This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. West Ham United
- 10:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Burnley
- 10:00 am: Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Norwich City
- 10:00 am: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Watford
- 12:30 pm: Everton vs. Manchester City
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero, MCI at EVE (£28): It's hard to argue against a forward who's scored eight goals and provided two assists in five starts, and who has the highest goal-scoring odds (along with Harry Kane (£29), who I'll get to in a second). Yes, City will be playing away, but that hasn't stopped them from dismantling teams over the past two years. Gabriel Jesus (£21) hasn't seen much playing time in the Premier League and may be saved to start in the Champions League match Tuesday, though manager Guardiola is anything but predictable. Raheem Sterling hasn't scored in three matches and is the same price as Aguero, though we've seen that when it rains, it pours for the City attack (they easily could have scored 10 against Watford last weekend). Kane is the most-expensive player on the slate, which means you'll need a goal from him or a bevy of assists. He's scored in three of his past four starts but bottomed out at 6.40, 1.00 and 2.00 points when he hasn't scored goals. Whether you find a way to get Aguero, Kane or Sterling in your lineup depends on which matchup you prefer.
Callum Wilson, BOU v. WHU (£24): The Bournemouth v. West Ham clash is tied with Manchester City v. Everton for the highest implied goal total, though the former should be a much tighter match. My interest is peaked with Bournemouth playing at home, and Wilson has the highest goal-scoring odds of a forward not on Chelsea or Manchester City. He's scored in three straight matches and is slightly cheaper than the aforementioned Tottenham and City strikers. Teammate Joshua King (£14) hasn't been nearly as impressive, but his pricing seems like a mistake. On the other side of the pitch is Sebastien Haller (£25), who has been forced to shoulder all of the forward duties for West Ham. He's been held out of the net in consecutive matches, though Bournemouth's backline has conceded the fifth-most goals through six matches. Andriy Yarmolenko (£16) scored in Monday's win over United to go along with three shots (three on goal).
Gerard Deulofeu, WAT at WOL (£16): Watford have been terrible, but their one bright spot has been Deulofeu, who has taken nine shots (seven on target) in his past two matches. Wolverhampton have been worn thin competing on multiple fronts, including Europa qualifying, which is a reason for their place in the relegation zone. An investment in Deulofeu feels safe based on his shot numbers. Meanwhile, Neal Maupay (£17) has been unspectacular but solid while leading the Brighton attack, and Burnley's Ashley Barnes (£16) has a favorable matchup against Aston Villa.
MIDFIELDERS
Felipe Anderson, WHU at BOU (£21): Bournemouth have conceded the third-most shots and fourth-most shots on goal among teams on the slate, providing a decent floor for Anderson and other West Ham attackers. Anderson opened the season with minus-1.10 fantasy points but hasn't scored fewer than 8.20 in his four other starts. Again, I'm targeting the potential for goals in this match, along with the possibility Anderson is lower owned than the Chelsea and Manchester City attackers. Harry Wilson (£23) is more goal dependent and has yet to play the full 90, while Ryan Fraser (£17) has been left on the bench for the past two matches.
Ross Barkley, CHE v. BRI (£16): Mason Mount (£25) trails only Kevin De Bruyne (£26) in price, and while both players are worthy of consideration, I do think De Bruyne is the better option due to his eight assists in seven appearances. I'm somewhat hoping, somewhat wishing Barkley makes the starting XI, as his per 90 stats are noteworthy, averaging 4.34 shots and 1.58 shots on goal per 90 minutes. Christian Pulisic hasn't played in the Premier League for Chelsea since before the September international break and needs to "acclimate," according to manager Frank Lampard.
John McGinn, AVL v. BUR (£16): McGinn's price gives us salary savings while also providing one of the better floors for a midfielder. He averages 2.83 shots and 1.67 shots on goal, to go along with 2.17 tackles won and over three fouls suffered per 90 minutes. He hasn't had an outing of fewer than 4.35 points and has hit at least 14.30 points on three occasions. Jack Grealish (£16) hasn't hit the heights McGinn has but has scored at least 6.50 in four of his seven starts.
DEFENDERS
Benjamin Mendy, MCI at EVE (£16): It's possible I'm slightly early on Mendy here, but he made his first start against Watford and could be nearing 90 minutes against Everton. Prior to his lengthy injury layoff he was one of Europe's best left-backs and regularly involved in City's attack. Nicolas Otamendi managed to find the score sheet last weekend and has the best clean sheet odds on the slate, while Lucas Digne (£16) is probably the best fantasy defender who doesn't play for Liverpool and is always a viable play, though Manchester City poses a problem.
Diego Rico, BOU v. WHU (£13): With Ryan Fraser dropped to the bench the past two matches, Rico has taken over free kicks for Bournemouth. On top of those duties, he also makes 3.68 interceptions and 1.67 tackles won per 90 minutes. His price is easy to roster and Bournemouth are favored.
Sam Byram, NOR v. CRY (£10): Consecutive starts for Byram has seen him have a floor around five points. He's minimum priced and will face Crystal Palace, a team that scored four goals in six games. Byram is averaging 2.98 interceptions, 1.49 blocks and 1.99 tackles won over a sample size of two matches, but I'd roll the dice here so I can pay up for attackers, especially with a clean sheet bonus against Palace not that crazy of an idea.
GOALKEEPERS
If you're like me and loathe spending up on goalkeepers, you tend to search the bottom of the pricing structure to see A.) who has a decent matchup not against Liverpool or Manchester City, and B.) who has been able to consistently put together positive performances. Nick Pope (£10) has yet to turn a performance of fewer than 1.5 and somehow has not graduated past minimum price. He has a decent matchup against an Aston Villa team that ranks seventh on the slate in shots per 90 minutes and could be in line for another effective performance. Aaron Ramsdale (£10) is also friendly on your budget, though he's playing in the match with the highest implied goal total, so a clean sheet may be tough to come by. Angus Gunn (£13) conceded three times last weekend but had strung together three straight performances of 10-plus points prior to Southampton's loss to Bournemouth. He'll face a Tottenham side that has two wins from six to start their campaign. Of course, if you want to spend up, Ederson (£18) has the best clean sheet odds, followed by Kepa Arrizabalaga (£16), who has yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and Hugo Lloris (£17), who has one clean sheet through seven matches.
