 PTs
Win (GK) = +5 PTs
Penalty Kick Save (GK) = +3 PTs

With that out of the way, here are the available GPP contests Wednesday:



$20K Main Event ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$5K Golden Boot ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $200
$5K Mini Main Event ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
$2.5K Upper 90 ($875 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$1K Slide Tackle ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $50
$1K Micro Main Event ($100 first prize), Entry Fee: $0.25
and many more…



DraftKings has announced the $100K Fantasy Soccer World Championship with a $20,000 first prize set to take place May 24. Wednesday offers various opportunities to earn entry through contests with entry fees of $5, $12, $27 and $55.

The following games are included: 

Arsenal at Queens Park Rangers
Chelsea at West Ham United
Leicester City at Manchester City
Manchester United at Newcastle United
Everton at Stoke City
Swansea City at Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley at Liverpool

Premier League Wednesday kicks off with six games at 2:45 p.m. EST and then Burnley at Liverpool kicking off at 3:00 p.m. With a litany of fitness questions, being sure to land on players finding in the starting XI is essential. There is a bit of guesswork in projecting lineups until they are actually announced, especially with the quick turnaround after playing over the weekend. Having all included games kicking off around the same time gives no real excuse not to have a lineup that utilizes all starters and the majority of the allotted salary, so be sure to check the starting lineups upon their announcement approximately one hour prior to kickoff.

And before we jump into the recommendations, here's another check of the crosses leaders (the table is sortable):

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart ($5,300)
The biggest favorite to win on the day, with bookmakers projecting around an 80 percent chance of winning, Manchester City has a matchup prime for exploitation against a poor Leicester City side that is a near certainty for relegation, currently finding themselves at the bottom of the table by four points. A good chance for a clean sheet and a great chance for a win make Hart a fantastic play. He's manned the City goal with excellence for the majority of the season, and any saves he makes Wednesday will serve as a bonus.

Simon Mignolet ($5,300)
As haphazard as Liverpool's season began, they appear to finally be in good form coming off a tremendous win over Manchester City. In the reverse fixture at Burnley, Mignolet wasn't forced to make even one save on his way to a win and clean sheet. This would appear a likely scenario this time around, but I would have to favor him to make a couple saves. His defense isn't as good as Manchester City's, and Burnley's offense is more precocious than Leicester's. A slight higher risk play than Hart, but he comes with more upside.

Tim Krul ($3,600)
Mignolet and Hart certainly stand as the most risk-averse plays Wednesday. If you are looking to save money on your keeper, and certainly gamble on the outcome of a game for an underdog, Krul gets an overrated Manchester United offense at home. Manchester United, through Wayne Rooney, tallied two goals this past weekend. The first goal came on a penalty, the second came as Sunderland was a man down (a red card for the incident that led to the penalty). The United offense lacks pace upfront, relying on Angel Di Maria to be creative and give his striker(s) a chance. Still with no Robin van Persie (ankle), Manchester United is a good bet against – making Newcastle an underdog/cheap team to possibly target for an upset.

Other Options:

Arsenal's David Ospina ($5,200), Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois ($5,400) and Spurs' Hugo Lloris ($4,900) are all decent plays against opponents they are favored against. Lloris, as his Tottenham side look to bounce back off a disappointing week that included a loss in the Capital One Cup final to Chelsea and leaving the Europa League in the Round of 32, looks the best prospect for his price, as his side hosts a Swansea team that transferred away their most prolific goal scorer in Wilfried Bony. Swansea's goal-scoring production is now all but solely on the shoulders of the midfielders, meaning more long-range shots, and easier saves for Lloris, as his side will now only focus on domestic success. Asmir Begovic ($4400) of Stoke City is worth a look if his price range works for you, as his side is favored over Everton.

Defenders:

Luke Garbutt ($2,900)
Garbutt has been surprisingly productive while filing in for Leighton Baines at leftback. Assuming Baines does again miss out, Garbutt had ten crosses last time out at Manchester City. It is certainly not implausible to think Everton can hold Stoke City to a goal or less, though Garbutt's production at his price is good with or without clean sheet/one goal against bonuses. He's not assured the start, but a great target if given the opportunity again.

Danny Rose ($4,100)
Rose has become an offensive threat from the fullback position this season with two goals and four assists. Averaging around three crosses and two fouls drawn per 90 minutes, Rose will look to spark his Tottenham side out wide against a susceptible Swansea City side and is a good pair with his goalkeeper.

Aleksander Kolarov ($4,600)
Kolarov hasn't seen as much action as contemporaries Pablo Zabaleta or Gael Clichy, but with a decent chance to go Wednesday, Kolarov has been very effective during his time on the pitch, averaging nearly five crosses per 90 minutes. He hasn't scored this season, but he isn't shy to shoot with 1.5 shots per 90. Clichy ($4,000) is a good target as well, especially in the event that Kolarov doesn't play. Whatever fullbacks start for City are good pairs with Hart.

Alberto Moreno ($4,000)
Moreno is in an interesting position, as Liverpool has been playing with a three-man back line and giving Moreno more time in the midfield. Getting defensive bonus points for a player playing the midfield is an interesting proposition; add in his ability to create stats in every scoring category and you have a player with considerable upside. He's the only Liverpool defensive player with any usability, and thus the only reasonable pair with Mignolet.

