This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- Wednesday, 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Leicester City
- Wednesday, 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- Wednesday, 10:00 am: Watford vs. Wolverhampton
- Wednesday, 12:30 pm: Manchester City vs. Everton
- Wednesday, 12:30 pm: Norwich City vs. Crystal Palace
- Wednesday, 12:30 pm: West Ham United vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Wednesday, 3:00 pm: Arsenal vs. Manchester United
- Thursday, 3:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Sheffield United
FORWARDS
Marcus Rashford MUN at ARS (£25): While not the most expensive forward, Rashford has been one of the top producing players over the past two months. He scored double-digit points in nine of his past 12 matches and will face an Arsenal defense that has conceded the third-most shots and fourth-most shots on goal this season. Anthony Martial (£23) has scored in consecutive matches and offers a slightly cheaper alternative. Similarly to Martial, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£23) has found the back of the net consecutively, and of the three, Aubameyang has the highest goal-scoring odds. Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette (£20) hasn't scored over a point in his previous three outings. The cheapest bargain in this match is Reiss Nelson (£10), who has three consecutive starts and has seen a share of set-pieces.
Raul Jimenez, WOL at WAT (£22): Jimenez was left out of the starting XI for Sunday's loss to Liverpool but played the final 18 minutes and will come into Wednesday's match with fresh legs. Prior to Sunday, Jimenez had scored in consecutive matches and taken three shots in each of his past three outings. Rashford leads the Premier League with 68 shots and is trailed by Jimenez in second with 64. Adama Traore (£18) also came off the bench against Liverpool but has otherwise been a starter and will offer a cheaper option to Jimenez. Both Gerard Deulofeu (£16) and Ismaila Sarr (£16) come in at the same price, though Sarr has shown more goal-scoring pedigree over the past month.
Danny Ings, SOU v. TOT (£20): It's hard to ignore Ings' production over the past nine matches, as he scored eight goals in that span. He's quite goal dependent but has been very efficient in a limited number of chances, with his eight goals coming from only 22 shots. Ings is cheaper than Harry Kane (£28), who is the most-expensive player on the slate with Sadio Mane (£28). Kane tends to supplement any goal production with shots, but at that price you'll be depending on Kane hitting the back of the net at least once.
MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. EVE (£27): I'm not sure there's a bigger chalk play than De Bruyne at home against Everton. We're a little over halfway through the season and De Bruyne has seven goals and 12 assists over 18 starts. Thierry Henry holds the record for most assists in a season with 20 in 2002-03, and De Bruyne appears poised to break that in the remaining 18 matches. Everton have won two straight under new manager Carlo Ancelotti and could pose a problem for City, though De Bruyne has produced even in losses. Riyad Mahrez (£22) is a cheaper alternative if he makes the starting XI and has seen a fair share of set pieces when in the lineup. Bernardo Silva's (£24) production has not matched his price, while Ilkay Gundogan (£18) is goal dependent. Gylfi Sigurdsson (£18) is an option for Everton, but he could see a drop in free-kick opportunities with Lucas Digne (£16) expected back in the lineup.
James Maddison, LEI at NEW (£20): After De Bruyne, Maddison is the next most dependable midfielder. If De Bruyne is Corona Extra, Maddison is Corona Light. He's can't match De Bruyne in taste and production, but he is still an option to consistently go to. Maddison ended up with negative points against Liverpool due to a yellow card but is otherwise good for a floor of five points, especially against Newcastle, who have conceded the third-most accurate crosses and fourth-most crosses. Youri Tielemans (£17) is more cost-effective but lacks the set-piece opportunities Maddison has, while Jonjo Shelvey (£15) is the main set-piece taker for Newcastle and has four goals in his past eight appearances.
Emiliano Buendia (Emi), NOR v. CRY (£17): Buendia fits a similar mold of De Bruyne and Maddison. His set-piece monopoly helps boost his accurate cross numbers, which helps considering Crystal Palace concede the second-most accurate crosses behind Norwich City. Mesut Ozil (£17) is another midfielder to consider in the price range and has seen a mini revival under manager Mikel Arteta. Finally, Joao Moutinho (£16) is the most cost effective and regularly hits seven points or more.
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. SHU (£19): Liverpool's defense has kept four straight clean sheets while being unbeaten in their last 50 matches, and they now host promoted side Sheffield United. Alexander-Arnold has the biggest share of set pieces on the Reds and regularly hits double-digit points. With Liverpool having the highest clean-sheet odds, Virgil van Dijk (£19), Joe Gomez (£16) and Andrew Robertson (£17) are all in play for the bonus.
Diego Rico, BOU v. WHU (£13): West Ham have been dreadful of late, losing five of six and scoring six goals over that period. Although it's tough to depend on a clean sheet bonus from a Bournemouth defender, there's the potential for Rico to do so. It also helps he averages 3.24 interceptions and 1.68 accurate crosses per 90 minutes. At this price, it's not much of a risk to roster a perennial bargain. Aaron Cresswell (£15) is West Ham's best defensive option, though I wouldn't take him over Rico.
Sam Byram, NOR v. CRY (£10): As far as bargain bin buys go, Byram is your best bet. He was left on the bench in Norwich's previous match after starting the previous seven and could come back into the first XI against Palace, who I previously noted concede a high number of accurate crosses. Kiko Femenia (£12) is another cheap option to keep in mind if Byram is left on the bench.
GOALKEEPERS
Jordan Pickford, EVE at MCI (£15): There are many more outfield players I'd rather spend on than pay up for Alisson Becker (£19) or Ederson (£18), which is why I recommend going with any of the cheaper options like Alex McCarthy (£13), Dean Henderson (£13), Aaron Ramsdale (£13) or Tim Krul (£13). Ramsdale has a favorable matchup against West Ham, who have lost five of their last six, while Tim Krul will host Crystal Palace at home. McCarthy and Henderson have the most potential for saves against Tottenham and Liverpool along with Pickford, who is the cheapest he's been all season. Pickford has five straight matches with at least 6.5 points, with three of those finishing in double digits. He's unlikely to keep a clean sheet, or even register a win, but the save potential is certainly there against Manchester City, who average the most shots and shots on goal of the 16 teams on the slate.
