DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday EPL Targets

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Kasper Schmeichel, LEI v. LIV ($4,000): Schmeichel has kept clean sheets in four of his last five matches while allowing just one goal in the span. Tuesday, Schmeichel draws to high-shot, low-conversion rate Liverpool. There's always a risk in betting against a top quality side like Liverpool, but all the statistics point towards this being a plus matchup for Schmeichel.

Adrian, WHU v. AVL ($4,200): The form table shows West Ham in fourth and Aston Villa in 16th. Aston Villa has taken just three points from their last six away matches, while West Ham has gone unbeaten at home in their last six. Aston Villa has been the worst offense in the Premier League this season by a large margin (18 goals with the next worst at 22), and Adrian drawing them at home makes him the chalk play.

Other goalkeepers to consider: David de Gea, MUN v. STK ($4,400); Ben Foster, WBA v. SWA ($3,900); Wayne Hennessey, CRY v. BOU ($3,900); Petr Cech, ARS v. SOU ($4,300); Hugo Lloris, TOT at NOR ($4,000)

Defenders:

Sam Byram, WHU v. AVL ($2,000): Minimum-priced fullback alert! To add fuel to the fire, Byram is not just a fullback, but a very offensively inclined one, as he has seen a great deal of time in a wing role throughout his career and had already tallied three goals for Leeds United in the Championship this season. Byram scored just three fantasy points in his Premier League debut against Manchester City (which came just three days after the transfer was finalized). An easier home matchup against Aston Villa sets the stage for a much easier matchup and a promotion to near must-use status at this price point.

Kieran Trippier, TOT at NOR ($3,600): Trippier was an easy fantasy play last season while with Burnley, and that notion still applies when he starts for Spurs. Trippier has averaged 6.3 crosses and 12.7 fantasy points per game over his last three appearances.

Guillermo Varela, MUN v. STK ($2,600): Varela hasn't appeared in a Premier League match in over a month, but with recent injuries he stands a good chance of doing so Tuesday. In his last start, he sent in four crosses on his way to nine fantasy points.

Other defenders to consider: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, MUN v. STK ($2,400); Aly Cissokho, AVL at WHU ($3,200); Daley Blind, MUN v. STK ($4,000); Danny Rose, TOT at NOR ($4,100); Craig Dawson, WBA v. SWA ($3,800);

Midfielders:

Jesus Navas, MCI at SUN ($3,900): The injury bug has once again hit Manchester City hard, this time to Kevin De Bruyne (ankle/knee) who will be out over two months. The presumed starting wing positions will be split between Navas and Raheem Sterling (with some speculation that promising 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho could steal a start after bagging a hat trick on the weekend in the FA Cup). Navas doesn't score goals (he hasn't recorded one since the 2013/2014 season), but he delivers crosses in high quantities and is capable of picking up assists. The price is great, the floor is solid and exposure to the potent Man City offense is always a plus.

Dimitri Payet, WHU v. AVL ($7,500): If Payet can put up 18 fantasy points without contributing to any goals against Manchester City, what is his ceiling at home against Aston Villa? Payet has hit double-digit goals and assists in past seasons while in France, so don't think for a moment that his stats this season represent any sort of an outlier. Crosses, fouls drawn, shots, goals and assists all come frequently in great proportions for the Frenchman.

James McClean, WBA v. SWA ($4,800): In the three starts following his suspension, McClean has totaled 23 crosses, with more coming each game. He is not without his temperament issues, but with an average of 17.7 fantasy points per game in January, he's very hard to overlook.

James Milner, LIV at LEI ($5,300): Milner has now hit double-digit fantasy points in six of his last seven appearances, including each of the last four. This aligns perfectly with the hiring of Jurgen Klopp, who is using Milner in a more forward, wide role that has resulted in more fantasy points. Milner has been crossing with great frequency in conjunction with getting on the scoresheet and providing assists.

Other midfielders to consider: David Silva, MCI at SUN ($5,800); Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA at WBA ($6,400); Christian Eriksen, TOT at NOR ($7,300); Jesse Lingard, MU v. STK ($3,700); Dele Alli, TOT at NOR ($6,000); Andre Ayew, SWA at WBA ($5,500); Wilfried Zaha, CRY v. BOU ($4,800); Michail Antonio, WHU v. AVL ($4,400); Ashley Westwood, AVL at WHU ($2,900); Stephane Sessegnon, WBA v. SWA ($4,200); Wayne Routledge, SWA at WBA ($3,100); Son Heung-Min, TOT at NOR ($3,800)

Forwards:

Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. SOU ($7,400): We lose a gem in De Bruyne but get one back in the Chilean workhorse. Alexis started, played 78 minutes and scored the clinching goal in a weekend FA Cup match against Championship side Burnley. In his past two seasons (last year with Arsenal, the year before with Barcelona), Alexis had 16 goals and 8 assists and 19 goals and 10 assists, respectively. Being the fourth-highest priced forward is a gift, especially given his floor provided by a litany of shots, crosses, fouls drawn and a surprising amount of defensive contribution – the guy does it all.

Sergio Aguero, MCI at SUN ($8,800): I'm not going to go into a lot of depth here, as Aguero is among the very best goal scorers in the world. He has four goals in his last four Premier League matches, and Sunderland has allowed the most goals in the league this season.

Other forwards to consider: Roberto Firmino, LIV at LEI ($5,700); Enner Valencia, WHU v. AVL ($5,400); Harry Kane, TOT at NOR ($8,000); Wayne Rooney, MUN v. STK ($7,000); Raheem Sterling, MCI at SUN ($6,000); Kelechi Iheanacho, MCI at SUN ($4,000); Marouane Chamakh, CRY v. BOU ($3,200); Charlie Austin, SOU at ARS ($4,000); Anthony Martial, MUN v. STK ($6,100); Salomon Rondon, WBA v. SWA ($3,900)