This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Liverpool v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. West Ham
10:00 a.m: Arsenal v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Stoke City
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Manchester City
12:30 p.m: Bournemouth v. Chelsea
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARD
Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. SWA ($10,500): Alexis was excellent last Sunday against Everton, finishing with one goal on seven shots (three on target), one assist, five crosses (four from corners) and four fouls drawn. That match was preceded by a solid one against Brighton when he had one assist and eight shots (three on goal) while creating six chances. Arsenal are the biggest favorites on the slate, and they have the highest implied goal total despite Swansea allowing just one away goal this season. However, the Swans have allowed the most shots, second most shots on goal, second-most crosses and most chances created among teams on the slate, which all line up perfectly for a player like Alexis.
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. HUD ($9,500): The conversation earlier this week -- and as recently as early Friday -- was whether to target Salah or Philipe Coutinho ($9,800), but with the latter now doubtful to play because of an adductor injury, things get complicated. It's too easy to simply say Salah is now the obvious play with Coutinho out because Liverpool could bring in Daniel Sturridge ($6,900) to lead the line while Roberto Firmino ($7,600) moves out to the wing. This doesn't negatively affect Salah's possible set-piece responsibilities (he's been taking a few corners even with Coutinho on the field), but it could limit his shot attempts because Sturridge is the definition of a selfish, shot-happy forward (this isn't a knock against him). Salah has scored three goals on 12 shots (eight on goal) in his last three matches, but he won't necessarily get as many opportunities if Sturridge is taking shots himself. Admittedly, Salah rattled off six shots against Burnley back on Sept. 16 when Sturridge led the line and took seven himself (Coutinho also added seven), but I'm not sure Liverpool will out-shoot Huddersfield 35-5 like they did the Clarets. Salah's role on set pieces is also far from guaranteed, as Firmino could take corners, as could Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or midfielders James Milner or Jordan Henderson. Sturridge's role and production screams GPP, but at that price and the expected high number of shots, he could make a case for being a cash option.
Richarlison, WAT v. STK ($7,500):Richarlison's price continues to rise (he was $3,900 on Aug. 19, $5,300 on Sept. 9 and $6,000 two weeks ago) but it's firmly because he's been one of the best and most consistent fantasy producers at any position this season. He continues to draw fouls at a high rate, he's taken 16 shots in his last three matches and has scored at least 11 fantasy points in six of eight starts, with his struggles coming at home against Man City on Sept. 16 (six points) and Arsenal on Oct. 14 (eight points). He'll now face a Stoke side that has struggled defensively away from home this season and has minimal speed on the wings to keep up with the 20-year-old Brazilian. Fantasy players who have rostered Richarlison since he was cheap may hesitate at Saturday's price, but the continued safety he provides makes him well worth it.
Other Forwards to Consider
You probably noticed that all those words were written without a single mention of the highest-scoring team in the Premier League, but Manchester City's match up at West Brom just isn't as attractive as Arsenal's and Liverpool's against Swansea and Huddersfield, respectively. Man City are still dominant favorites with a high implied goal total, but facing a Tony Pulis defense isn't always great for fantasy production. City also played a Carabao Cup match on Tuesday, with Sergio Aguero ($11,000) and Raheem Sterling ($8,600) playing the full 120 minutes while Gabriel Jesus played 82. The heavy minutes for the first two don't make me optimistic that they'll start Saturday, and if Aguero doesn't play then Jesus should lead the line. Kevin De Bruyne ($10,100) went 38 after coming on in the 82nd minute, while Leroy Sane ($9,200) played 25, so I would expect them to start. De Bruyne is the safer cash option but you'll really have to pay for it, while Sane has a goal and an assist in each of his last two Premier League games.
Chelsea are also big favorites, though not as much as the other three, as they travel to face Bournemouth. Alvaro Morata's $10,200 salary seems really high when you can have Alexis for $300 more or De Bruyne for $100 less (or Sane for $1,000 less). Eden Hazard ($8,800) has been playing well of late, with two goals against Roma in the Champions League and then an assist last weekend against Watford. However, he will most likely not be on set pieces and doesn't cross at all in open play, making him pretty goal or assist dependent.
Crystal Palace have been the worst team in the Premier League this season, at least in terms of points won, but they have a few interesting fantasy options. Andros Townsend ($6,400) is now forward eligible and is sharing corners, plus he likes to cross in open play. Unfortunately, Christian Benteke ($5,700) is still out with injury, which means Wilfried Zaha ($6,700) could lead the line again. Zaha is a really good player, but he's not the type that should have crosses sent in to him as he stands in the box. He's a poor man's Richarlison in terms of fouls drawn, but his floor is pretty low if he doesn't score.
