This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Brighton vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Newcastle vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Norwich City vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: West Ham vs. Crystal Palace
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Pascal Gross, BHA vs. EVE ($10,000): Two weeks ago, Gross was $6,800 in a favorable matchup against Burnley and people were hesitant to roster him. Now his salary is at a premium for a tougher matchup against Everton. Everything is slate-dependent, however, and this week he seems like the safest option at the position. Consider that only three forwards on the slate project to take any set pieces, and Gross figures to have a larger share than the other two, Jarrod Bowen ($9,200) and Bryan Mbeumo ($5,800). Gross, who sent in 21 crosses and picked up two assists in two games to start the season, has the highest floor on the slate, though the five-figure salary makes him less appealing for tournaments. For me, his viability in GPPs depends on whether or not he lines up in an advanced/attacking role.
Looking at the other top options, Michail Antonio's ($11,700) salary really jumps off the page. He's been unstoppable in the first two games, bagging three goals and two assists. West Ham are the biggest favorite on the slate at home to Crystal Palace, but that type of salary is usually reserved for Lionel Messi against the likes of Ferencvaros. If you want the West Ham attack, it will come at a steep cost. Antonio's teammate, Said Benrahma ($10,300) is the second-most expensive forward on the slate, while Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho ($9,700) and Jamie Vardy ($9,500) have the highest anytime goal-scoring odds at +115 and +125, respectively. Bowen took the majority of corners for West Ham on Monday, but arguably none of these players are worth their salaries, and their popularity is likely to reflect that. That being said, one scoring a brace could provide important leverage in GPPs.
Callum Wilson, NEW vs. SOU ($7,200): Wilson has the third-highest goal-scoring odds on the slate at +130 and his salary is considerably cheaper than the forwards with similar odds. Newcastle have a favorable matchup at home to Southampton, and when you consider the inflated salaries up top, Wilson seems like a bit of a bargain. All of the forwards in that game are appealing: Allan Saint-Maximin ($7,400), Adam Armstrong ($7,000) and Che Adams ($6,800) are affordable, and the game features the slate's second-highest total. Looking elsewhere, Danny Ings ($7,700) and Anwar El Ghazi ($7,600) are in a decent spot at home to Brentford. If you want to pay all the way down, Norwich City could offer some value. After facing Liverpool and Manchester City in the first two weeks, a home matchup against Leicester could be the spot for their first goal of the season. Exciting new signing Milot Rashica ($5,000) and veteran front-man Teemu Pukki ($4,500) are both cheap.
MIDFIELDERS
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at NEW ($8,300): From a cash-game perspective, Ward-Prowse is the best option at midfield. He's topped 13 floor points in both games to start the season, and this week's matchup against Newcastle is better than the previous two. His salary seems cheap as it relates to the rest of the slate, and I'd expect that makes him quite popular. He's a worthy option for tournaments as well because he has the type of ceiling that can break a slate when he gets on the score-sheet. Other options in this range, Youri Tielemans ($8,100) and Emiliano Buendia ($7,700), are considerably less appealing. One player likely to go overlooked in tournaments is Pablo Fornals ($7,300), who is much cheaper than the other West Ham attackers, always seems to play 90 minutes, and has shown consistent upside dating back to the end of last season. He's been instrumental in West Ham's resurgence and is coming off a beautiful goal Monday.
John McGinn, AVL vs. BRE ($5,900): McGinn has taken multiple corners in consecutive weeks and Aston Villa are in nice spot at home to Brentford. He's shown a nose for goal for both club and country, therefore offering upside for tournaments as well. My preferred GPP targets in this range are James Maddison ($6,400) and Harvey Barnes ($6,000). Maddison has disappointed for awhile, but he's finally seen a significant decrease in salary and Leicester should create plenty of chances against Norwich City. Barnes is even cheaper and offers more goal upside, and he won't be nearly as popular as he should be.
Conor Gallagher, CRY at WHU ($4,500): Gallagher took all three of the Crystal Palace corners last week and saw a close-range effort on goal kept out by the post. Saturday's matchup away to West Ham isn't ideal, but the cheap salary would make it easier to roster expensive players at other positions. If you're looking for an even cheaper, less popular option with a better matchup, Jacob Ramsey ($4,100) started in an attacking role for Aston Villa last weekend and played 90 minutes.
DEFENDERS
Matt Ritchie, NEW vs. SOU ($6,700): Ritchie has racked up 21 crosses and nine shots assisted in two games, and while the salary is high, the matchup against Southampton is favorable. Aaron Cresswell ($7,000) is the most expensive defender on the slate and West Ham are in a great spot against Crystal Palace, but he takes a smaller share of set pieces than Ritchie and plays deeper defensively.
Lucas Digne, EVE at BHA ($6,000): Digne took all five of Everton's corners last week and finished with 12 floor points despite picking up a yellow card. I'd rank him just behind Ritchie based on the tougher matchup and the fact that Everton have played with a back four under Rafa Benitez. Ritchie, at home and on the wing, seems more appealing than Digne, on the road and in defense. Rostering both would make plenty of sense as well.
Ashley Young, AVL vs. BRE ($4,100): If you're looking for a cheaper option, Young slotted in at left-back last week and DraftKings has already made him defender eligible. Aston Villa have a nice matchup at home to Brentford and their fullbacks should be involved in the attack while retaining a decent chance to keep a clean sheet. Looking elsewhere in the cheap range, Valentino Livramento ($3,600) has been impressive to start the season. The promising 18-year-old, signed from Chelsea, is expected to get another start at right-back against Newcastle.
GOALKEEPERS
Lukasz Fabianski, WHU vs. CRY ($5,700): There aren't any keepers on this slate I'd recommend to prioritize. All are viable but none are worth targeting specifically. West Ham have the best odds to keep a clean sheet, as Crystal Palace have yet to score this season, and Fabianski is rightfully the most expensive keeper as a result. Emiliano Martinez ($5,300) is in a similar spot as a home favorite against Brentford.
Jordan Pickford, EVE at BHA ($4,500): The Everton v. Brighton matchup has the lowest total on the slate. Brighton struggled to score at times last season, and Everton might be the better team anyway, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them win 1-0 here. If you want to pay all the way down and target saves, Vicente Guaita ($3,900) makes sense. Often times when a goalkeeper has a salary under $4,000, it's because they're playing against an elite team. West Ham are not that, meaning a full punt would be less risky than usual.
