This article is part of our DFS Soccer 101 series.
With the introduction of the new scoring scheme on DraftKings, we're being forced to re-evaluate what works in terms of lineup building and how to best tackle the new rules in order to create the best fantasy teams.Of course, goals are still the most important statistic, so you can't ignore them or the assists that often accompany them. A goal is still worth 10 points, and with the accompanying shot and shot on target, the goal's value is really 12 extra points to your lineup (an assist continues to be worth six points). What did change, however, was the addition of the periphery stats such as tackles won, interceptions and fouls committed as a negative stat. You can now also lose points for yellow cards and missed penalties while a red card is punished more severely than it was previously.
However, the stat that will likely change your entire lineup construction strategy is one that on the surface seemingly remains the same, but in actuality has changed just as much as anything else: the cross.
DraftKings expanded the definition of the cross when they switched to OPTA as the statistics provider to include corner kicks and set pieces. This now allows certain players to consistently reach double-digit crosses, which can easily pay off value in just a half. The first few slates under this scoring difference showed that what was previously considered a good score at 100 DK points is now just a modest first half output, with GPP-winning scores now routinely in the 250+ range. This inflation in scoring can be partly attributed to the extra scoring categories, and it can also be chalked up to the three additional roster spots that brought the roster size to a more standard 11. However, the bigger reason why scoring is inflated is the amount of crosses that the top scoring players sent in.
To examine this concept further, I looked at the average numbers from the season to see whether this holds true for the first 12 gameweeks and see how crosses relate to DK points. Below are the top-20 crossing players by average accompanied by their DraftKings point average for the first 12 weeks.
| Player | Pos | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Crosses Per Game | DK Points |
| Robbie Brady | M |  | 12 | 1 | 0 | 9.17 | 17.33 |
| Dusan Tadic | M |  | 11 | 4 | 3 | 8.82 | 19.23 |
| Dimitri Payet | M |  | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8.50 | 20 |
| Marc Albrighton | M |  | 12 | 1 | 4 | 8.33 | 16.63 |
| Matt Richie | M |  | 12 | 2 | 1 | 7.67 | 17 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | M |  | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6.63 | 19.31 |
| Jesus Navas | M | | 12 | 0 | 3 | 6.33 | 11.38 |
| Junior Stanislas | M | | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.33 | 11 |
| Stephane Sessegnon | M |  | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6.00 | 13.75 |
| Aleksandar Kolarov | D | | 11 | 1 | 0 | 6.00 | 11.77 |
| Jefferson Montero | M |  | 11 | 0 | 2 | 6.00 | 11.23 |
| Mesut Ozil | M |  | 11 | 1 | 10 | 5.73 | 17.14 |
| James Milner | M |  | 11 | 1 | 3 | 5.64 | 14.82 |
| Memphis Depay | M |  | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5.50 | 13.5 |
| Alberto Moreno | M | | 11 | 0 | 1 | 5.36 | 10.64 |
| Alan Hutton | D |  | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5.33 | 10.61 |
| David Silva | M | | 5 | 1 | 6 | 5.20 | 20.5 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | M |  | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5.11 | 9.72 |
| Jonjo Shelvey | M | | 12 | 0 | 1 | 5.00 | 11.04 |
| Tom Cleverley | M |  | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5.00 | 8.5 |
This list of players shows that the top crossers are not necessarily the top DK point scorers, more importantly that the top point scorers are also high goal+assist guys. One thing it does show, however, is that players who have a low ceiling in terms of goals are now finding themselves averaging double-digit DK points per game.
The most notable of these is Junior Stanislas of Bournemouth, who is averaging six crosses per game, and has added seven shots and five chances created in his three appearances. If and when Stanislas is back in the starting XI, and they have a favorable matchup, you can roster him with the knowledge that he has the potential for a double-digit outing. Of course, the word of caution here is sample size is small, though encouraging.
One thing to note from this list is that most are midfielders with the propensity to spread the ball wide and deliver crosses into the middle, making them prime deliverers for their respective offenses.
Unsurprisingly, at the early stages of the new scoring system, some of the top tournament scores have featured a plethora of these players, almost forcing us to consider rostering four or five midfielders if we want a chance at winning or cashing.
Here are a few trends that have stood out after examining some recent tournaments:
- While rostering a winning goalkeeper is not imperative to place highly in a GPP, it makes the job much easier. This doesn't always mean you need to take the most expensive goalkeeper or the one with the highest odds to win. This past Saturday, seven of the top 10 lineups in the $15K Striker took Jack Butland from Stoke City, who upset Chelsea, helping their keeper finish with 18 points thanks to the clean sheet, win and four saves.
- Crosses play a key role in most slates, with fantasy rosters that accumulated at least 40 crosses from their players finished in the top 1 percent of the competitions.
- There are very few forwards who can be relied upon to deliver crosses, and that makes sense when considering the roles they play on the field. You want your forwards to be near the box to score goals, they shouldn't be out on the wings delivering crosses. This inherently brings the forwards floor down close to single digits and makes them riskier plays, while it also elevates midfielders as higher-floor plays and more reliable fantasy options.
- Defenders should no longer be paired with the goalkeeper to create maximum value. Instead, defenders who take corners are now at a premium, as just three corners taken by a defender can overshadow the effect of losing out on a clean sheet.
So what do we do? Do we target midfielders for cash (head to heads and 50/50) lineups and forwards for tournaments? The underlying numbers say that shouldn't be the case. On the season, midfielders have 136 goals while forwards have 144. That slight difference of eight goals should be discarded and instead, the focus should be on the fact that midfielders are better suited to scoring points under the new rules and should be considered a key ingredient to building a winning team during any slate.
