Fantasy Premier League: Sunday-Monday EPL Cheat Sheet

MATCHES (EDT)

Sunday, 8:30 a.m: Bournemouth v. Manchester United
Sunday, 11:00 a.m: Arsenal v. Liverpool
Monday, 3:00 p.m: Chelsea v. West Ham

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Bournemouth: Max Gradel, Charlie Daniels
Manchester United: Wayne Rooney, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez
Liverpool: Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho
Chelsea: Willian, Cesc Fabregas
West Ham: Dimitri Payet, Mark Noble

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

David de Gea, MUN at BOU: Chelsea may have the best win odds from this three-game slate, but Manchester United have the best clean sheet chances. Admittedly, they will be without Chris Smalling (suspension), but they have more than enough defensive cover against a Bournemouth side that has a few solid attacking pieces but no significant play-makers that should worry de Gea. There will be plenty of people tempted by Adrian's low price, but the Chelsea attack was really clicking at the end of preseason.

DEFENDER

Antonio Valencia, MUN at BOU: Valencia's ability to move forward always puts him in consideration, as he sends in a high number of crosses from open play. He also wins a decent number of tackles, which is a solid floor when considering Manchester United also have the best clean sheet odds on the small slate.

Luke Shaw, MUN at BOU: Shaw missed most of last season due to a horrific leg injury, but he's fully fit and has shown recently he can be very active in the attack, just like Valencia. Manager Jose Mourinho has said a number of times how much he likes Shaw, giving little reason to think he won't start the opener. Shaw is likely to be much more expensive than he is on DraftKings ($3,800) later in the season, so it's certainly worth it to jump on him now.

Sam Byram, WHU at CHE: Bryam looked set to take on the starting left back spot in place of the injured Aaron Cresswell, but the acquisition of Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos all but killed that. However, given Masuaku just joined the team this week, it's possible Byram gets the start in the opener. Unfortunately, he's mostly valuable for the salary savings than any 10-cross or clean sheet upside.

MIDFIELDER

Philippe Coutinho, LIV at ARS: Arsenal will be playing without their top three center backs, as well as a few of their best attacking players, which means focusing on a number of Liverpool players isn't out of the question. With James Milner doubtful to play, Coutinho could take over corner duties, though Jordan Henderson could ruin that party. Either way, Coutinho is highly likely to take a good number of shots (plenty with no chance of going in), and he has enough weapons around him to luck into an assist. If he's on corners, he has a very solid floor, and his upside is quite high given Arsenal's defensive deficiencies.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, MUN at BOU: Mkhitaryan barely played against Leicester City in the Community Shield, which certainly gives pause to recommending him, but if he starts he presents excellent upside. He's an attacking machine who likely won't be on corners (Wayne Rooney) but probably should be after picking up 15 assists in the Bundesliga last season (he also had 11 goals). While Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba have gotten all of the Manchester United transfer attention this summer, Mkhitaryan could have the highest upside in a format like DraftKings given his ability to be productive across the stat sheet, including goals and assists.

Eden Hazard, CHE v. WHU: If Mkhitaryan doesn't start, Hazard is an easy replacement. He's played exceptionally well since Chelsea fired Jose Mourinho last season, including a solid run with Belgium in the European Championship, and he'll get to line up on the same side of the field as Michail Antonio, who is moonlighting as a right back but is much more interested in attacking.

FORWARD

Michy Batshuayi, CHE v. WHU: Batshuayi's place in the starting lineup isn't guaranteed, but if he does get the call, he provides excellent access to the Chelsea attack at a significant savings to Diego Costa, who has been battling a back problem. Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Lacazette and Edinson Cavani scored more goals in Ligue 1 last season than Batshuayi, while the young Belgian was also third in shots and shots on target. Admittedly, he's a bit goal dependent, though that's the case with most forwards, but with Chelsea expected to score the most goals of the six teams playing, why not grab the guy who could be leading the attack?

Divock Origi, LIV at ARS: Another player worth keeping an eye on, Origi could grab a start for Liverpool in place of Daniel Sturridge, who is highly unlikely to play due to injury (shocking, I know!). Origi was playing very well under manager Jurgen Klopp last season before suffering a season-ending injury in April, and lining up against a heavily depleted Arsenal defense could be the perfect setup for solid fantasy production. If Origi doesn't start and Robert Firmino lines up as Liverpool's No. 9, he makes for an excellent play.

Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. LIV: While Arsenal are missing a few key pieces in their attack, they do have Alexis, who actually looks to benefit from Mesut Ozil's absence if he can take on corner duties. Liverpool definitely have a shot in this match due to Arsenal's defensive woes, but the former were hardly defensive stalwarts last season, giving every reason to think that Alexis will still be able to create as normal.