This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Chelsea
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Norwich City vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Crystal Palace
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Philippe Coutinho, AVL v. SOU ($8,500): The top range at forward is weak and there are expensive midfielders and defenders worth paying for. For cash games, it probably makes sense to spend down at both forward spots. For tournaments, Coutinho stands out based on his matchup and upside. He's taken multiple set pieces in consecutive games and he's played at least 86 minutes in three straight. Aston Villa are essentially the second-biggest favorite on the slate at home against Southampton. Elsewhere, Wilfried Zaha ($8,700) seems overpriced as the most expensive forward with Crystal Palace an away underdog. That said, he's been in a great form, always plays 90 minutes, has penalty-kick duty and actually has a decent floor without sets. I wouldn't expect him or Coutinho to be overly popular and both have big upside.
Kai Havertz, CHE at BUR ($5,600): Chelsea are the biggest favorite on the slate and they have the highest-implied goal total sitting around 1.80 goals. Their opponent, Burnley, have allowed more shots than any team in the league. Romelu Lukaku ($6,800) seems a bit underpriced considering he has the best goalscoring odds at +115. He should have some confidence back after scoring the winner midweek in the FA Cup. Timo Werner ($5,800) had a goal and two assists in that game. Christian Pulisic ($6,100) has found form again and was unlucky not to score against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final last weekend. I highlighted Havertz because he's the cheapest of the bunch and has played 90 minutes more often than not recently. All of them are underpriced which makes playing two of them more appealing.
Teemu Pukki, NOR v. BRE ($4,100): Pukki's salary is way down and he has +170 goalscoring odds for a home game against struggling Brentford, which is one of the better matchups Norwich will have this season. Regardless of what you think of Pukki, $4,100 for a center forward who almost always plays 90 minutes and takes penalties is too cheap for this spot. There are other cheap forwards also worth considering in tournaments. Chris Wood ($5,400), Danny Ings ($5,200) and Hwang Hee-Chan ($4,900) are all playing in favorable home matchups, while Josh Sargent ($3,900) will be much less popular than Pukki for $200 cheaper.
MIDFIELDERS
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at AVL ($9,700): This is the highest we've seen Ward-Prowse priced all season and his consistent performances have earned it. Regardless of price, he has the highest and safest floor on the slate and it's not that hard to afford him if you spend down at both forward spots. Southampton have been in great form heading into their away match against Aston Villa that should be back and forth with chances at both ends. Mason Mount ($9,900) probably has more upside based on his goal/assist equity but his range of outcomes is wider. While I'd still expect him to take some corners, the return of Reece James and Marcos Alonso complicates things. Both Mount and Ward-Prowse are good GPP targets because they have high ceilings and their inflated salaries should keep popularity down a bit.
Michael Olise, CRY at WOL ($8,300): Olise continues to impress from a pure footballing standpoint and he's also been taking most of Palace's corner kicks. He had four shots and nine crosses against Burnley last time out as most the play ran through him. It was the second time in his last three games that he had nine crosses and he played 90 minutes in those games, as well. If he doesn't start, Conor Gallagher ($7,700) would likely take the majority of set pieces. He has considerably less open-play value than Olise, however. Looking cheaper, Billy Gilmour ($5,200) would make for a good cash-game option. He's taken all of Norwich's corners the past three games and they have a favorable matchup at home against Brentford.
DEFENDERS
Reece James, CHE at BUR ($7,900): James hasn't started a match since the end of December, but he's expected to return to the starting lineup for Saturday's trip to Burnley. He'd been splitting set pieces prior to his absence and I'd expect him to resume that role, though you can never be sure what Chelsea are going to do. James took one corner off the bench in the League Cup final and then zero off the bench against Luton Town midweek. Regardless, he has more upside than any defender on the slate, evidenced by the fact that he's already topped 30 fantasy points three times this season and has four goals and five assists across 14 starts. Marcos Alonso ($7,300) is a similar option but he hasn't been taking as many sets recently and has slightly less upside than James. Chelsea are in a great spot against Burnley and the wing-backs should have plenty of opportunities to get forward and create chances.
Ryan Fraser, NEW vs. BHA ($6,000): Fraser would probably be the first "defender" in my lineup. It remains a mystery as to why he's listed as a defender considering that he's been playing in the front three almost every match for Newcastle. He scored a massive 22 floor points last time out against Brentford, helped by 13 crosses and seven shots assisted. He split set pieces with Matt Targett ($6,100) in that match. Targett is another solid option on a slate that's filled with viable defenders. He's sent in 20 crosses over his last two games and put up at least 14 floor points in each. Lucas Digne ($5,700) is a similar option, in that both take left-sided corners and have home matchups that look relatively favorable. GPP options in this range include Tariq Lamptey ($5,500) and Jacob Murphy ($5,400). Lamptey has crossed 19 times in his last two matches and he's gone 90 minutes in each of his last three starts. Murphy has lined up in the front three in consecutive games and has considerable goal/assist equity if he starts in that role again.
GOALKEEPERS
Edouard Mendy, CHE at BUR ($5,700): Chelsea are big favorites to win over Burnley and have nearly 50-percent odds to keep a clean sheet. No other team has better than 38-percent odds which makes Mendy stand out.
Angus Gunn, NOR vs. BRE ($4,500): Gunn is the second-cheapest home keeper and Norwich actually have a decent matchup for a change. Gunn's clean-sheet odds are actually better than the two keepers priced above him who are playing in the Newcastle-Brighton match.
