DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: EPL Saturday Value Plays

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Goal = +10 PTs
Assist = +6 PTs
Shot = +1 PTs
Shot on Goal = +1 PTs
Crosses = +1 PTs
Fouls Drawn = +0.75 PTs
Red Card = -1 PTs
Saves (GK) = +2 PTs
Goal Allowed (GK) = -2 PTs
Clean Sheet (GK, D) = +5 PTs
One Goal Allowed (GK, D) = +2 PTs
Win (GK) = +5 PTs
Penalty Kick Save (GK) = +3 PTs

With that out of the way, here are the best available GPP contests for Premier League soccer Saturday:



$7K Equalizer ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$6K Treble ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $300
$4K Striker ($300 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
and many more…



DraftKings has announced the $100K Fantasy Soccer World Championship with a $20,000 first prize set to take place May 24. Saturday offers various opportunities to earn entry through contests with entry fees of $12, $33 and $55.

The following games are included: 

Burnley at West Ham United
Everton at Aston Villa
Queen's Park Rangers at Liverpool
Southampton at Sunderland
Stoke City at Swansea City
West Bromwich Albion at Manchester United

Another weekend of Premier League games is upon us. Not too much has changed table-wise from last weekend. Chelsea is now just a win away from securing the title, and the relegation battle is hot. The main set of games Saturday displays an interesting array of teams and matchups that offer enough parity to have a good bit of fun building a diverse squad. Manchester United and Liverpool are both heavy favorites as they try to strengthen their positions in the table. Burnley, Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland are in games they desperately need to take points from in hopes of avoiding relegation. Value in the midfield while spending a little more on the forward positions may be the equation for success. Be sure to check our EPL lineups page approximately an hour before kickoff to get the official lineups.

Goalkeepers
Kelvin Davis ($4,500)
At this price against a stagnant Sunderland offense fighting to avoid relegation, Davis is easily the play of the day. Recent form has been poor for Davis, with four goals allowed and no saves over his last two outings, but Sunderland has netted just 26 times the entire season. Davis allowed just one goal in his first three Premier League games, and a return to that form seems probable. It's rare to get the goalkeeper of a side favored this heavily for this price.

Adrian ($5,200)
West Ham has been in a rut since falling solidly into mid-table, with no hopes to qualify for Europe while having no frets about relegation. This has led to four matches without a win and losses in three of their last six (though two of those were to Arsenal and Manchester City). West Ham's offense has been the real source of speculation with an abysmal three goals in the last six Premier League matches. This is a recommendation for their goalkeeper isn't it? Yes it is, as Adrian has been of little fault and last week held QPR scoreless with seven saves and one penalty save, which bizarrely he has three of in his past three games. I don't trust West Ham's offense, though the team is a generous favorite with the bookies, but I do trust Adrian and a desperate Burnley will be on attack. Burnley has a very low conversion rate compared to the amount of shots they take, which ideally should lead to Adrian once again picking up a solid number of saves. He isn't a flawless play, I mean Burnley has to score sometime, but he seems to have the highest ceiling of any goalkeeper offered.

Other Options: Both Liverpool and Manchester United are heavy favorites in their respective matches but I don't trust Liverpool at all. A damaged offense, a confused back line, poor recent form and a desperate QPR doesn't equate to a great scenario regardless of how heavy of favorites they are. Manchester United and their goalkeeper David De Gea ($5,700) is a much more calculated play. Simply put, Manchester United performs at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney was in serious doubt, though passed fit Friday, and the return of Robin van Persie could provide a much-needed edge. Don't look now, but Everton has won five of their last six while allowing just two goals. Can the real Tim Howard ($4,900) please stand up? A suddenly potent Aston Villa offense fighting to stay out of the bottom three with a confident Christian Benteke will do their best to end Everton's run of good form.

Defenders
Ryan Bertrand ($4,600) and Nathaniel Clyne ($4,400)
The Southampton fullbacks have been a potent duo all year, and the matchup against Sunderland should do nothing to stunt that. Bertrand rebounded from a series of below-par performances with nine crosses last time out against Tottenham, and hopefully this is indicative of his production going forward. Clyne has been a little more consistent with a tad less upside in comparison to Bertrand.

