This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Burnley
- 12:30 pm: Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 3:00 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa
FORWARDS
Raheem Sterling (£29), MCI v. TOT: The two top forward options in Harry Kane (£30) and Sterling will go head to head as Tottenham and Manchester City square off. The decision between the two is likely a discussion about whether you think Tottenham can take anything from a Manchester City side that has been virtually impenetrable since their previous meeting on Nov. 21, which Tottenham won 2-0. At this price you'll need both players to score a goal or add a couple assists, and I think Sterling is the more likely option to produce due to City's form. I'd also rather have Son Heung-Min (£25) at his price because of his floor, though it's worth mentioning Kane has scored in four of his past five matches. If you think both Kane and Sterling are too expensive, Gabriel Jesus (£22) is a pivot from Sterling should he make the starting XI.
Ollie Watkins, AVL at BRI (£28): There's no shortage of expensive forwards on this slate, and given the lack of cheap options, you'll likely need to spend up on one of Kane, Sterling or Watkins to make a worthwhile lineup. Aston Villa are slightly favored over Brighton, and Watkins has the second-best goal scoring odds among forwards who don't play for Manchester City. Similar to Harry Kane (£30), Watkins has netted in four of five matches and will be Aston Villa's best forward option. Bertrand Traore (£17) has been productive and is much cheaper if you run out of budget, while Neal Maupay (£19) actually has better scoring odds than Watkins but hasn't scored in any of the past four matches.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, CRY v. BUR (£10): This match has the lowest implied goal total, as both teams have had trouble scoring for most of the season. Mateta made his first start for Crystal Palace in the previous match and could keep his place after playing 65 minutes. At this price and due to the more expensive options, Mateta could be a solid play to fill out the roster, especially with Burnley conceding the most shots, shots on goal, and corners won of the six teams on the slate. Wilfried Zaha (£21) has been ruled out, which bodes well for Mateta, while Christian Benteke (£14) is an alternative along with Jordan Ayew (£15). Ashley Barnes (£14) should start up front with Chris Wood sidelined.
MIDFIELDERS
Phil Foden, MCI v. TOT (£24): Foden and Ilkay Gundogan (£26) were both in consideration for man of the match during Sunday's 4-1 win over Liverpool, and both players continue to see their prices rise. Gundogan is the most expensive he's been all season, and Foden is the second-most expensive. We've been saying this for weeks now, but it's hard to see Gundogan continuing the goal-scoring form he's in and now isn't the time to exploit a cheap price. Foden plays higher up the pitch and comes slightly cheaper. It's a difficult decision, but one or the other should likely be in your lineup.
Eberechi Eze, CRY v. BUR (£17): I mentioned Burnley's propensity to concede shots, shots on goal, and corners won when I discussed Mateta, and this line of thinking holds true for Eze, who has the higher floor due to his role on set pieces, scoring at least 5.65 points in each of his past four matches. Josh Brownhill (£13) doesn't offer much in attack but he's a consistent source of defensive statistics should your budget require a cheap midfielder.
Pascal Gross, BRI v. AVL (£16): Gross averages 2.63 accurate crosses per 90 minutes and has provided an assist in two of the past three matches. He's scored at least 6.9 points in his past four appearances and has the highest floor of midfielders in this price range, which is mostly because he's Brighton's main set-piece taker.
DEFENDERS
Ruben Dias, MCI v. TOT (£16): John Stones (£18) and Dias have the highest floor among defenders on the slate and City have the best clean sheet odds, which is no surprise given their form over the past three months. My whole reasoning here is that Dias is cheaper and both players have a similar enough profile to make me opt for the more cost effective one.
Matty Cash, AVL at BRI (£15): Brighton concede the most interceptions and Cash has been a good source of them along with tackles won and accurate crosses, which has helped him to at least 6.7 points in five of his past eight matches. Matt Targett (£14) is a great alternative or stack option with Aston Villa slightly favored.
Erik Pieters, BRN at CRY (£12): Pieters scored at least 4.15 points in three of his past four matches and is a cheap expected starter. This match has the lowest implied goal total, making Pieters a viable play if you opt for the more expensive forwards. James Tarkowski (£15) is Burnley's best defensive option but will cost you slightly more.
GOALKEEPERS
Robert Sanchez, BRI v. AVL (£17): Ederson (£19) has the best clean sheet odds, but he arguably has the toughest matchup against Tottenham's attack, while his opponent, Hugo Lloris (£18), could see the most number of save opportunities. Emiliano Martinez (£17) has hit double digits in two of three matches and will face a goal-challenged Brighton team. Finally, Sanchez has finished with at least nine points in each of his past five matches and will face a tough Aston Villa side, though he's shown that if he does concede, he can provide points with saves.
