DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Weekend Value Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Goal = +10 PTs
Assist = +6 PTs
Shot = +1 PTs
Shot on Goal = +1 PTs
Crosses = +1 PTs
Fouls Drawn = +0.75 PTs
Red Card = -1 PTs
Saves (GK) = +2 PTs
Goal Allowed (GK) = -2 PTs
Clean Sheet (GK, D) = +5 PTs
One Goal Allowed (GK, D) = +2 PTs
Win (GK) = +5 PTs
Penalty Kick Save (GK) = +3 PTs

With that out of the way, here are the available GPP contests for the Premier League on Saturday:



$8K Equalizer ($1,250 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$5K Striker ($400 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
$5K Golden Boot ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $200
$3K Striker ($300 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
$3K Equalizer ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$2.5K Upper 90 ($875 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$2K Upper 90 ($700 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$1.5K Stoppage Time ($200 first prize), Entry Fee: $12
$1K Stoppage Time ($200 first prize), Entry Fee: $12
$1K Slide Tackle ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $50
$250 Quarter Arcade ($36.25 first prize), Entry Fee: $0.25
and many more…



DraftKings has announced the $100K Fantasy Soccer World Championship with a $20,000 first prize set to take place May 24. Saturday offers various opportunities to earn entry through contests with entry fees of $5, $12, $27 and $55.

The following games are included: 


Saturday
Aston Villa at Sunderland
Hull City at Leicester City
Stoke City at West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United at Arsenal
Manchester City at Burnley

Sunday/Monday
Southampton at Chelsea
Newcastle United at Everton
Tottenham Hotspur at Manchester United
Liverpool at Swansea City

With a litany of fitness questions, being sure to land on players in the starting 11 is essential. There is a bit of guesswork in projecting lineups until they are actually announced, especially with teams competing in multiple competitions. Saturday's games are more compacted and easier to adjust lineups for, but the contests beginning Sunday feature games staggered over the space of two days, complicating things a bit. Nonetheless, be sure to check the starting lineups upon their announcement approximately one hour prior to kickoff.

And before we jump into the recommendations, here's another check of the crosses leaders (the table is sortable):

David Ospina ($5,200)
The in-form Gunners host the out-of-form Hammers this weekend. Though Wojciech Szczesny was in goal in the FA Cup tie with Manchester United this past Monday, Ospina looks a good chance to start against West Ham. Arsenal has a Champions League game upcoming next week, so I'd suspect Ospina in goal here and Szczesny in goal then. It's purely speculation, just check the lineups to find out for sure, and regardless of who's in goal, they are to be considered good plays.

Joe Hart ($5,400)
Not much creativity in the top-two goalkeeper recommendations for Saturday. The Arsenal keepers are a tad cheaper, and get their match at home making them slightly more favored. If you prefer Hart, who is the solidified starter for Manchester City, on the road against Burnley, feel no angst in that decision.

Mark Schwarzer ($4,100)
The Leicester goalkeeper stands as the best value Saturday. There is a slight question as to who will get the start, with top keeper Kasper Schmeichel ($4,000) possible to make his return from a long-term foot injury. Leicester is having a poor season in the Premier League, and almost undoubtedly will be facing relegation upon season's end. Nonetheless, in a home match against a side fighting off relegation in Hull, Leicester is favored to win. It's a risky choice no doubt, but it is worth taking a chance with what will be a lesser-owned entity in some of the larger GPP contests.

Thibaut Courtois ($5,500) / Petr Cech ($5,300)
Chelsea isn't the sort to take a loss and string it together with another. The fiery Jose Mourinho will have his troops fired up off their disappointing exit from the Champions League and will look to make a statement to firmly establish their supremacy in the Premier League. The once in-form Southampton has lost three of their last six and will probably see their hopes for a spot in Europe further away from their grasp Sunday. Courtois has been the typical starter for Chelsea, but Cech could see a spot start off the game Wednesday.

David De Gea ($5,200)
De Gea has been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, saving his Reds defense on multiple occasions. Despite a loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup this past Monday, De Gea did all he could to keep his side in contention, make a number of saves. Look for United to bounce back with a better performance, and De Gea's prowess making saves will likely need to be used against a proficient Tottenham offense Sunday.

Tim Krul ($3,900)
Everton comes off a challenging Europa League tie Thursday and will be prone as they host Krul and his Newcastle United side who will be fresh with over a week of rest. Krul has his off days (five goals allowed to Manchester City) and he has his on days (seven saves in a clean sheet win against Hull City). At his cheap price, he provides considerable upside and stands as a very good value for Sunday's contests.

Defenders:

Kieran Trippier ($4,900)
The league's top crosser didn't quite live up to that stature against Liverpool, but there is no reason to suspect he won't get back to his double-digit FPTs days Saturday against Manchester City. Trippier is the instigator of the Burnley offense, and as stagnant as it may be, he's a very good look at a price under $5,000.

Kieran Gibbs ($4,000)
The leftback gets up field well and comes off a four-cross, one-foul-drawn, one-shot and one-assist performance against QPR. He has arguably the best heading striker in the league in Olivier Giroud, and his value skyrockets whenever one of his services is converted, as was done against QPR. Going Arsenal at every defensive position is a fine decision, but at his price Gibbs is an especially good choice.

Other Options: Projecting who starts at fullback for Manchester City is a bit of guesswork, but if you choose Hart as your goalie, it would be wise to pair him with whichever of Aleksander Kolarov ($4,700), Pablo Zabaleta ($4,600), Gael Clichy ($3,800) and Bacary Sagna ($3,700) start. Clichy is especially intriguing at his price.

