This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
GAMES (EDT)
- 1:00 pm: Manchester United vs. Sheffield United
- 1:00 pm: Newcastle United vs. Aston Villa
- 1:00 pm: Norwich City vs. Everton
- 1:00 pm: Wolverhampton vs. AFC Bournemouth
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
MIDFIELDERS
Jack Grealish, AVL at NEW ($8,500): We start with midfielders because the position is absolutely loaded, and the biggest consideration in lineup construction will be opportunity cost rather than salary cost. This is where you're going to want to spend your money, particularly in cash games, with contrarian GPP builds likely fading the elite midfielders even though they could score more points without a goal than many of the goal scorers. Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes ($11,200) is the most expensive player on the slate, and he's a serious consideration because he's the primary set-piece taker on the biggest favorite. However, we have a number of elite midfielders who cost almost $3,000 less, and rostering them over Bruno means you don't have to sacrifice quite as much elsewhere. Bruno averages the most floor points per 90 minutes (14.89) on the slate, though he's only played 537 minutes this season for United, while Grealish is second at 13.55 over 2,514 minutes. Here's a breakdown of the top floor players from our cheat sheet:
Grealish is one of four elite midfield options who aren't Bruno, as Emiliano Buendia ($8,200), Matt Ritchie ($8,000) and Joao Moutinho ($8,300) are all excellent floor plays who can be rostered more comfortably than Bruno because of their lower salaries. It wouldn't be surprising to see some combination of three of these guys in many cash lineups simply because of their high floors. We should also be cognizant that it's possible some of these guys are rotated out of the starting lineup because of fixture congestion, and Ondrej Duda ($6,600) would become of one of the highest-owned players, particularly in cash games, if he starts for Buendia, while the Newcastle, Wolves and Aston Villa situations would be worth monitoring based on who actually starts, with Conor Hourihane ($6,000), Valentino Lazaro ($7,400) and Ruben Neves ($4,600) worth keeping an eye on.
David Brooks, BOU at WOL ($4,800): Brooks took a majority of set pieces for Bournemouth last weekend, and while he only played 61 minutes, he still sent in eight crosses and created three chances. The matchup against Wolves is much tougher than the one against Crystal Palace a few days ago, especially since Wednesday's match is away, but Brooks' work on the wing certainly makes him viable at his price. If you're really looking to save, we could get a start from Junior Stanislas ($3,300), who has a history of taking set pieces when he plays, and he certainly makes more sense than paying up for Harry Wilson ($5,900) given the matchup. There are a number of solid plays in this range who are probably more suited for GPPs, if only because of the opportunity cost of not having guys from the above paragraph, but Paul Pogba ($6,100), Allan Saint-Maximin ($7,000), John McGinn ($5,100) and Todd Cantwell ($4,700) are viable plays.
FORWARDS
Richarlison, EVE at NOR ($7,600): The pool of cash-game-friendly forwards is really small on this slate, enough so that Richarlison is probably the best option even though he has no role on set pieces and is playing away (Everton are favored, though). Only two forward-eligible players on the slate average more floor points per 90 minutes: Adama Traore, who costs $9,200, and teammate Gylfi Sigurdsson ($6,900), who got a lot of those points on set pieces he's not really taking anymore. Paying that much for Traore, who also doesn't have a role on set pieces, means you're likely not getting multiple higher-priced midfielders, which doesn't seem like the optimal move in cash games, at least. Paying down slightly for Richarlison is likely to be popular, with Pedro Neto ($8,000) possibly taking some ownership if Moutinho doesn't start for some reason. Another guy who will get some looks is Miguel Almiron ($6,400), but that price seems a bit high for a player you'd never consider if he didn't have forward eligibility. If anything, you're probably better off with Anwar El Ghazi ($5,400) because of the salary savings.
Marcus Rashford, MUN v. SHU ($9,500): With so many people paying up for midfielders, Rashford could be lower owned than you'd expect from the player with the highest anytime goal scorer odds who plays for the biggest favorite with the highest implied goal total. Going further, pairing Rashford and Bruno is an interesting combination, while you could get even lower ownership with Anthony Martial ($8,800), who has scored more goals for United this season than anyone but Rashford. This line of thinking obviously applies to the Wolves forwards too, with Raul Jimenez ($10,500) comically priced if you're trying to pay up at midfield, while Diogo Jota ($7,900) at least provides a bit of salary help if he starts. Then again, Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($7,100) has higher anytime goal scorer odds than anyone but Rashford, Jimenez and Martial while playing against the second-worst defensive side in the league.
Richairo Zivkovic, SHU at MUN ($3,500): Zivkovic isn't expected to start, but he represents a strategy that some people could use in order to pay up at the other positions. At $3,500, Zivkovic is tied for the lowest price at the position, with Adam Idah of Norwich also a long-shot possibility to start. In terms of strategy, the second forward spot seems like one that can be punted, and given how low the floors are of every forward, paying down for literally the cheapest one and hoping for a luck-box goal could be a viable build. If Zivkovic and Idah don't start, the cheapest likely starter is Alex Iwobi ($4,300), or maybe Lys Mousset ($3,800), neither of whom provide much excitement other than the salary savings. Additionally, Keinan Davis ($4,500) at least has a better matchup if Iwobi doesn't start, while Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld ($4,100) could be starting as a wing-back or attacking midfielder, which always makes you feel better.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Digne, EVE at NOR ($6,400): Digne averages the fourth-most fantasy points per 90 minutes among players on the slate, with his 12.56 per 90 more than five fantasy points higher than the next-highest expected starter. He takes a majority of set pieces for a favored side that's up against the team that's allowed the second-most crosses in the Premier League, helped in part by Digne, who sent in nine in their match earlier this season, one that also saw him create four chances, win two tackles and take one shot, which was on goal, finishing with 14.5 fantasy points. There are no other defenders on the slate who come close to matching Digne's profile or floor, which makes it seem pretty crazy that he's only the most expensive by $200.
Adam Smith, BOU at WOL ($3,100): On the other end of the spectrum is Smith, who could be one of the cheapest fullbacks on the slate if he continues to start ahead of Diego Rico ($4,400). That being said, Rico should be highly owned in cash games if he's in because he usually takes corners when he's on, though the matchup against Wolves isn't that good. You could theoretically make the case that Smith isn't that much better than a center-back because he's not a volume crosser, though he's more of an attacker than Ezri Konsa Ngoyo ($3,000), who has been playing out wide for Aston Villa but is really a center-back.
GOALKEEPER
Orjan Nyland, AVL at NEW ($4,500): I wanted to make a case for Simon Moore ($3,600), who is expected to start in place of Dean Henderson ($3,700) against Manchester United, and he's likely to be popular if only because there isn't a simple path to Manchester United players in cash lineups. But he's also the biggest underdog and the Sheffield United back line has been hit hard by injuries and suspensions. That brought me to Aaron Ramsdale ($3,900) playing away to Wolves, but Bournemouth have been so horrific that I didn't want to go down that road. Up next was Tim Krul ($4,200), the cheapest home goalkeeper on the slate, but he's arguably the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League, and playing Richarlison with him doesn't correlate well. That brings us to Nyland, who has a horrible defense in front of him but is playing a Newcastle side that's scored the third-fewest goals in the league this season. The only issue is that he's a bit pricey, and if you're in that range then you may as well consider Martin Dubravka ($5,000), who is actually home in that matchup and has made the most saves in the Prem. Either way, paying up for a goalkeeper doesn't seem like the optimal build because of the midfielders and/or forwards worth targeting.
