This article is part of our Daily Fantasy Soccer Cheat Sheet series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Cardiff City
- 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Southampton vs. Wolverhampton
- 12:30 pm: Manchester United vs. West Ham United
FORWARDS
Marcus Rashford, MUN v. WHU (£21): After Romelu Lukaku (£20), Rashford has the second-best anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, and he should benefit from playing at home. Ashley Young is suspended for Saturday's match, which will open up set-piece opportunities for United. Both Rashford and Juan Mata (£17, midfielder) have seen action in dead-ball situations, and they will likely be the top two options to fill in for Young. Rashford is pretty much glued to the starting XI, while Mata has just five starts dating back to the turn of the year. If Mata is left on the bench, I like this pick even more.
Richarlison, EVE at FUL (£20): Lucas Digne (£16) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£22) are safer plays than Richarlison because they split set pieces, but they don't have as high goal-scoring potential as the Brazilian. Richarlison has the third-best anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, and he has scored at least 5.8 fantasy points over the last four games, peaking at 13.25 points twice (he scored a goal in each instance). Fulham are the worst defensive side in the league by a wide margin (76 goals conceded), which will provide a good platform for Richarlison to contribute.
Dwight McNeil, BUR v. CAR (£17): I mentioned how poor Fulham are in defense. Well, Cardiff City aren't much better, as they've conceded the third-most goals in the league (61). They've actually been better defensively when playing away from home but still rank in the bottom third. Burnley have won their previous three matches, which McNeil played a pivotal role in two of the three. He has a small share of set pieces and averages 1.81 accurate crosses per 90 minutes. Chris Wood (£15) is another option, though he's scored more than 3.5 points just once in his past six games. Ashley Barnes (£14) is the cheapest of the three Burnley forwards if you're targeting the matchup against Cardiff.
MIDFIELDERS
Ryan Fraser, BOU at BRI (£17): Fraser has just one goal and one assist in his past 12 matches, but he has found a way to consistently hit six points, which is mostly due to his set-piece responsibility for Bournemouth. He's tied for third with Matt Ritchie in accurate crosses (53) and also ranks in the top six in fouls won (55). Fraser completes a moderate number of passes, averaging in 42.77 per 90 minutes, which is good for just over two points, giving him a good floor aside from accurate crosses and fouls won.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU v. WOL (£14): Southampton and Wolverhampton have the lowest implied goal total of any match on Saturday's slate, so it's probably worth steering clear of their forwards. Wolverhampton allow the third-most completed passes on the slate, giving the English midfielder a slight bump. The majority of Ward-Prowse's value comes from dead-ball situations, and he's one of the cheaper players with set-piece responsibilities. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£18) completes more passes than Ward-Prowse, while Nathan Redmond (£15) is classified as a midfielder but operates as a striker.
Anthony Knockaert, BRI v. BOU (£13): Knockaert is coming off the Premier League goal of the month for March and has been influential for Brighton during his recent run of form. He's averaging 3.4 accurate crosses per 90 minutes over the past five matches and has taken over the majority of set pieces while Pascal Gross (£16) and Solomon March (£13) have dealt with injuries. Both Gross and March trained towards the end of the week, which could affect Knockaert's playing time. Of the three, Gross is the best option if he makes the starting XI, though he may have trouble lasting 90 minutes after missing the past six weeks.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Digne, EVE at FUL (£16): Plug the Frenchman in and keep it moving. He's the safest defender on this slate, and arguably in all of the Premier League. He leads the league in accurate crosses, takes his fair share of set pieces and contributes enough in open play (think interceptions and tackles won) to make him a chalk play. He's boosted by the fact that Everton's backline has been performing at an extremely high level, keeping five clean sheets in their past six matches.
Nathan Ake, BOU at BRI (£15): Bournemouth have been notoriously poor away from home this season, so it should be clear you aren't playing for a clean sheet here. On a slate that is void of quality defensive options outside of Digne, Ake offers a consistent alternative with a floor around three points. He's scored at least 4.35 points in his past five outings and has a relatively even matchup against Brighton. The Dutchman is hardly a sexy pick, but one that is unlikely to sabotage your final output with a negative scoreline.
James Tarkowski, BUR v. CAR (£14): Cardiff have a one-way ticket to the EFL Championship in their shopping cart and are in the process of punching their credit card information as they proceed to checkout. They are the worst attacking side away from home and will conveniently be heading to Turf Moor to face a Burnley side that have won their past three matches while conceding just two goals. Tarkowski leads the league in blocks (44) and contributes with minor tackles won and interceptions numbers; his biggest upside in this matchup is the potential for a clean sheet.
GOALKEEPER
David de Gea, MUN v. West Ham (£14): The goalkeeper pricing left me scratching my head a bit this week, as Angus Gunn (£17) came in as the most expensive goalkeeper, followed by John Ruddy (£15) and Rui Patricio (£15). Gunn and the Wolverhampton goalkeepers have middle-of-the-road clean sheet odds and aren't worth spending up for. Burnley and Tom Heaton (£14) have the second-best clean sheet odds in a home match against a Cardiff side who have been poor away from home all season. They've scored just nine goals in 15 away matches, though Heaton's upside is limited if they can't keep a clean sheet. Manchester United will host West Ham at Old Trafford and de Gea has the best clean sheet odds on the slate. The Hammers average 11.00 shots and put 3.88 on target per 90 minutes, which should give de Gea enough opportunities to make saves and boost his final scoreline even if United can't keep a clean sheet. It's also worth noting West Ham have failed to score in six of their past seven away matches in the Premier League.
