This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Watford
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. West Ham
12:30 p.m: Southampton v. Manchester United
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BOU (£28): Manchester City are such overwhelming favorites that Aguero could be the highest owned player in cash games and GPPs because of his ridiculous anytime goal scoring odds and the fact he's not overwhelmingly more expensive than the other top forwards. The only reason to fade Aguero is for some kind of GPP leverage in case he's a bust, but even then you need to contend with the fact that he averages 5.13 shots, including 1.77 on goal, per 90 minutes this season. Pairing him with Raheem Sterling (£26) could be a popular strategy as well, especially since no other forwards have matchups remotely close to as good as the one Aguero and Sterling will have against Bournemouth at the Etihad.
Wilfried Zaha, CRY v. BUR (£18): Crystal Palace are in a terrible run of form, but Zaha has been trying to keep them afloat, taking eight shots, creating eight chances and drawing 10 fouls in his last three games, which came at home against Arsenal, away to Chelsea and away to Manchester United, respectively. The tough fixture run also included a home match against Tottenham that Zaha missed due to injury, so the struggles Palace have had are certainly understandable. Thankfully, they have a great bounce-back opportunity against Burnley, who have allowed the most goals, most assists, most shots, most shots on goal, most corners and most chances created this season.
Steve Mounie, HUD v. BHA (£14): While he hasn't gotten on the scoresheet since picking up an assist against Manchester City on Aug. 19, Mounie has been a much more active attacker of late, taking eight shots while putting six on goal and creating four chances in his last two starts. Paying down this much could be helpful for those looking to jam in as much Manchester City as possible, and it only makes it better that Mounie will face a Brighton defense that has allowed the second-most shots and third-most shots on goal this season.
MIDFIELDERS
David Silva, MCI v. BOU (£24): The Manchester City stack is hardly a situation only for the forwards, as Silva, Leroy Sane (£25) and Riyad Mahrez (£23) should all be in consideration. It's probably not the optimal way to go, but there are enough potential value plays where you could roster Aguero, Sterling, Silva, Sane AND Mahrez, leaving you with an average of £13 for the remaining six roster spots. Man City probably need to win at least 6-0 for that to pay off, but you know there will be people trying it. All of them are solid plays, but Silva has actually been the most consistent, getting on the scoresheet in seven of his last eight starts in all competitions, taking multiple shots in five of those games and putting at least one on target in seven.
James Maddison, LEI v. WAT (£18): Last weekend's red card ruined plenty of fantasy teams, but Maddison remains a very strong option because of his major role on set pieces for Leicester while still taking plenty of shots for a midfielder. He's a very accurate crosser, completing nine in the three games before last weekend, and he took four shots and won four corners in that span. His price is a nice break from the Manchester City guys, though if you're looking to stack that midfield than paying up for Maddison could be really tough.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, SOU v. MUN (£13): Hojbjerg's work on both ends of the pitch have given him a solid floor this season, and while the matchup against Manchester United will be a tough one, his low salary helps alleviate some of that concern. Averaging 1.83 shots, including 0.71 on goal, 2.03 tackles won, 2.33 interceptions and 2.44 fouls drawn per 90 minutes this season, Hojbjerg has even improved a bit of late in some categories, averaging 2.83 tackles and 3.00 fouls drawn per 90 in his last five. Up next is a Manchester United side that had to play this midweek and again, like all other Premier League teams, next midweek.
DEFENDERS
Patrick van Aanholt (£15): While Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£14) is slightly cheaper, he does most of his damage on the defensive end, which may not be as necessary against a Burnley side that has really struggled to get any kind of attacking flow going this season. Meanwhile, van Aanholt is never hesitant to move up in the attack, taking at least one shot in four straight matches, including two with multiple attempts. With Palace having the second-best clean sheet odds on the slate, they present a significantly cheaper path to a shutout than Manchester City, especially since you'll probably prefer spending up for their attack than their defense.
Zanka, HUD v. BHA (£14): The Huddersfield v. Brighton match is expected to be the lowest scoring of the day, so getting some cheap defenders with decent clean sheet odds will be helpful for those Manchester City stacks. There isn't great upside with Zanka, but his defensive work has been really strong of late, as he had 26 interceptions in his last four games while completing at least 55 passes twice in that span. If you need even cheaper access to the Huddersfield back line, Erik Durm (£13) could provide that, and he even gives us a little more upside because of his willingness to move up in the attack.
Ashley Young, MUN at SOU (£16): The price for Luke Shaw (£17) isn't much different, but it's a bit high on this slate, even in a return to Southampton to face his former club. Manchester United have struggled in plenty of places this season, but they're working on back-to-back clean sheets and are the third-biggest favorite on the slate. Young provides more upside than many other defenders because of his preference to join the attack, and he'll now face a Southampton side that's allowed the most assists and second-most goals among teams on the slate.
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey, CRY v. BUR (£13): If you want to recognize just how tough of a stretch Crystal Palace are coming out of, just note that Hennessey has scored negative fantasy points in five of his last six games, with his lone positive outing coming last weekend when he dropped 15.50 on Manchester United in a five-save scoreless draw. The preceding matches came against Wolves at home, Everton away, Arsenal at home, Chelsea away and Tottenham at home, an absolutely brutal stretch for any team. With his price now £5 less than top-priced Ederson, Hennessey could provide great value as he lines up against a Burnley attack that has scored six goals in seven away matches while averaging the second-fewest shots and fewest shots on goal this season.
