This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
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MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Everton v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Burnley
12:30 p.m: Chelsea v. Crystal Palace
FORWARDS
Riyad Mahrez, LEI at WBA ($9,600): Mahrez has been extremely active since returning to the starting XI, and his share on set pieces has allowed him to send in 24 crosses while also taking 10 shots (six on goal) in his last two games. Leicester may be on the road Saturday, but they are still favored against a West Brom side that's allowed multiple goals in four of their past five games.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson, BUR at WHU ($8,500): While Mahrez shares set pieces, Gudmundsson has a full monopoly of corners and free kicks, helping him to 29 crosses in his last two games. He's also been shooting more of late, taking seven in his last two (10 in his last three), and his matchup against West Ham shouldn't cause much fear, as the Hammers allowed 11 goals in their last four games, which included a shutout of Watford. They've been better at home (where they faced Watford), but allowing three goals at Brighton and four at Swansea gives me enough confidence that Gudmundsson can keep putting up a solid score once again.
Nathan Redmond, SOU at NEW ($5,900): Southampton turned back the clock last weekend against Stoke City, sending in a season-high 44 crosses, a pretty unexpected total after they sent in more than 30 just four times before that this season. Redmond was responsible for 16, helped by taking nine of Southampton's 15 corners, and as long as James Ward-Prowse ($8,000, midfielder) doesn't start, there's every reason to think Redmond will continue standing over corners on his side of the field, with defender Ryan Bertrand ($5,500) taking the others.
Salomon Rondon, WBA v. LEI ($5,300): Rondon is known as the definition of a goal-dependent forward, but the West Brom striker has scored at least 6.75 fantasy points, not including goals or assists, in five of his last seven games, which is a really good floor for someone who apparently does nothing when he can't find the back of the net. He's been doing it thanks to an increase in shots and fouls drawn, registering 21 and 14, respectively, over this run of form, and while Leicester come in as favorites, West Brom should still be active at home as they try to work their way out of the relegation zone.
MIDFIELDERS
Willian, CHE v. CRY ($10,900): Being in the late game does us no favors, and rostering Willian almost requires you leave $300 in salary cap space in case he doesn't start because it allows you to pay up for Eden Hazard ($11,200). That being said, it's Cesc Fabregas ($6,800) who is likely to take corners if he starts, which makes roster construction a bit tougher only because if he doesn't start there aren't great pivot options for cash games. Because of that, Willian appears to be the safest of the group, mostly because of the positional flexibility of being able to play him as a midfielder or a forward. Chelsea are the biggest favorites on the slate with the highest implied goal total, and Willian looks to be the player worth focusing on the most.
Marko Arnautovic, WHU v. BUR ($8,400): The West Ham set-piece situation is a bit muddied, with Manuel Lanzini ($7,500), Joao Pedro ($7,200) and Aaron Cresswell ($5,200, defender) all taking corners over the past few weeks. If everyone starts, it seems that Cresswell and Lanzini will split corners, but it's Arnautovic who has been the best fantasy producer of late. His run of at least one goal or one assist in five of seven games is a memory now that he's scoreless in two straight, but a home match against a Burnley side that's allowed the most shots this season could get him back on track. He's goal dependent for sure, but no one outside of Chelsea has better anytime goal scorer odds. And if you don't want to pay up for a potential West Ham goal, Michail Antonio ($6,400) offers a nice discount and a higher floor from fouls drawn.
Kenedy, NEW v. SOU ($6,200):Kenedy appears to have taken over on corners, with Matt Ritchie ($6,000) not taking any in his past three starts. Additionally, with Jonjo Shelvey (knee) out, Kenedy could have a full monopoly while playing at home against Southampton. Newcastle haven't been crossing a ton lately, though matches against Manchester United and Liverpool in their past three contributed to that. Kenedy is also a solid attacker capable of drawing fouls and even winning some tackles on the defensive end, making him a prime cash-game midfielder at an attractive price.
Chris Brunt, WBA v. LEI ($6,100): Also in Kenedy's price range is Brunt, who shares set pieces with Matt Phillips ($5,900), though he's been the more prolific of the two overall. As mentioned with Rondon, West Brom are home underdogs, but they surely won't be overmatched and the opportunities will be there for Brunt to send crosses in, with fantasy players hoping they find Rondon for an assist.
DEFENDERS
Martin Olsson, SWA at HUD ($4,300): I'm not finding any of the high-priced defenders worth paying up for, an exercise that eventually leads me down to Olsson, who has scored more than four fantasy points in four consecutive games. It's not a huge sum, but he becomes more attractive if he starts as a wingback instead of a fullback. I wouldn't rule out Kyle Naughton ($4,200), though I usually side with Olsson because he's a better attacking threat. Neither player is likely to go off for a huge game, but they're fairly reliable for cash games and the Huddersfield attack shouldn't keep them pinned back all game.
Matthew Lowton, BUR at WHU ($4,100): Scrolling a bit deeper lands me on Lowton, who I prefer slightly more than teammate Stephen Ward ($4,200). Neither are fantastic fantasy options, but they'll be busy defensively with the ability to send in a few crosses when they move up the pitch, something I like more if Chris Wood and/or Sam Vokes starts up front.
Ryan Bertrand, SOU at NEW ($5,500): If I were to pay up, I'd probably focus on Bertrand, though it would take Ward-Prowse not starting again. It's always possible that Chelsea start Davide Zappacosta ($5,900) and Emerson ($5,800) but because they are playing in the late game we'll have no available pivots if they use their regular combination of Marcos Alonso ($6,500, midfielder) and Victor Moses ($6,000, midfielder/forward). After Southampton returned to their high-crossing play last weekend, it's really enticing to go with either Bertrand or Cedric Soares ($5,400), but I'll probably need at least one more game of that style of play to convince me they've reverted to being consistently good fantasy producers.
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey, CRY at CHE ($3,600): Hennessey is the riskiest goalkeeper on the slate, playing away from home for the biggest underdog. However, he's facing a Chelsea team that has scored more than one goal just once in their past six games and Hennessey has made 25 saves over that same span, including four games with at least four. If you're building your lineup without Chelsea goal scorers, it makes sense to roster Hennessey and hope that Crystal Palace keep it close.
