This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. West Bromwich Albion
- 12:30 pm: Everton vs. Burnley
- 3:00 pm: Fulham vs. Manchester City
FORWARDS
Gabriel Jesus, MCI at FUL (£21): Jesus has the third-highest goal-scoring odds of any player and should start for the biggest favorite. He's been a bit feast-or-famine, though his feast has been solid, scoring three goals in his past four matches. Expect Jesus to continue to start over Sergio Aguero, while he should be flanked by a combination of Raheem Sterling (£29), Riyad Mahrez (£23, MID), or Phil Foden (£23). As mentioned, City are heavy favorites with an implied goal total over two, which could make a stack a definite possibility. Ademola Lookman (£19) is Fulham's most expensive option and best attacking outlet, though with Fulham set to face a particularly stingy Manchester City back-line, he may be worth overlooking. Josh Maja (£15) is slightly cheaper if you think Fulham can squeeze a goal out of the matchup.
Richarlison, EVE v. BUR (£22): While Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£25) has better goal-scoring odds, he hasn't had the most productive run of late, finding the back of the net just twice over the past 13 matches. His running mate, Richarlison, has been more productive with goals in four of his past five matches, and Everton have the second-best implied goal total. For Burnley, Chris Wood (£16) has been productive in his past two starts, scoring 8.6 and 17.0 points, respectively, since he returned to the starting XI following a month-long injury layoff. Matej Vydra (£12) should continue to start as his forward counterpart, and while he is quite cheap, I'd opt for spending the extra money and grabbing Wood if you can.
Christian Benteke, CRY v. WBA (£15): Both Benteke and Wilfried Zaha (£20) are options against a West Bromwich Albion side that finds itself firmly in the relegation zone. Benteke scored in his last match and has finished with over 9.65 points in three of his past five. Zaha has the best goal-scoring odds of any player not named Dominic Calvert-Lewin or playing for Manchester City, and that's reflected in his higher price. West Bromich Albion concede the most shots among the six teams on the slate, which Benteke and Zaha could exploit. Matheus Pereira (£17) takes the majority of set pieces for West Bromwich Albion and has scored 6.85 points or more in three of his past four outings.
MIDFIELDERS
Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. FUL (£29): Sterling and De Bruyne are the same price, but I'd opt for De Bruyne's floor points if I'm spending that much. Both players should be popular considering their matchup, and I'd prefer to have the one with a higher floor when both players have similar ceilings. When you look at the rest of the midfielders on the slate, grabbing De Bruyne starts to make even more sense. Ilkay Gundogan (£27) is another pricey alternative who's been productive, though with both he and De Bruyne being two of the more expensive players, I would rather have De Bruyne in the side. Harrison Reed (£14) is unlikely to hit double digits but hasn't scored fewer than 3.6 points since Jan. 27 and should see plenty of defensive work against Manchester City.
Andros Townsend, CRY v. WBA (£16): When the slate lacks clear options, you either get super creative or go with trusted performers that lack high ceilings. The latter is Townsend, and though I'm not particularly enthused about his inclusion, he's been as consistent as any midfielder in this matchup. This could easily end nil-nil and Townsend will have at least contributed in multiple statistical categories.
Dwight McNeil, BUR at EVE (£14): Similar to Reed, McNeil has been a consistent performer, but he has a higher attacking upside than Reed because of his better matchup. He continues to take a share of set pieces with Ashley Westwood (£13), giving a boost to both players' floors. On the other side of the pitch, James Rodriguez (£22) is expected to miss out, which could leave Gylfi Sigurdsson (£17) in the lineup if he can overcome his own injury concern.
DEFENDERS
John Stones, MCI v. FUL (£17): Stones and Ruben Dias (£18) have been immense defensively throughout the season and their prices reflect that. With the best clean sheet odds, you'll want to get one in your lineup, and the reason I prefer Stones is simply because he's cheaper. I'm tempted to go with Tosin Adarabioyo (£16) in this match as well due to the amount of defensive work he'll see, so don't be afraid to consider him or Ola Aina (£15).
Lucas Digne, EVE v. BUR (£16): With both Sigurdsson and Rodriguez potentially out, Digne could see the majority of set-piece opportunities against Burnley. Everton have the second-best clean sheet odds behind Manchester City, which would be a nice boost to Digne, especially if he's more involved from an attacking standpoint. James Tarkowski (£14) and Ben Mee (£14) both rank in the top five in blocks, which has helped make them considerations on a weekly basis.
Kyle Bartley, WBA at CRY (£15): West Bromwich Albion have kept a clean sheet in three of their past four matches and will face a Crystal Palace side that isn't particularly skilled in attack (no offense Benteke). Bartley is a good source of interceptions and hasn't dropped below five points in his past four outings.
GOALKEEPERS
Sam Johnstone, WBA at CRY (£13): Ederson (£19) has the best clean sheet odds but hasn't gone over double digits in his last four. Jordan Pickford (£18) is the next most expensive option and has been quality of late, scoring over 10.0 in four of his past five. Alphonse Areola (£15) should see a high volume of shots against Manchester City, which could also lead to a high volume of goals conceded. Opting for a goalkeeper in the match with the lowest implied goal total is the safer route, with Vicente Guaita (£17) and Johnstone the two choices. Johnstone is the cheapest of the six expected starting goalkeepers and will give you more budget freedom higher up the pitch.