Aaron Cresswell ($5,100) and Carl Jenkinson ($4,800)
This is a great matchup for the West Ham fullbacks. Offensive fullbacks on one side of the field promote the opposing fullbacks to do the same. Burnley has a guy named Kieran Trippier that likes to get up field tp cross the ball, and opposing Ben Mee gets a fair amount himself. These offensively minded Burnley fullbacks should promote both Cresswell and Jenkinson to get up field to answer. The best thing about this duo, may be they live and die together, with their big cross numbers often coordinating with each other.

Kieran Trippier ($5,600)
He's the league leader in crosses, what more do you need to know?

Leighton Baines ($5,700)
Baines is probably the out-and-out best fullback in the Premier League, showcased by his nine assists and two goals. The Everton offense has been grooving lately, and Baines is a major contributor to its success.

Midfielders
Matthew Phillips ($4,300)
Phillips continues his success wide right for QPR, continually keeping both his cross and shot numbers reasonably high. He has looked better than Charlie Austin over the last few games and he's less than half the price.

Philippe Coutinho ($6,300)
With no real striker to speak of thanks to injuries to Daniel Sturridge (hip) and Mario Balotelli (foot), Coutinho sees a very forward role and has really been the team's most potent offensive threat of late, despite not scoring. Coutinho has 17 shots over his last three games and it's just a matter of time before one of those shots finds net.

Charlie Adam ($6,200)
Is Charlie Adam just all of a sudden one of the best players in the Premier League? His current run of form is amazing: his last five games read 21-15-18-19-31 DraftKings points. Lots of crosses, shots and goals. There's no way he can keep up this pace, but there's no reason to get off the steaming hot Charlie Adam Train until he provides reason to.

Jordan Henderson ($5,100)
Though not technically as forward as Coutinho, Henderson has surpassed him in both goals and assists. Even with Raheem Sterling, Henderson and Coutinho seem the most likely scorers for Liverpool at the moment. Sterling simply hasn't had success playing the striker role, as he's naturally a winger and not really a goal-scoring one either.

Jefferson Montero ($4,000)
Montero is the quintessential speedy winger that likes to cross the ball that the DraftKings scoring system rewards so handsomely. If he gets the start, and you want to fade QPR's Phillips, Montero is a great under-the-radar play.

Ashley Young ($5,600)
Young has carved out a substantial role on the wing for the Reds. The hero of the Manchester Derby when he had a goal and two assists, Young has a decent floor with his crosses, which could be even more effective with the presence of van Persie in the box, while also possessing goal scoring ability.

Forwards
Robin van Persie ($8,400)
It looks like the Dutchman is finally poised for a return after seeing a meager two minutes last time out at Everton and scoring two goals during the week while playing for the U-21 squad. Before his injury, van Persie had scored in three of his last for matches at Old Trafford and a return to health and form seems inevitable.

Romelu Lukaku ($8,100)
Lukaku figures to spearhead the Everton offense in what should be an offensively enticing game. Everton tallied three goals last weekend, and Aston Villa lost an exciting match to Manchester City 2-3. That's five total goals between the two sides over the weekend. Lukaku's form this year has been up-and-down, but since being eliminated from the Europa League, the club has been phenomenal domestically and a now-healthy Lukaku figures to be a big part of the in-form Everton offense.

Christian Benteke ($7,900)
Benteke has five goals in his last four games. Confidence is high at the moment, and Benteke is dangerous to score at anytime against any team. Overall, it's undoubtedly been a disappointing year for the talented young Belgian, but he's recently showed how bright his true colors can be.

Graziano Pelle ($8,500)
Through both Premier League and international play, Pelle seems to finally be returning to the great goal-scoring form he showcased at the start of the season. Two goals last time out is great, but the Tottenham defense has been shoddy all season. Pelle still looks like the most probable goal scorer in this game, but it's hard to justify his price tag in what doesn't figure to be a particularly offensive game. I guess the last time these two teams met it did end up being 8-0 in favor of Southampton though.

Marko Arnautovic ($4,900)
Arnautovic has quietly turned in three consecutive double-digit point performances, including both a goal and an assist. His high cross numbers actually give him a high floor, a rare trait for the often goal-or-bust forwards.