Other Options:

There's a lot of directions one could go with their defense Wednesday. If you choose Ospina as your goalkeeper, whatever fullback combination among Hector Bellerin ($4,200), Kieran Gibbs ($4,000), Calum Chambers ($4,600) and Nacho Monreal ($3,900) start pair well. If you put Courtois in goal, Branislav Ivanovic ($5,300) is a must-use with whoever starts between Cesar Azpilicueta ($4,300) and Filipe Luis ($4,000) being good targets as well. If you put Krul in goal, Daryl Janmaat ($3,500) is a must-use coming off a great performance with an assist while leading to a Newcastle clean sheet and victory last time out. Massadio Haidara is a question mark after leaving with an injury Saturday, leaving his spot possibly open. If Begovic fits the bill, whoever goes between Phil Bardsley ($3,300), Geoff Cameron ($3,300) and Erik Pieters ($3,200) is a fine pairing. Lastly, not mentioning the crossing-king Kieran Trippier ($5,100) of Burnley would be a crime. His price is finally catching up with his production, but he's still consistent with his high number of crosses week-in and week-out. His own goal last weekend was embarrassing, though.

Midfielders:

Charlie Adam ($4,700)
Adam hasn't seen too much action this season, but injuries look likely to leave him in the starting lineup Wednesday. In limited action, he's managed two goals and an assist this season, and he's averaging over three shots and three crosses per 90 minutes. A defensively-exposed Everton side will be a favorable matchup for Adam to do some damage. As with every player, but especially in Adam's circumstance, make sure to see he does indeed get the start.

Ashley Young ($4,000)
A mixture between winger and fullback, Young has shown a reasonable affinity for crosses lately. He is in good form, has one of the best headers of the ball in Falcao to serve, and he is cheap. His place in the starting XI finally looks solid, as is his target status.

Riyad Mahrez ($5,400)
The lone bright spot on his league-bottom squad, Mahrez is very bright indeed. He doesn't get much love because of his poor squad, but the Algerian international averages nearly five crosses and three shots per 90 minutes. He is clearly Leicester's most potent offensive threat, a status he will very much be needed to live up to against Manchester City.

Matt Phillips ($4,000)
Queens Park Rangers is home this Wednesday. Their defense is poor everywhere, but they have a respectable scoring record over their home ground. Phillips averages over 4.5 crosses per 90, and with this is a reasonable assist threat.

James Milner ($6,100) / Jesus Navas ($5,900)
Whoever gets the start on the wing for City is a good target. Navas is the superior crosser, while Milner is fairly proficient in scoring goals. Both produce in multiple categories and are good targets on a day Manchester City looks very likely to reign supreme.

Angel Di Maria ($9,300)
Of the top priced midfielders is the top target. He does everything for his Manchester United side. There has been talk of bad form, but it doesn't show on the stat sheet. Di Maria is a top-notch crosser, fair shooter, and by far leads his team in assists.

Cristian Eriksen ($7,800)
Nine goals on the season and among the league's premier free-kick takers, Eriksen is a threat every week. Over three shots and four crosses per 90 minutes add to the various categories from which Eriksen can produce.

Other Options:

Chelsea is very talented at every position. This, as good as it has been for the likely league champion, creates difficulties on the fantasy front. Everyone on the field produces, though no one consistently leads the team in any category, and for that reason I can neither recommend nor condone targeting any Chelsea player. Arsenal is of a similar breed in the midfield, with Francis Coquelin being the only safe player to avoid in the midfield.

Forwards:

Sergio Aguero ($10,100)
With reasonable opportunity to save at the other positions, it's advisable to spend on your forwards. Aguero leads in price and explosiveness. He scores a lot, and when he doesn't score, he assists. Between the Premier League and the Champions League, Aguero accounts for 30 goals and assists combined. Whoever starts alongside him up top is dangerous, especially if transfer-addition Wilfried Bony ($7,900) gets the start. His strength is the perfect counter to Aguero's elusiveness.

Harry Kane ($9,900)
Kane is the hottest goal scorer in the league with an amazing 11 in his past ten games. He's failed to reach double-digit FPTs just twice in the last ten, going over 20 six times.

Papiss Cisse ($7,300)
The Premier League's top goal scorer per minutes played, Cisse added to his tally over the weekend to increase it to 11 league goals. The matchup with Manchester United is prime for goal scoring, and Cisse has proven to be extremely efficient in doing so.

Theo Walcott ($6,400) / Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ($4,700)
The pacey wings both look a decent chance to start Wednesday as some of the typical Arsenal starting XI is in need of rest. Walcott has been very limited in his playing time this year, but when he is on the field he is always a very prominent threat to sneak past the back line and score. Oxlade-Chamberlain is more of a wing midfielder being listed as a forward. Like Walcott, he hasn't seen considerable time on the field, but he's a prominent crosser of the ball and uses his considerable pace to be effective. Walcott is favored of the two, but whoever starts is worth targeting.

Kevin Mirallas ($6,100)
With Leighton Baines (quad) very iffy to play, Mirallas is a prime benefactor, as he takes over free kick and penalty duties. He has five goals this season, and is always a threat to add to that as the freshest threat on the Everton front line.

Daniel Sturridge ($7,500) / Mario Balotelli ($6,400)
Both of the Liverpool strikers are simply priced too low. They've both lacked stable time in the starting lineup and have inconsistent form, but both provide huge upside to do very big things on their day. Sturridge looks the more likely of the two to start, being fresh from not starting over the weekend, and on the upward-trend Liverpool stands as a very good play.