DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

MATCHES (ET)

• 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Everton
• 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Cardiff City
• 10:00 am: Southampton vs. AFC Bournemouth
• 10:00 am: Watford vs. Wolverhampton
• 12:30 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Newcastle United

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Cheat Sheet.

FORWARDS

Gylfi Sigurdsson, EVE at CRY ($9,500): The price is pretty high for Sigurdsson (no one is more expensive), and while we always consider him a strong floor player, the ceiling has really come out this season, with only eight players in the Premier League scoring more goals than his 13, which is nearly double the goal total of the seven players with more Premier League crosses. Additionally, only eight players in the league have taken more shots, and only two -- Aleksandar Mitrovic ($8,100) and Raul Jimenez ($7,600) -- are on Saturday's slate. It's worth noting that Everton are away underdogs, but Crystal Palace come in having allowed the second-most crosses and sixth-most shots among teams on the slate. With not many reliable floor forwards, there is definitely a path to Sigurdsson being the highest-owned forward in cash games.

Junior Hoilett, CAR at FUL ($6,000): Taking a forward for Cardiff playing away feels a bit mad, but they continue to battle for their spot in the Premier League next season, something that doesn't apply to already-relegated Fulham. Hoilett hasn't had a role on set pieces in a while, but he's still managed to score at least 6.25 fantasy points in each of his last three games, including just one assist and zero goals over that span. He's far from a high-volume crosser, but he's taken eight shots and created six chances in his last three, a span that has also seen him earn points with tackles won, interceptions and fouls drawn. He's been Cardiff's most reliable floor player because of his versatility, and while the ceiling is limited, his lower price will surely make him attractive for cash games. If you're looking for a little more upside in this price range, Southampton's Danny Ings ($5,700) has the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, which really says more about the slate than it does Ings, who hasn't scored a Premier League goal since Dec. 22 against Huddersfield.

Pascal Gross, BHA v. NEW ($6,700): It's never fun rostering Gross, especially lately because it seems all he does is send in a few crosses and maybe intercepts some passes, failing to reach 6.50 fantasy points in each of his last four games. However, he's the primary set-piece taker for the second-biggest favorite on the slate, one that absolutely needs a result to stay ahead of Cardiff in the relegation battle. The return of Anthony Knockaert ($7,600, midfielder) from suspension could eat into Gross' production a little bit, though he's more likely to hurt Solomon March ($5,400, midfielder). Like Hoilett, Gross' upside isn't that high, and if you're really looking for a goal, paying up for Jimenez or Salomon Rondon ($7,500) is probably the more aggressive move, while paying down slightly for Christian Benteke ($6,500) could be the move for lower ownership in GPPs.

MIDFIELDERS

Ryan Fraser, BOU at SOU ($9,000): Fraser has been one of the best fantasy-point scorers in the Premier League in 2019, scoring at least 10.00 fantasy points in 11 of 15 games, coming up short against Chelsea (5.75), Arsenal (6.50), Manchester City (2.00) and Leicester City (8.00). His monopoly of set pieces for Bournemouth will always keep him active (he created multiple chances in five of his last six), and while he has taken the seventh-most corners in the Premier League this season, he's also one of the most active open-play crossers. Fraser's salary puts him in a tier by himself (the next highest midfield-only player is Matt Ritchie at $8,000), and while he seems like a reasonable fade in GPPs because of his price and fact that he's an away underdog, he's likely to be popular in cash games.

Luka Milivojevic, CRY v. EVE ($7,700): If you want to talk about 2019 consistency, Milivojevic fits the mold as well, scoring at least 12.0 fantasy points in 12 of 15 games, failing to reach double digits against Southampton (9.50), Burnley (3.00) and Tottenham (6.50). If there's a magical piece to rostering Milivojevic it's that Palace seem to always win a penalty, something that has helped him score seven goals on 19 shots (11 on target) in his 15 games since the calendar turned to 2019. Then again, he is also a prolific crosser from set pieces while contributing additionally by winning tackles, intercepting passes and drawing fouls. Crystal Palace don't really have anything to play for, as they are clear of relegation but aren't close to a Europa League spot, but that shouldn't be a deterrent to rostering one of the best floor players over the past few months. Choosing Milivojevic and Fraser likely takes you out of the running for guys like James Ward-Prowse ($7,900), Matt Ritchie ($8,000), Joao Moutinho ($7,000) and Victor Camarasa ($7,400), but Milivojevic's scoring upside and solid floor put him above the rest. Then again, if you really want to get the best Crystal Palace player, it'll take $800 more than Milivojevic to get Wilfried Zaha.

Ruben Neves, WOL at WAT ($3,900): Neves reminded us Wednesday why he should be in consideration more often than he is, banging in a free-kick goal and nearly scoring another. Never one to shy away from a long-range effort, Neves comes in with just two of his 68 shots this season coming from inside the box, and both of those attempts were from the penalty spot. Nevertheless, he's taken multiple shots in four consecutive matches and his low salary will certainly help in other spots while still providing some upside for GPPs.

DEFENDERS

Lucas Digne, EVE at CRY ($6,200): If you don't want to pay all the way up for Sigurdsson but still want some Everton exposure, Digne, the Premier League's cross leader, makes plenty of sense. The matchup is hardly ideal, but Digne offers more than any midfielder in his price range, and certainly a better floor than any forward, with the added bonus of clean sheet points if this match is a stalemate. His game log is littered with double-digit floor games, and as long as he starts, there's little reason to think he'll come up short. And if he doesn't start, paying down for Leighton Baines ($3,300) seems more prudent than paying $5,200 for right-back Seamus Coleman.

Nathan Ake, BOU at SOU ($3,000): Ake has started the past two games at left-back, and while he scored just 5.00 and 3.25 in those two starts, respectively, that should be sufficient at his very low salary. There's really not much to go on, as he's basically crossing once or twice while contributing a few defensive stats (he created one chance in each of his last three), but he's really here for salary relief while still offering a bit of a floor. He's shown before that he can be a threat on set pieces, but it's certainly not something worth relying on Saturday.

Kiko Femenia, WAT v. WOL ($4,500): A partial role on set pieces recently could make Kiko an attractive option, though that goes out the window if Jose Holebas ($5,400) returns. Either way, Kiko has shown a solid floor of late, including 19 crosses in his last four games, and while the upside is unlikely to be seen, we can't ignore that he scored just four games ago. Admittedly, his salary range is a little tough for those who roster Digne and at least one expensive forward and midfielder, but he makes a little more sense for cash games than Aaron Wan-Bissaka ($5,000), Matt Doherty ($4,900) or Yan Valery ($4,800), though paying up for Joe Bryan ($5,300) while downgrading somewhere else isn't a terrible idea.

GOALKEEPER

Artur Boruc, BOU at SOU ($4,300): There are no overwhelming favorites on the slate, and none of the matches are expected to be high-scoring, so I find it tough to justify paying up for a goalkeeper. Is Angus Gunn ($5,300) really worth $1,000 more than Artur Boruc, with the two representing the most expensive and cheapest options at the position? In fact, they seem close enough, despite what the odds say, that Boruc could be highly owned because why not just pay down and use the salary space somewhere else? There really isn't a strong case for any single goalkeeper, which could help spread ownership out, but we all know one of them will post a nine-save clean sheet in a 1-0 win that includes two penalty saves and it won't even matter what you do with the rest of your lineup because of your goalkeeper's 40-burger. (bitter? me? no...)