This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
Matches (EDT)
- 10:00 am: Chelsea vs. Sheffield United
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Leicester City vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- 10:00 am: Newcastle United vs. Watford
- 10:00 am: West Ham United vs. Norwich City
- 12:30 pm: Burnley vs. Liverpool
Forwards
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BRI (£26): Gabriel Jesus (£26) has an outside chance of playing, but it's unlike Pep Guardiola takes the risk with the international break coming after the match, which should leave Aguero in the starting XI. The Argentine has the top goal scorer odds of any player on the slate and is playing for the biggest favorite. That recipe is enough for me to spend on a player who scored four goals in his first three games and is averaging four shots (two on target) per 90 minutes. Raheem Sterling (£27) looks like the player of the year through three matches and is a viable stack option if you can save elsewhere. Speaking of stacks, Mohamed Salah (£28) and Sadio Mane (£26) are another option but will be playing away from home. They've both had outings over 20 points, though if there's one team who might put up four-plus goals, I suspect it's the City attack at home. Roberto Firmino (£23) is a consideration, but he doesn't have the upside Aguero, Sterling, Mane and Salah have.
Jamie Vardy, LEI v. BOU (£23): Vardy Party anyone? After being disappointing in the first two matches of the season, Vardy opened his account last weekend against Sheffield United. He and Sebastien Haller (£23) have the top goal-scoring odds for players not on Manchester City or Liverpool and both are home favorites. Haller netted twice last weekend and has a quality matchup against Norwich's defense. I think fading Callum Wilson (£22) is the play this weekend based on his current form (he hasn't scored more than 3.1 fantasy points in a match this season), and Bournemouth's form away from home last season. Whether you go with Vardy or Haller is up to you, but I think both are safe plays as home favorites.
Andre Gray, WAT at NEW (£13): Due to the seven-game slate and a sharper pricing structure, I think the forward bargain bin is a little bit lighter than normal, but there's still a few options.Gray is playing away to a Newcastle side that held Tottenham scoreless last weekend, but he should keep his place in the lineup with Troy Deeney out for an extended period. He rewarded manager Javi Gracia's faith with a goal on five shots (one on target) in the loss to West Ham, which is surely enough to start once more. Oliver McBurnie (£13) has been a substitute in three straight matches, but he did find the scoresheet against Leicester and could come into the starting XI against Chelsea. Jay Rodriguez (£10) is my pick to replace Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£13) (calf) in the lineup, though he has a tough matchup against the Reds.
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. BRI (£26): Let me be totally clear: I am not spending £26 on Mason Mount. Has he been a revelation for Chelsea's midfield but being the same price as Kevin De Bruyne is a skip for me. City have a better matchup and De Bruyne has provided an assist in each of his first three matches (four total), making him one of the top fantasy choices this week. Aside from De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva (£24), David Silva (£21) and Riyad Mahrez (£19) are all alternatives if you're up for playing Man City midfield roulette. Their matchup is favorable enough that a stack wouldn't be that crazy given they could put up a serious number of goals. Pascal Gross (£16) is the main man on set pieces for Brighton, but he's probably worth fading considering they're playing away to the Premier League champions and are unlikely to see much in possession.
Felipe Anderson, WHU v. NOR (£20): Norwich have shown they are willing to attack anyone in the Premier League, while also being a major liability at the back by conceding a league-high eight goals. Both teams have been leaky in defense, as West Ham have conceded one fewer goal while Norwich have conceded the third-most shots and most shots-on goal among the slate's 14 teams. Anderson hit double-digit points last weekend as West Ham beat Watford 3-1, with all of his points coming from open play. Manuel Lanzini (£16) is the main set-piece taker for West Ham, which boosts his viability, especially after providing four accurate crosses last weekend. I'm probably going to avoid Todd Cantwell (£20) and Mark Noble (£20) due to their prices, which I also thought last weekend with Noble before he scored from the spot. Emiliano Buendia (£17) takes all of the set pieces and is one of the most viable fantasy players on Norwich outside of Teemu Pukki.
