This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Arsenal vs. Southampton
- 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool
- 10:00 am: Everton vs. Norwich City
- 10:00 am: Watford vs. Burnley
- 12:30 pm: Manchester City vs. Chelsea
FORWARDS
Sadio Mane, LIV at CRY (£27): Mohamed Salah (£29) is dealing with an ankle injury but trained towards the tail end of the week, putting his status up in the air heading into Saturday's match. Mane may be asked to carry the scoring load if Salah is unable to feature, while Roberto Firmino (£21) is always an option due to his industry at the top of Liverpool's attack. Mane has two goals and an assist in his past two league matches and could torment the Palace back line once again.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ARS v. SOU (£23): It's a coin flip between Alexandre Lacazette (£22) and Aubameyang for me. Both forwards should start and have a favorable matchup against a struggling Southampton side. Lacazette has done more peripherally than Aubameyang lately, but he hasn't found the back of the net with the consistency that Aubameyang had earlier in the season. Arsenal are heavy favorites with both forwards having the potential for big performances. Aubameyang is fourth in the league in goals (seven), while Lacazette hasn't scored since Sept. 1.
Chris Wood, BUR v. WAT (£15): After three weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury, Wood returned to the lineup prior to the international break and banged in a goal to go along with five shots (four on target), helping him finish with 19.95 fantasy points. Prior to the hamstring issue, Wood had scored in three of his past four matches, which continued into the win over West Ham. Watford are hardly a defensive fortress and will be a good opportunity for the Clarets to find the win column once again.
MIDFIELDERS
Christian Pulisic, CHE at MCI, (£19): Kevin De Bruyne (£28) is the marquee midfield option on this slate due to his role as City's maestro, but it's worth keeping in mind he's hit more than 7.65 points only once in his past seven matches, which isn't enough for a player priced as a top-tier forward. With Liverpool and Arsenal favorites (and their forwards looking appetizing), I'd rather opt for an in-form midfielder in Pulisic, as Chelsea travel to the Etihad with a point advantage over Manchester CIty. The former Dortmund play-maker has five goals in his past three Premier League starts and will have a chance to become the star man in one of the biggest matchups to date.
James Maddison, LEI at BRI (£19): Despite being a man on the warpath this season (four goals in his past six matches), Maddison continues to be priced at £19, which is a steal for a player with his consistent production. Brighton are hardly the team most would predict to slow down the Leicester attack, and Maddison looks set for another formidable outing against the Seagulls. He's fourth in the Premier League in accurate crosses, 11th in shots and tied for third in corners won. His overall product is enough to warrant consideration week-in and week-out, especially at this price.
James Ward-Prowse, SOU at ARS (£14): A matchup away to Arsenal isn't ideal for Ward-Prowse but it's worth considering Arsenal have conceded the sixth-most goals at home and have drawn three of six matches (won the other three). In a similar manner to Maddison, Ward-Prowse has a set-piece monopoly and finds himself seventh in accurate crosses in the league. Arsenal concede the fourth-most accurate crosses per 90 minutes (4.92) on the slate, giving Ward-Prowse a good platform to perform.
DEFENDERS
Ricardo Pereira, LEI at BRI (£14): Pereira averages 1.67 interceptions to go along with 2.58 tackles won per 90 minutes, giving him a floor north of six points. He's been a rock at right-back throughout the season and has only three games below 5.5 points. Brighton have won three of the six matches at home this season, so they're certainly penetrable for a Leicester team chasing Champions League placement nearly a third of the way through the season.
Diego Rico, BOU v. WLV (£13): Rico and Pereira have been comparable throughout the year, though Rico has a small share of set-pieces when Ryan Fraser is out of the lineup. Fraser has played the full 90 in each of the last four matches, which has affected his accurate cross numbers, though Bournemouth's three clean sheets in their past four matches have given Rico's final numbers a boost.
Angelino, MCI v. CHE (£13): In line for his third straight Premier League start, Angelino is a cost-effective option playing on the third-biggest favorites on the slate. He scored 5.85 and 6.35 points in his past two matches and has shown a good floor despite stiff somewhat stiff competition (Liverpool and Southampton). It will be tough to bank on a clean sheet bonus in this case with Chelsea being an effective attacking side, though Angelino has been able to contribute two corners won in the previous two starts to help out his final score.
GOALKEEPER
Nick Pope, BUR v. WAT (£12): Alisson Becker (£19) and Liverpool have the top clean sheet odds when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, though the Liverpool goalkeeper is priced the same as teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold with a much lower ceiling, while one goal could wipe out his clean sheet bonus. Jordan Pickford (£17) has the second-best clean sheet odds against Norwich and is also relatively expensive while conceding a middle-of-the-road 18 goals. Watford have scored a measly eight goals this season while Pope and Burnley will travel to Vicarage Road to face the Hornets. Pope has been cost-effective all season and is a safe bet against a Watford side that has won a single game in 12 attempts.