MIDFIELDER
Granit Xhaka, ARS v. SWA ($5,100): Xhaka's role on corners is what keeps him fantasy relevant, though he usually splits with Mesut Ozil ($8,500) when they're both on the pitch and Alexis led the team in corners last week. Xhaka's price is also higher than it's been all year, but with Arsenal such huge favorites there's still plenty of optimism that he can put up a good score (he had 11 fantasy points last week against Everton with no goals or assists and only one cross). Ozil's price makes him much more of a GPP target because even if he does take every corner (he likely won't), he doesn't cross them all. Aaron Ramsey ($6,100) had a goal on seven shots (five on target) and an assist on four chances created last weekend, and his price is probably a better value than Ozil's. All of this is to say that each of the Arsenal midfielders is worth considering.
Cesc Fabregas, CHE at BOU ($7,100): Fabregas is hardly a sexy pick, but he continues to take most set pieces when he's on the pitch and Chelse are decent favorites against Bournemouth. He has arguably the highest floor on the team, and while his ceiling isn't super high, he should have plenty of opportunities to feed the attackers ahead of him against a Bournemouth side that's allowed the second-most corners, third-most crosses and second-most shots and chances created among teams on the slate.
Darren Fletcher, STK at WAT ($3,200): Fletcher surprisingly took seven of Stoke's eight corners last weekend in place of the injured Xherdan Shaqiri ($8,000), finishing with 10 crosses for the game. Shaqiri is expected to return and should be considered because Watford have allowed the most corners and fourth-most crosses among teams on the slate, though that's a really high price for an underdog Stoke team. Fletcher, on the other hand, really doesn't have to do much to make value on his price, and he had a number of seven and eight-point outings this year that would be a great return and especially helpful fitting in the higher-priced attackers from the large favorites.
Other Midfielders to Consider
As mentioned above, James Milner ($6,500) could get the start in midfield for Liverpool and take over on corners. If that's the case, he could definitely make value even at that price, as he's scored at least 10 fantasy points in every start this season. Any other Liverpool midfielder is pretty goal or assist dependent, though you'll get a little salary savings taking a punt on someone like Emre Can ($4,300). Jordan Henderson ($4,700) is an option but that salary seems like a lot when there are other cheaper pieces.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek ($3,800) would be worth considering if he gets the start up front with Townsend and Zaha, as he comes in averaging more fouls drawn per 90 minutes than Richarlison. Yohan Cabaye ($4,500) is sharing corners but his salary doesn't make that too much of an issue. On the other side of that match is Manuel Lanzini ($6,100), who has retaken sole corner duty and is definitely a consideration given Palace's struggles.
DEFENDER
Alberto Moreno, LIV v. HUD ($5,400): The Liverpool defense has been under great scrutiny after they got blasted 4-1 by Spurs last weekend, but Moreno still came out of that one with 11 fantasy points thanks to nine crosses, one shot on goal and two tackles won. He's been incredibly consistent as far as fantasy defenders go, and with Liverpool likely to attack a ton Saturday, Moreno should have no problem moving up and sending more balls into the box.
Jose Holebas, WAT v. STK ($5,300): Holebas shares set pieces based on side of the pitch, but with Richarlison drawing fouls and winning corners on that same side, Holebas will always have more dead-ball opportunities than Tom Cleverley ($3,500). Stoke have allowed the third-most corners this season, and while they don't allow a bunch of open-play crosses, they have allowed the most goals and assists among teams on the slate and have scored just four away goals this season. If paying this much for Holebas doesn't seem worth it, paying down for Kiko Femenia ($4,100), who plays on the other side, is certainly a decent pivot.
Kyle Naughton, SWA at ARS ($3,600): Naughton's matchup isn't ideal, which helps contribute to his lower price (he's been at least $4,200 in each of his last four matches), but he's been a viable contributor over the past few weeks and could keep it going, even against Arsenal. He has 12 crosses, eight tackles won and five fouls drawn over his last four games, and while those stats don't jump off the page, his salary is low enough to deal with it. The upside is surely minimal, but Naughton is not afraid to move up when given the opportunity and Arsenal should provide chances to accumulate defensive stats to reach five or six fantasy points.
Other Defenders to Consider
No teams on the slate have allowed more crosses this season than West Brom and Swansea. Unfortunately, the Man City and Arsenal fullbacks don't cross much and they're all pretty expensive. I understand targeting Kyle Walker ($5,200), Fabian Delph ($4,600), Sead Kolasinac ($5,000) or Hector Bellerin ($4,800) because of what they can do in their respective attacks, but it will be tough for them to make value without an assist, and that's including the likely clean sheet bonuses.
Jeffrey Schlupp ($3,800) is still pretty affordable and playing in an advanced position, though he could move to the bench if Loftus-Cheek returns to the starting XI. On the other side, Aaron Cresswell ($4,500) has lost his role on set pieces but could still be active in open play if Carroll leads the line because it gives him a big target in the box.
GOALKEEPER
Ben Foster, WBA v. MCI ($3,600): If you're stacking Arsenal and Liverpool and don't have much Man City exposure, it makes plenty of sense to roster the goalkeeper who might keep them at bay. Yes, Foster is facing the highest-scoring team in the league, but Man City are also responsible for forcing the third-most saves. The risk is high, but at $3,600 it's starting to feel worth it.
Other Goalkeepers to Consider
Literally everyone else.
