This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCH (EDT)
Saturday, 3:00 p.m: Liverpool v. Tottenham
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Liverpool are a decent -110 favorite (at FanDuel Sportsbook) after Tottenham (+330) closed the season out of form, winning two of their last eight league and UCL matches. Combine that with the two previous results between these teams, which Liverpool won 2-1 twice, and that's a recipe for a loss. The over/under was sitting just above 2.5 goals (-122) on Thursday, and while that's not a lot, there should be goals scored given the prior matchups.
The problem is that neither Mohamed Salah ($16) nor Sadio Mane ($15) were involved in any of the four goals scored in those previous meetings. Even though the Reds are favored, that doesn't mean Salah and Mane should be the hands-down best captain plays. They'll be popular in cash games, but if Roberto Firmino ($12) starts, he could throw a wrench into that strategy. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising if all three players had fairly high captain percentages.
Still, Salah has the best floor and potential in this match after averaging 1.77 shots on goal and 1.88 chances created per 90 minutes in league play. He'll likely be the highest-owned player on the slate in both cash and GPPs. Mane (1.23 SOG, 1.31 CC) and Firmino (1.20 SOG, 1.48 CC) both score at decent rates, but they didn't produce nearly as many opportunities as Salah.
If you think Tottenham can get the upset, Christian Eriksen ($13) and Son Heung-Min ($12)
MATCH (EDT)
Saturday, 3:00 p.m: Liverpool v. Tottenham
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Liverpool are a decent -110 favorite (at FanDuel Sportsbook) after Tottenham (+330) closed the season out of form, winning two of their last eight league and UCL matches. Combine that with the two previous results between these teams, which Liverpool won 2-1 twice, and that's a recipe for a loss. The over/under was sitting just above 2.5 goals (-122) on Thursday, and while that's not a lot, there should be goals scored given the prior matchups.
The problem is that neither Mohamed Salah ($16) nor Sadio Mane ($15) were involved in any of the four goals scored in those previous meetings. Even though the Reds are favored, that doesn't mean Salah and Mane should be the hands-down best captain plays. They'll be popular in cash games, but if Roberto Firmino ($12) starts, he could throw a wrench into that strategy. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising if all three players had fairly high captain percentages.
Still, Salah has the best floor and potential in this match after averaging 1.77 shots on goal and 1.88 chances created per 90 minutes in league play. He'll likely be the highest-owned player on the slate in both cash and GPPs. Mane (1.23 SOG, 1.31 CC) and Firmino (1.20 SOG, 1.48 CC) both score at decent rates, but they didn't produce nearly as many opportunities as Salah.
If you think Tottenham can get the upset, Christian Eriksen ($13) and Son Heung-Min ($12) are the best plays, though Harry Kane ($16) will get some attention if he starts. However, it can't be ignored that Kane only managed two shots on goal in the two previous matches against Liverpool, and that was when he was healthy. Lucas Moura ($14) had a better floor in both matches, while Eriksen assisted in both, creating eight chances. The x-factor is Son, who came off the bench in both contests due to injury. Eriksen will likely be the most popular Spurs player, though Son is intriguing because of his price. As for Kane, he'll probably get some captain bids in GPP, and it won't matter if he's in the starting XI.
The best GPP route may be captaining someone like James Milner ($9) or Georginio Wijnaldum ($6), or even someone off the bench like Kane or Firmino. Milner can whip corners in, while Wijnadum could be awarded a start after igniting the comeback against Barcelona. Otherwise, you're banking on a defensive midfielder to scrap together defensive stats and find an unexpected goal, which isn't a good strategy. If Kane and Firmino start, you can still take a bench approach and hope Fernando Llorente ($10) or Divock Origi ($10) make a late appearance to score the winner.
If you spend big on Salah and Mane, you can fit guys like Jordan Henderson ($7) and Victor Wanyama ($4) into the roster. Henderson should be rested and ready for a full 90, while Wanyama provides a similar floor to every other defensive midfielder but is the cheapest. Wanyama could be one of the most owned players at an oddly cheap rate despite having the same floor as Henderson and Moussa Sissoko ($6).
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold ($9) will likely be the most popular defender since he's a couple bucks cheaper than teammate Virgil van Dijk ($11). Everyone will also see the nine assists in his last nine starts and not look at anyone else. Andrew Robertson ($7) is a worthy play and the pivot from Alexander-Arnold since he has assist potential on the other wing. Kieran Trippier ($10) will get some attention because he's on corners for Tottenham, but his production varies from match to match, especially on the defensive side. That was evident in the first two meetings against Liverpool when he didn't have a point in the first match, but had a floor of 16 fantasy points at Anfield in March.
Either way, it makes sense to back a Liverpool defender in cash games with better clean sheet odds and not much difference between any of the center-backs in terms of floor or price. Joel Matip ($6) might be the best value since he's tied for the cheapest expected starting defender while also having the same floor as the others, which is around 10 fantasy points. There are still reasons to take a stab at the Tottenham guys, whether in GPP or cash. In addition to the outside chance of a 1-0 Spurs win, it could also go the opposite way with Jan Vertonghen ($8) and Toby Alderweireld ($6) racking up defensive stats the entire match.
