This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Ipswich Town vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Manchester United vs. Brentford
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Leicester City
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Alejandro Garnacho (MUN vs. BRE, $8,800): Manchester United are the only team favored to win, and they are in a good home matchup against Brentford with an implied goal total just above two. Garnacho doesn't take set pieces, but over the past two seasons, he's scored just over 10 floor points from open play per 90 minutes. He's more likely than Everton's Dwight McNeil ($9,200) to score a goal. I think it's fine to prefer McNeil to Garnacho in cash games, especially since McNeil has been taking set pieces. It would be a downgrade for McNeil if Jesper Lindstrom started, since the two would likely split sets.
Yankuba Minteh (BHA at NEW, $3,900): Every time I highlight Minteh it seems like his DraftKings price falls $500. Brighton are in a tough road matchup against Newcastle, but Minteh has contributed on set pieces when he's started this season. He's scoring around six floor points per start, as well. Joshua Zirkzee ($4,100) is cheap as a favored forward should he start against Brentford with Rasmus Hojlund ($6,100) being the other option in the No. 9 role for United.
While Jordan Ayew ($5,200) is a bit more expensive than Minteh and Zirkzee, he has a solid open-play floor and has played 80 or more minutes in his past three starts. I'll probably stick to Ayew in cash games, but he's a pretty productive fantasy option that I think will get overlooked by the field.
I'm not sure what the field will do with Anthony Gordon priced at $10,400. Newcastle are slight home favorites against Brighton, but Brighton haven't conceded many fantasy floor points this season. Gordon should split set pieces with Kieran Trippier confirmed out. Salary isn't a massive issue on this slate, so I don't mind taking some shots on Gordon in GPPs based on his talent and role.
On the lower end of the price range, I'm interested in Marcus Rashford ($5,400) and Omari Hutchinson ($5,100). It's easy to make a case for Rashford at this price and matchup, though he's quite goal dependent and liable to be subbed at the 70-minute mark. Hutchinson had a good floor in EFL play last season and he's scored seven or more floor points in three of seven starts in the Premier League. With few must-play options at forward, I think it's worth taking some shots on Hutchinson in a good spot for Ipswich at home against Everton.
MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes (MUN vs. BRE, $10,000): Fernandes hasn't taken many set pieces this season, but his open-play contributions are still strong for his salary. He's in a good matchup at home to Brentford, and he's scoring just under 10 open-play floor points per 90 minutes this season. Fernandes isn't a must without set pieces, but I still think he's a good option.
Bryan Mbeumo ($9,600) has received a price bump based on his excellent form. He's routinely scoring more then 10 floor points, and he's scored six goals in seven appearances. Mbeumo has also played nearly every possible minute this season. I don't think Manchester United are a prohibitive matchup in real life or in fantasy, so I'm planning on playing Mbeumo in GPPs.
In cash games, it might make more sense to spend up at forward given the solid value at the midfield position.
Christian Eriksen (MUN vs. BRE, $5,500): Eriksen has taken most of Manchester United's set pieces this season, which makes him a good option for cash games. I think some caution is warranted, however. Eriksen has a poor open-play floor and he needs set pieces to go his way to reliably score points. He has a chance to be subbed off around the 75-minute mark, as well.
Tyler Dibling (SOU vs. LEI, $4,600): Leicester City have conceded over 87 floor points per game this season, most in the Premier League. Dibling has a chance to take a set piece or two, and I think he has enough open-play value to pay off his modest price. He's logging 1.7 shots, 1.7 shots assisted, 2.2 crosses, and 3.4 fouls drawn per 90 minutes played, and he has gone over 75 minutes in his last three starts.
I opted to highlight the midfield options my own personal projections like best, but there are plenty of other solid options worth considering. Andreas Pereira ($7,600) has a poor matchup against Aston Villa, but his set-piece monopoly makes him a consideration in cash games at his price. Mikkel Damsgaard ($4,900) has taken some set pieces for Brentford and has scored more than 10 floor points in his past three starts.
My GPP-bro take of the week is to take some shots on Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma ($5,600). Mitoma has scored an impressive eight floor points per start this season. He has been unlucky to score only one goal and his +300 goalscoring odds are solid given the matchup. I think the field is hesitant to play good players as underdogs and focusing on favorites is generally the smart way to play. With no team an overwhelming favorite, I think it's more viable than usual to take a shot on a player like Mitoma since the opportunity cost is relatively low and you will likely get to play him at low rostership.
DEFENDERS
Leif Davis (IPS vs. EVE, $6,300): Kalvin Phillips ($4000, M) has taken some set pieces away from Davis, but he's still Ipswich Town's majority set-piece taker. Davis is scoring 10 floor points per game and he's played every minute for Ipswich. A home match against Everton will probably be one of the best spots for Ipswich Town this season.
Yukinari Sugawara (SOU vs. LEI, $5,600): I'm concerned that Sugawara might not take as many set pieces if William Smallbone ($5,000, M) starts, but he should have enough open-play value to pay off his price in a home matchup against Leicester. It's tough to pay up for a Southampton defender who might not take sets, but I think there's enough value at the other positions to make it work. Kyle Walker-Peters ($5,100) is a solid option if you are unable to afford Sugawara.
Lucas Digne ($5,700) is a solid option on paper, especially if he continues to split set pieces. That said, Aston Villa are not a friendly team for fantasy scoring, especially when they play away from home. Victor Kristiansen ($4,500) can be considered due to his partial set-piece role, as well. Ben Johnson ($4,100) has been decent in his limited appearances for Ipswich Town this season, and I think he's viable in cash games based on his price and matchup.
GOALKEEPER
Mark Flekken (BRE at MUN, $3,900): Given the lack of a huge favorite, I think this slate favors spending down at goalkeeper. Brentford haven't been particularly good this season, but neither have Manchester United. Brentford and Manchester United have performed similarly based on expected goals, so I like Flekken's chance of getting the win bonus at his discounted price. If United play well, he always has the chance of getting a decent score based on saves.