Tom Cleverley, WAT at NEW (£10): Cleverley made his first start for Watford last week and produced 4.8 points as a minimum-priced player, which was enough to justify his inclusion if you started him in your lineup. He's the same price again and will be worth a look due to his budget savings after taking three shots against West Ham. He'll allow you to spend up on more of the Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea players should you opt for him, which could be crucial given all of the star players on heavy favorites. Meanwhile, Fabinho (£14) has been a solid play for his price when he's made the starting XI, along with Jordan Henderson (£13), who are expected to complete a ton of passes against a Burnley team that concede the fourth-most passes on the slate.
Defenders
Joel Matip, LIV at BUR (£15): The cheapest of Liverpool projected starting defenders, Matip has been a standout performer over the past two matches, one of which he scored the go-ahead goal in. His goal against Arsenal led him to 16.05 fantasy points, and leads me to believe a floor of 5+ isn't out of the question as he finished with 5.5 in his first start against Southampton. Liverpool have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and it could be tough to register their first shutout in an away trip to Burnley. I have trouble paying up for defenders like Virgil van Dijk (£19), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£18) and Erik Pieters (£18), who need an assist or even a goal to justify their prices, while I could get a midfielder with a much easier path to 8-10 points. Andrew Robertson (£17) isn't much cheaper, while Ben Mee (£14) and James Tarkowski (£14) are in a reasonable price range and could see a lot of work with Liverpool expected to attack for most of the match. Joe Gomez (£15) has an outside shot at a start and would likely be Matip's replacement if manager Jurgen Klopp opts to go that route. Nicolas Otamendi (£15) is another target at this price that would be reasonable given that City are the biggest favorites on the slate and John Stones (£16) will likely miss out again.
Emerson Palmieri, CHE v. SHU (£13): Emerson has wrestled the starting left-back job from Marcos Alonso (£17) and has been nothing short of impressive. He hasn't registered a goal, assist or clean sheet in three starts but has fantasy scores of of 14.10, 6.90 and 9.55, respectively. He has done it in a variety of ways and will have a solid matchup as Chelsea host Sheffield United. As noted about the more expensive defenders in the Burnley v. Liverpool match, I'm not enthusiastic about spending up for the likes of George Baldock (£17) or Cesar Azpilicueta (£16), which is why Emerson's early production at a cheap price is a rock solid option.
Tyrone Mings, AV at CRY (£13): Mings is fresh off receiving his first England call-up, which he rightfully deserved. Despite winning one of their first three Premier League matches, Mings has produced in his first three starts at £13. His floor has been five points, while he managed to peak at 11.10 in Villa's opening loss to Tottenham. He and Bjorn Engels (£13) have formed a solid pairing, and both could come into consideration against a Palace side fresh off a win over Manchester United. On the other side of the pitch, Patrick van Aanholt (£15) scored the match-winner against United and has had a consistent start to the campaign. This matchup has the second-lowest implied goal total on the slate and might be worth targeting for defensive cover.
Goalkeepers
Adrian, LIV at BUR (£10): Liverpool are the second-biggest favorite on the slate and have the second-best clean sheet odds despite traveling to Burnley. Alisson Becker (calf) could come back after the international break, but he won't be ready for Saturday's matchup, which leaves Adrian in net for his third-straight start. He has yet to keep a clean sheet but has benefited from consecutive wins. Oh yeah, and he's minimum priced. Plug Adrian in here and you should be able to depend on a draw, at least. Dean Henderson (£12) is an interesting option with Chelsea expected to dominate Sheffield United for most of the match. They've been well-organized and compact in the back, with the Blades conceding just three goals in three matches. There should be plenty of save opportunities for Henderson, and it could result in a decent fantasy day if Sheffield United aren't blown out.
