This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
- Saturday, 12:30 pm: Norwich City vs. Liverpool
- Sunday, 9:00 am: Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- Sunday, 11:30 am: Arsenal vs. Newcastle United
- Monday, 3:00 pm: Chelsea vs. Manchester United
FORWARDS
Mohamed Salah, LIV at NOR (£29): Salah may not be as popular as previous slates because he's away from home, but I'd rather trust him than anyone else and price doesn't matter. He doesn't have as good of goal odds as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£25), though he has a higher floor and more upside. Salah has at least 8.3 fantasy points in his last four starts and Norwich City are allowing more than two goals per home match. It's also viable to stack Salah with Roberto Firmino (£24) because those two guarantee you'll make the score-sheet at least once, and probably more. The return of Sadio Mane (£28) would be intriguing, but I still prefer the healthier Salah.
Willian, CHE v. MUN (£20): You don't get a ton of upside with Willian, but you know you'll get a decent floor because of set pieces. He has at least seven fantasy points in each of his last three starts, mostly from shots and corners. I'm not sure what will happen in this match, but Willian will surely be involved up front against Man United, who have lost three of their last four away matches 2-0. If you want a better chance for goals, Tammy Abraham (£25) is also an option, though I'd rather take Willian for cheaper and a higher floor.
Allan Saint-Maximin, NEW at ARS (£16): Saint-Maximin is a bit against the grain and you don't have to spend too much to get him. His floor has floated around five fantasy points in recent matches, and he's always a threat from the wing no matter the opponent. He won't be popular because Newcastle are away, but they sit level with Arsenal in the table and I'm not sure they're a much worse side. The Gunners may win, but I think Saint-Maximin will cause havoc for Hector Bellerin or whoever starts on the right side. There aren't many more viable forwards in this range, though Steven Bergwijn (£17) will likely get attention after scoring in his Tottenham debut.
MIDFIELDERS
Jack Grealish, AVL v. TOT (£22): There are better matchups, but I'm not sure that matters for Grealish, who managed 4.75 fantasy points in a recent 6-1 loss against Manchester City. His floor is safer than most, averaging 2.22 shots, 2.79 chances and 4.84 fouls drawn per 90 minutes, and there's no reason to be scared of Tottenham, who have two points in their last three away matches. Grealish isn't cheap, but he's safer than Dele Alli (£25) and Lucas Moura (£22), who aren't worth their prices, especially away.
Jordan Henderson, LIV at NOR (£17): If you want a cheaper piece of Liverpool, Henderson fits the bill. His price has unfortunately jumped because of a couple recent goals, but I'm backing him because his floor is often above six points from a variety of stats. He completed 131 passes last away match and usually provides a few defensive stats no matter the opposition. He's cheaper than Jorginho (£20), who plays in a similar role for Chelsea, and I'm not sure this is the weekend to use Emiliano Buendia (£17) or Ondrej Duda (£16).
Giovani Lo Celso, TOT at AVL (£10): Oddly, Lo Celso is the only Tottenham player I'm writing about. That's a surprise on the surface, but they're the smallest favorite on the slate despite playing Aston Villa. Lo Celso hasn't shown much upside, but there's a chance he gets a couple set pieces and defensive stats in addition to completing close to 50 passes. That's nothing exciting, but he's at minimum price and has gone a full 90 in each of the last three league matches.
DEFENDERS
Virgil van Dijk, LIV at NOR (£19): There will be plenty of lineups that feature both high-end Liverpool defenders, but I'll side with van Dijk, who has a higher floor. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£19) gets the recognition because of his attacking upside, but it's not like he's scoring goals. Assists usually push him into double-digits, while van Dijk can hit a floor above 10 because of completed passes. Their floors are fairly similar, but I'll bet on van Dijk completing 100 passes over Alexander-Arnold assisting.
Matt Targett, AVL v. TOT (£14): Targett doesn't need a clean sheet to hold fantasy value, which is perfect on this slate because I'm not sure I want to spend on the Chelsea or Arsenal options. He has at least 4.30 fantasy points in his last six starts and has played as a wing-back in the last three. That's led to a few more set pieces in addition to his usual defensive numbers (mostly interceptions).
Christoph Zimmermann, NOR v. LIV (£13): Zimmermann is kind of the same idea as with Targett. He's hit at least 5.75 fantasy points in each of his last four starts despite two of those coming away in losses to Tottenham and Man United. He gets forward when possible on corners, but he's also averaging 1.34 tackles won and 1.19 interceptions per 90 minutes. You're not betting on a clean sheet with Zimmermann, but his floor is higher than most value options and that's good enough if you want to spend money on the likes of Salah, Mane and Firmino.
GOALKEEPERS
Alisson Becker, LIV at NOR (£19): I'm giving up on picking anyone other than Alisson at this point, especially since the other three matches on this slate are toss ups. Alisson has won and secured a clean sheet in nine of his last 10 starts, and there's no reason to bet against him. Sure, Pepe Reina (£12) is cheap and Bernd Leno (£15) also has a favorable matchup, but why take them when you know you'll get at least 10 points from Alisson?
