This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton
- 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Sheffield United
- 10:00 am: West Bromwich Albion vs. Fulham
- 12:30 pm: Arsenal vs. Manchester United
- 3:00 pm: Southampton vs. Aston Villa
FORWARDS
Bukayo Saka, ARS v. MUN (£26): There's a few more well-known forwards, but none have produced at the level that Saka has over the past six matches. Over that span, he's finished with no fewer than 9.15 fantasy points, including more than 12.0 in five. His price reflects this production, but at the very least his floor has been solid and is partially boosted by his role as Arsenal's set-piece taker. Marcus Rashford (£25) is Manchester United's most expensive forward, and he's been struggling to match his price of late. Saka's alternative for Arsenal would be Alexandre Lacazette (£23), who's scored five goals over his past six matches, while Anthony Martial (£21) will look to bounce back from a four-match goal drought. Edinson Cavani (£16) could come back into the starting XI after being left out against Sheffield United, and Nicolas Pepe (£15) should keep his place in the side after scoring against Southampton in the previous match. Gabriel Jesus (£21) and Raheem Sterling (£28) have the top scoring odds against Sheffield United, followed closely by Danny Ings (£23), who faces a tough Aston Villa side.
Ivan Cavaleiro, FUL at WBA (£16): West Brom concede the most shots, shots on goal, accurate crosses, corners won and passes of the 10 teams on the slate. Although Fulham haven't been particularly prolific in front of the net, those indicators lead me to believe there will be a good amount of production to extract from this matchup. Ademola Lookman (£22) has been erratic over his past four matches, with a high of 19.55 fantasy points and two times below 2.5, but he's leading Fulham in assists (three) and is behind only Bobby Decordova-Reid (£14, midfielder) in goals with three. Matheus Pereira (£21) is West Bromwich Albion's best attacked and has scored three goals in the past three matches.
Willian Jose, WOL at CRY (£10): Willian Jose debuted for Wolverhampton in Wednesday's 0-0 draw against Chelsea and has a good chance to slide into the starting XI against Crystal Palace. He's minimum price and will face a side that has conceded the third-most shots and the second-most accurate crosses on the slate. On the other side, Wilfried Zaha (£18) has scored over six fantasy points in four of his last five starts.
MIDFIELDERS
Jack Grealish, AVL at SOU (£23): Phil Foden (£25) has the best goal-scoring odds among the midfielders, while Paul Pogba (£27) is the most expensive player at the position while Bruno Fernandes isn't in the player pool (as of Friday morning). Grealish is the most consistent of the rest and is coming off consecutive double-digit fantasy-point performances. On the other side of the pitch is another player with similar levels of consistency: James Ward-Prowse (£24), who has two assists in three matches and typically does enough to limit any potential losses if he fails to score or assist.
Ilkay Gundogan, MCI v. SHU (£22): With seven goals over eight matches, Gundogan is in his best form as a Manchester City player. Obviously goals boost any player's value, but it's worth noting he's averaging over 8.06 floor points per 90 minutes. Manchester City are the biggest favorite on the slate with an implied goal total over 2.5. Even in the two matches Gundogan didn't score in over that eight-match span, he still finished with a solid 7.65 and 8.05. He's also the third most-expensive City midfielder behind Foden and Riyad Mahrez (£23) but has been the most productive by a long stretch.
Granit Xhaka, ARS v. MUN, (£16): Manchester United allow the most interceptions (that sounds weird, I know), third-most blocks and tackles won of the 10 teams. That bodes well for Xhaka's holding midfield role and his recent consistency doesn't hurt, as he's scored 5.25 points in four of the past five matches. Emile Smith-Rowe (£16) has also played well but typically operates in a more advanced role than Xhaka and is facing a late fitness test. A couple other options at this price are Eberechi Eze (£16) and John McGinn (£15). John Fleck (£14) has provided an assist in consecutive matches but is unlikely to continue that against Manchester City.
DEFENDERS
John Stones, MCI v. SHU (£17): There are few center-backs who have had better seasons than Stones. City's back line has been impenetrable lately, keeping clean sheets in 11 of their past 13 matches when Stones has started. He's scored at least seven points in those 11 matches and will face a recently resurgent Sheffield United side, though City have the best clean sheet odds by a large margin.
Alex Telles, MUN at ARS (£14): Your guess is as good as mine as to who will start at left-back for United. That being said, both Telles and Luke Shaw (£16) have offered good value from that position. Whoever ends up starting is worth consideration despite a matchup against an Arsenal attack that scored six goals in their last two matches. Rob Holding (£18) has scored at least 7.4 points in five of six matches and is my preferred option in the Arsenal defense.
Antonee Robinson, FUL at WBA (£10): Three of Fulham's four starting defenders are minimum priced despite facing West Brom in a match that could very well end in a scoreless draw. Joachim Andersen (£10) scored 8.5 points in his last match, while Kenny Tete (£10) has won 11 tackles and made five interceptions in his past three. Yan Valery (£10) scored 6.75 points in a rare start for Southampton on Tuesday and Tyrick Mitchell (£11) is another cheap option for Crystal Palace.
GOALKEEPERS
Alphonse Areola, FUL at WBA (£16): I don't trust any goalkeepers besides Ederson (£20) for a clean sheet, and he's more expensive than most midfielders. Emiliano Martinez (£17) was in good form prior to conceding three goals against Burnley on Wednesday, while Vicente Guaita (£17) has a tough matchup against Wolverhampton. Similar to Bruno Fernandes, Rui Patricio wasn't included in the player pool, which leads me to believe there is a Portuguese bias. All jokes aside, David de Gea (£14) is still quite cheap but faces a quality Arsenal attack. For what it's worth, Areola has produced a draw in six of his past eight matches and could come away with his first win against West Bromwich Albion.
