This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
GOALKEEPER
Heurelho Gomes, WAT v. HUL ($5,300): After a very poor start to the season, Gomes has turned in eight saves and consecutive road clean sheets in his last two matches. The Hornets will now host current relegation favorites Hull City, who are coming off five consecutive league losses. Maybe not favored as sharply as either Manchester team, Watford are still under even-money to get the win and the game itself has one of the day's lowest over/unders.
Ben Foster, WBA v. MCI ($3,900): Since the draw with Celtic at the end of September, the great Manchester City have gone six games without a win (including a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday). Kevin De Bruyne is doubtful, and though he played 45 minutes Wednesday, Vincent Kompany is probably still a long shot to get the start. During their last five games in all competitions, Manchester City have held scoreless three times (with goalkeepers making 11 saves in those three matches) while scoring just once each against Southampton and Everton at home. In fact, Everton's Maarten Stekelenburg made seven saves, including two penalty saves, in what was one of the higher fantasy point totals you'll ever see from a goalkeeper. Foster hasn't kept many clean sheets, but he holds one of the best save percentages in the Premier League (75.6 percent, which is third overall).
DEFENDER
Jose Holebas, WAT v. HUL ($5,500): Initially, it feels quite odd recommending a defender from Watford at such a price, but calling Holebas a defender leaves much of his story out. In the formation Watford run, Holebas plays down the left wing and is a fusion of fullback and winger (wingback). This gives him plenty of room to operate in the attack, while also picking up defensive stats (he has four tackles and 10 interceptions in his last two games). In addition, Holebas also picks up some corners and takes more direct free kicks than any other Watford player. The matchup against possibly the league's worst team in Hull (who'll also be without their best player in Robert Snodgrass) at home is about as good as it gets for Watford, and Holebas may represent both their safest and most affordable fantasy asset.
Antonio Valencia, MUN v. BUR ($4,800): United have been frustrating and lackluster all season, and while Valencia has been one of the few bright spots, it seems even opinions on him are a mixed bag. That aside, Valencia has been a proficient and consistent fantasy asset, hitting double-digit pints in each of his last two matches, coming at Liverpool and at Chelsea. Burnley will give up a lot of possession to the Red Devils, which should allow for plenty of crossing opportunities for Valencia.
Pablo Maffeo, MCI at WBA ($2,500): After playing well against United at midweek, the injuries to Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta could pave the way for the 19-year-old to get a start. Given the price, he would be close to a free square if included in the starting XI.
MIDFIELDER
David Silva, MCI at WBA ($7,600): With Kevin De Bruyne's status unclear, Silva stands as a top play given the added attacking responsibilities he'll see. De Bruyne surprised plenty of people by starting last weekend, but that quickly looked like a poor decision after the Belgian was forced to come off at halftime. Silva didn't get to play the whole 90 minutes without De Bruyne, but he still managed a reasonable 11 fantasy points via seven crosses, one shot on goal, two fouls drawn and two tackles won. The Spaniard becomes the maestro for this squad when De Bruyne is out and will be leaned on heavily in such an occasion. While not writing too extensively, Jesus Navas ($4,900) – a prolific (if ineffective) crosser of the ball – warrants a look should he crack the starting lineup.
Yohan Cabaye, CRY v. LIV ($6,400): With Jason Puncheon (calf) expected to miss out, Cabaye remains a good play from the Palace midfield. Without Puncheon last weekend at Leicester, Cabaye scored 28 fantasy points. Let's not expect that Saturday in a tough matchup with Liverpool, though it is at least at home and defense certainly hasn't been the strong suit of the Reds this season. Cabaye appears all over the stat sheet from shots (he took eight last game), to his duty on corners (four crosses last week), to this ability defensively (three tackles and two interceptions last Saturday).
Sam Clucas, HUL at WAT ($4,200): With Robert Snodgrass out due to injury, there will be some production up for grabs, and Watford give up crosses and corners at a pretty high rate. It's a little bit of a punt, but Clucas sent in six crosses last time out, while he and Shaun Maloney are the only players other than Snodgrass to take any corners this season. I'm not expecting a whole lot of production given how bad this Hull side are, but given the price, Clucas could certainly provide value.
FORWARD
Son Heung-Min, TOT v. LEI ($7,500): Son may represent Tottenham's most potent attacking threat…at least fantasy wise. Christian Eriksen looks to have ceded all corner-taking duties to the duo of Son and Erik Lamela. Son's floor drops off a tad when playing as a false 9, but he still retains some corner taking duties to help. He hasn't scored a goal in a Spurs kit since September, but that's only been 179 combined minutes (just under two full games), which is not as drastic a drought as it initially seems. I actually like Son more in the situation where Vincent Janssen starts as the striker, moving the South Korean out wide where he'll be able to contribute more heavily in the peripheral statistics (crosses, fouls drawn, etc.). Leicester have a solid defense, but they give up a lot of possession and crosses, making them a team to consider targeting.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, MUN v. BUR ($7,300): It's gotten difficult to have much faith in Manchester United, but I don't think any of their struggles can really be blamed on Ibrahimovic. With three managers (all with very different styles) all taking the reigns since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the backlog of players and lack of a cemented starting XI has left new manager Jose Mourinho in a tough spot despite breaking records in the transfer window this summer. We still haven't even gotten to see what Henrikh Mkhitaryan can do, but after 11 goals and 15 assists last season in Germany, he's more than due for his chance. To add on, United are losing centerback Eric Bailly for several months (significant loss for defense very short of depth) while both Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney are doubts for this weekend's trip. PaddyPowerhas Manchester United as a substantial 1/5 favorite over Burnley, and that's really all you need to know to understand why Ibrahimovic is such a top play. He's currently rated at 8/15 to score a goal. While goal dependent strikers are usually no advisable for cash games, you could argue this an exception to that rule. It's a little difficult to project the United midfield outside of Paul Pogba ($7,000), but whoever starts between Juan Mata ($6,600), Anthony Martial ($6,200) and even Mkhitaryan ($5,700) all warrant serious consideration should they start.
