This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 1:00 pm: Burnley vs. Aston Villa
- 1:00 pm: Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton
- 2:30 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Fulham
- 3:15 pm: Everton vs. Leicester City
- 3:15 pm: Manchester United vs. Sheffield United
FORWARDS
Bertrand Traore AVL at BUR (£22): Aston Villa have two forward options worth considering: Ollie Watkins (£23) is a touch more expensive than Troare and coming off a 17.3-point effort against Newcastle, though he tends to be a bit more feast or famine. Meanwhile, Traore has scored at least 12 points in four of his last six matches and has been splitting set pieces with Jack Grealish (£22, midfielder). Although Watkins operates as Aston Villa's target man, Traore has been more consistent with his production at a cheaper price. It's worth noting Burnley concede the most shots of the 10 teams on the slate and could make an Aston Villa stack worth considering. This would certainly limit your exposure to Manchester United but could be decent GPP play.
Edinson Cavani, MUN v. SHU (£16): Marcus Rashford (£26) is dealing with a minor knee injury picked up against Liverpool on Sunday, which could bring Mason Greenwood (£16) back into the side, while Anthony Martial (£23) should start but has only broken double-digit points once in his past five starts. Sheffield United allow the second-most shots and shots on goals, which leads me to Cavani, who is coming off 14.7-point effort against Fulham last time out and has started three of the past four matches. He has the second-best goal-scoring odds behind Bruno Fernandes (£29, midfielder) and is considerably cheaper than Rashford and Martial. Manchester United are the heaviest favorite on the slate and have the highest implied goal total.
Kelechi Iheanacho, LEI at EVE (£15): Jamie Vardy (£26) is out due to a hernia, which is likely to bring Iheanacho into the starting XI. This has been the case in all seven of Iheanacho's starts, including five in the Europa League. Although the competition isn't quite the same as the Premier League, Iheanacho is averaging just under two shots and one shot on goal per start to go along with three goals and three assists. Ayoze Perez (£18) is an alternative to Iheanacho as Vardy's replacement, though he typically plays on the wing or as an attacking midfielder. On the other side of the pitch, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£27) is scoreless in the past five matches, while Richarlison (£22) and could have a tough time against a Leicester City back line that's conceded twice in their past four matches.
MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes, MUN v. SHU (£29): I mentioned all the reasons you might want to play Cavani, and they all apply to Fernandes, who scored at least nine points in nine of the past 10 matches and regularly scores over 12 points. Fernandes is likely to be the most popular player on the slate, which doesn't provide much differentiation in GPPs, though his consistent production feels almost necessary. Running mate Paul Pogba (£27) has found a rich vein of form, scoring twice in three matches, while finishing with more than nine points over that time frame. Fred (£13) has been a steady starter and is worth taking a flier on a heavy favorite.
James Maddison, LEI at EVE (£21): Maddison is riding a three-match scoring streak in the Premier League while taking seven shots (three on goal). He's averaging 1.5 accurate crosses per 90 minutes to go along with 3.23 fouls suffered. Though it will be tough to depend on a fourth straight goal, Maddison does enough to warrant a place in your lineup. Harvey Barnes (£25) is a pricier alternative and is level with Maddison with six goals on the season, while I'd opt for both Barnes and Maddison over Youri Tielemans (£22). If Marc Albrighton (£13) makes the starting XI again, he's an interesting play as he's scored at least nine points three times over his past six starts. James Rodriguez (£23) hasn't matched his early season production but is Everton's top midfield option and will take the majority of set-pieces.
Hakim Ziyech, CHE v. WOL (£15): This is the cheapest Ziyech has been all season and it will be interesting to see if Thomas Tuchel views Mason Mount (£21) the same way former manager Frank Lampard did, or if Tuchel will make Ziyech a more pivotal piece. Ziyech hasn't done a ton for Chelsea over the past couple months but his pedigree at Ajax makes him a serious consideration if he's in the starting XI. Christian Pulisic (£22) played some of his best matches under Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund and could start his renaissance after a slow start to the season, which has been hampered by injury. Ruben Neves (£15) is the best midfield option for Wolverhampton.
DEFENDERS
Luke Shaw, MUN v. SHU (£16): Shaw took eight of United's nine free kicks and has a firm grip on the starting left-back spot. Sheffield United have been slightly better in attack but still have just 10 goals in 19 matches. Manchester United are in the best form of the season and Shaw will be starting for a team with the best clean sheet odds. Harry Maguire (£15) and Victor Lindelof (£16) are strong alternatives for a clean sheet.
Ben Chilwell, CHE v. WOL (£15): Although Thiago Silva (£20) and Reece James (£19) are the higher-end options, Chilwell has still been consistently productive. He regularly scores four points and Chelsea have the second-best clean sheet odds. The number of quality (expensive) forwards and midfielders likely doesn't leave room for defenders priced like midfielders, so the next-best option would be to turn to someone like Chilwell. If Antonio Rudiger (£16) continues to start over Kurt Zouma (£14), he is another viable play.
Adam Webster, BRI v. FUL (£16): Brighton have the third-best clean sheet odds and if you again don't want to spend up on an expensive defender like Lewis Dunk (£19), Webster is the next best thing for Brighton. Both partner at center-back and would benefit the same from a clean sheet, though Webster is cheaper. Fulham concede the most tackles won, as well as the third-most passes completed, which bodes well for a defensive pairing.
GOALKEEPERS
Emiliano Martinez, AVL at BUR (£18): Before we get into the goalkeepers, let me be clear that I'm steering away from Rui Patricio (£16), who has finished with negative points in seven of his past nine matches. David de Gea (£14) has been impressive over the past five matches, finishing with at least eight points in each and playing for the biggest favorite. Edouard Mendy (£16) isn't in the same form he started the season, though Chelsea have a solid matchup against a Wolverhampton side that has struggled without Raul Jimenez. Burnley and Sheffield United have both had serious trouble putting the ball in the net and Emiliano Martinez (£18) has consistently finished with at least 6.5 fantasy points. If you want a cheaper option than Martinez, go de Gea.
