This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 2:30 pm: Southampton vs. Leicester City
- 2:30 pm: Watford vs. Chelsea
- 2:30 pm: West Ham United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 2:30 pm: Wolverhampton vs. Burnley
- 3:15 pm: Aston Villa vs. Manchester City
- 3:15 pm: Everton vs. Liverpool
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Riyad Mahrez, MCI at AVL ($8,500): Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have almost identical implied-goal totals as all three are away favorites against teams in the bottom half of the league. Mahrez splits set pieces and takes penalty kicks. When you combine floor, goal equity and price, he stands out in the top range at forward. When you consider the salaries of Mohamed Salah ($10,500), Diogo Jota ($9,300) and Jamie Vardy ($8,400), Mahrez seems a bit underpriced. Elsewhere in this range, Sadio Mane ($8,200) makes for a good GPP target. He has goalscoring odds of +125 and is the cheapest of Liverpool's front three by a considerable margin.
Jarrod Bowen, WHU vs. BHA ($7,900): Bowen continues to share set pieces for West Ham, who are slight home favorites against Brighton. He has the same salary as Pascal Gross ($7,900), who takes a majority of corner kicks and averages more crosses in general. Bowen is the bigger sub risk but Gross isn't a lock for 90 minutes, either. It's the upside that separates them for me. Bowen has goalscoring odds of +230 while Gross is +700 to score. Bowen has two goals and four assists in 13 appearances this season, while Gross has yet to score and has two assists in 10 appearances. Bowen also attempts more shots, which adds to his floor. Dwight McNeil ($7,700) is a similar option to Gross. He's averaging 11 floor points in 12 appearances and has played 90 minutes in all but one match this season. He might take an extra set piece or two in the absence of Ashley Westwood, but I wouldn't count on it. Looking at GPP targets in this range, Raul Jimenez ($7,400) has the second-best goalscoring odds on the slate at +110. Michail Antonio ($6,800) is +150 to score and his salary has fallen considerably after four games without a goal. Kai Havertz ($5,900) looks cheap for his +120 scoring odds. Keep in mind he's almost sure to be subbed early in the second half for the fit again Romelu Lukaku. I'd rather take a chance on Adam Armstrong ($6,000), who has a higher floor and is more likely to play 90 minutes in a home matchup with Leicester City. If you're looking to pay all the way down, Cucho Hernandez ($5,000) shares set-piece duty, but how many will Watford get against Chelsea? Chris Wood ($5,000) has much better goalscoring odds for the same salary.
MIDFIELDERS
James Ward-Prowse, SOU vs. LEI ($7,000): Ward-Prowse takes a near monopoly of set pieces and has penalty-kick duty for Southampton, who are in a decent spot as slight home favorites against Leicester City. He's clearly mis-priced for that role and I'd expect that leads to him being the most popular player on the slate in cash games. There are other midfielders worth spending up for, though. Ilkay Gundogan ($8,300) continues to split set pieces and has shown plenty of open-play upside. He has three goals in his last seven matches and has played 90 minutes in all but one of those games. James Maddison ($8,100) has received a significant price hike after showing glimpses of the form that made him a DFS darling in previous seasons. His viability at that salary depends on set pieces, which he's been taking in the absence of Youri Tielemans. However, if you see Marc Albrighton in the starting lineup, it's possible that Maddison could cede corner kicks to him.
Josh Brownhill, BUR at WOL ($3,200): Ashley Westwood is out for Burnley, meaning Brownhill will likely assume his role on set pieces. Burnley are in a decent spot away to Wolves and Brownhill has played 90 minutes in every match this season. On a slate that lacks for cheap value, he stands out based on the near-minimum salary. Joao Moutinho ($4,200) is a similar option in the cheap range. He's averaging 6.5 floor points and usually plays 90 minutes. Wolves are in favorable spot against Burnley. Keep an eye on the Manchester City lineup, as it's possible that Cole Palmer ($4,200) gets another start. Ten days ago against Everton, he took four shots and put up 10 floor points in 87 minutes playing as a false nine.
DEFENDERS
Marcos Alonso, CHE at WAT ($6,900): This slate is filled with appealing options at defender. If salaries were equal, Reece James ($8,700) and Trent Alexander-Arnold ($8,000) would be the top two options. James has put up at least 14 fantasy points in five-consecutive matches, while Alexander-Arnold has scored at least 12 floor points in all but one game this season. Both have favorable matchups but both are expensive. They're worthy targets, nonetheless. Marcos Alonso has been taking the majority of set pieces for Chelsea and he's more than $1,000 cheaper. He's sent in 16 crosses in two of his last three matches while taking multiple shots in three of his last four. Chelsea are in a nice spot away to Watford.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, WOL vs. BUR ($6,200): I'll be rostering at least two expensive defenders in most of my lineups. Ait-Nouri continues to take at least half of the set pieces for Wolves, who have a favorable matchup at home against Burnley. He's scored more than 11 fantasy points in three of his last four games. Looking a bit cheaper, Andrew Robertson ($5,300) is coming off an assist and 17 fantasy points against Southampton. Tariq Lamptey ($4,900) put up 16 floor points in 76 minutes Sunday. He's played at least 75 minutes in three consecutive starts and has more open-play value than any defender in this range. Marc Cucurella ($4,900) took three of 10 set pieces last game on his way to scoring 15 fantasy points for the second time in seven matches. Brighton's matchup away to West Ham isn't as good as Ait-Nouri's, but that salary savings could come in handy.
GOALKEEPERS
Edouard Mendy, CHE at WAT ($5,900): Spending up at keeper isn't as appealing on a six-game slate and saving salary here to use at other positions is the route I plan on taking. There are three good options at the top, though. Ederson, Alisson Becker and Mendy have similar win and clean sheet odds, but Chelsea's are slightly better than those of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Nick Pope, BUR at WOL ($4,100): Pope has 22-percent clean sheet odds away to Wolves, who have struggled scoring goals all season. Robert Sanchez ($4,200) has similar odds with Brighton away to West Ham. If you'd rather target saves, there are three home keepers with difficult matchups who are all priced under $4,000.