For Saturday's action, below is a selection of cheap options:

Guy Demel ($3,300)
West Ham doesn't play with prototypical wingers, so their fullbacks are always fine choices to rack up crosses. Demel comes up as a interesting selection as normal rightback Carl Jenkinson is actually a loanee from Arsenal and cannot face his parent club. Demel has been very limited in the amount of action he's seen, but he has been productive when given the chance. The matchup with Arsenal isn't ideal, but the price surely is.

Matthew Lowton ($2,400)
Likely starting in the place of suspended Alan Hutton, Lowton doesn't offer a great deal of upside. But he does have a history of providing a fair amount of crosses and may very well benefit from the low offensive prowess both Villa and Sunderland put forward.

Danny Simpson ($2,700)
Simpson falls into a similar category as Lowton, but if you do risk yourself on a Leicester keeper, Simpson is a cheap option that averages a couples crosses and pairs well.

Branislav Ivanovic ($5,300)
No, he's not cheap, but with his prowess across the board with offensive stats and likelihood to pick up defensive action as well, he's an excellent choice. Filipe Luis ($4,000) appears a fair chance to start in order to give Cesar Azpilicueta a rest after the week's Champions League tie. Luis actually has a higher propensity for crosses than Ivanovic, and may be the better value of the two. Whoever starts at fullback pairs well with a Chelsea keeper.

Daryl Janmaat ($3,700)
Janmaat is an important component of Newcastle's offense, who'll be without striker Papiss Cisse (suspension). He has amassed six assists on the season, is a threat to strike again every week, and is an obvious pairing with goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Luke Garbutt ($3,400)
Garbutt could start in the place of Leighton Baines (quad) once again, and his production as his replacement has been good racking up crosses. His price has surpassed the $2,000's at last, but he's still a good option.

Luke Shaw ($4,200)
I don't love Shaw as an option, as his price is underserving of his production. But he pairs up well with De Gea and usually sends in a few crosses. He's the only Manchester United defender worth considering.

There are a number of good fullbacks on sides that don't figure well in their matchups Sunday, but individuals still merit consideration. Among them are Ryan Bertrand ($4,500), Danny Rose ($4,300) and Nathaniel Clyne ($4,300).

Midfielders:

Mesut Ozil ($8,100)
Ozil has been given an offensive role, and he will be the most likely candidate for goals and assists from the Gunners' midfield going forward. Santi Cazorla still has free kick and penalty responsibilities, but Ozil is more likely to produce away from set pieces.

Yaya Toure ($7,200)
It's only a matter of time before Toure cashes in again on one of his free kicks or penalties. He shoots often and is active all over the field, so cash in while the price is low and the opponent is less than formidable.

Jesus Navas ($6,000)
With a high propensity for crosses and assists, Navas is always a danger on the pitch. Very simply, he's a good use at this price every time.

Riyad Mahrez ($5,700)
The spear of the Leicester offense finds himself on the end of a healthy number of crosses, shots and fouls drawn. His lowly 2-FPT performance last time out against Manchester City is the exception to the rule, so expect Mahrez to get back to his productive ways Saturday.

Eden Hazard ($9,100)
Hazard draws fouls; a lot of fouls. He's Chelsea's most prominent offensive threat at the moment, recording a goal or an assist in each of Chelsea's last three games.

Christian Eriksen ($7,600)
Eriksen has been among the most potent midfielders in the Premier League this season as a set-piece specialist always standing as a danger to score goals and serve crosses.

Raheem Sterling ($8,600)
Sterling scores goals, sets up assists and is an all-around source of production most every week. He's just another stud to choose from Sunday.

Jonjo Shelvey ($5,500) / Gylfi Sigurdsson ($7,100)
Shelvey is the closest thing to value Sunday, as the midfield is stud-filled. Shelvey is an active attacking threat every time he's on the field with the capability to cross the ball, take shots and rack up the occasional goal and assist. Sigurdsson is a free-kick specialist. His production is most lethal from set pieces, with Shelvey being the more consistent producer at his price, but has racked up considerably more goals and assists on the season.

Forwards:

Andrej Kramaric ($5,000)
Kramaric is the biggest transfer signing of Leicester's history, and he's a young talented striker. Prior to the transfer, Kramaric scored 37 goals in 42 appearances for his Croatian squad Rijeka. The 23-year-old scored his first goal at Arsenal, and this will be his first start at home against a lesser Hull City opponent. He had four shots on goal in his tie with Arsenal, and a return to that game makes Kramaric very appealing.

Alexis Sanchez ($10,200) / Olivier Giroud ($9,400)
The Arsenal forwards are expensive, but Giroud's recent goal scoring form and Sanchez's ramped activity game-after-game make them both viable to use Saturday.

Sergio Aguero ($10,100)
Aguero against Burnley, I like those odds for a goal. He's the Premier League's co-top goal-scorer, a title that's eminent to be his at season's end. Fellow strike-mate Wilfried Bony ($8,200) is yet to score for his new team, but he took six shots against Leicester and the goals should come if he keeps shooting at that rate.

Daniel Sturridge ($7,500) / Mario Balotelli ($6,400)
Once again, the Liverpool strikers are too cheap. Whoever starts is a great play for the Sunday/Monday contest set. Both are strong contenders for shots and goals every weekend.

Sammy Ameobi ($5,600)
With Papiss Cisse serving a seven-game suspension, the supporting cast will be forced to set forward for Newcastle. Ameobi gets action wide, and with it racks up crosses. If he can convert into goals and assists, something his club will need without Cisse, Ameobi provides substantial value.

Other Options: I'm not entirely impressed with the top-tier of strikers Sunday offers, but Harry Kane ($9,900) is a logical choice coming off back-to-back player of the month awards in the Premier League. He has 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League matches. Wayne Rooney ($9,800) is back at his striker role for Manchester United and is always potent to score goals from that position.