This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Burnley vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Liverpool vs. Leicester City
- 10:00 am: Norwich City vs. Aston Villa
- 10:00 am: Watford vs. Sheffield United
- 12:30 pm: West Ham United vs. Crystal Palace
FORWARDS
Mohamed Salah, LIV v. LEI (£29): Liverpool are the biggest favorites, Salah has the best anytime goal-scoring odds and he's coming off two goals against RB Salzburg in Wednesday's wild 4-3 win. There's enough savings on this slate where you could also get Sadio Mane (£27) in your lineup, though I wouldn't be afraid to pull the trigger on Jamie Vardy (£26). Despite winning seven of seven in the Premier League, Liverpool's defense has been leaky, which was again evident when they allowed three second-half goals to Salzburg. Roberto Firmino (£23) doesn't offer much savings from Vardy and Mane and doesn't have the same upside.
Teemu Pukki, NOR v. AVL (£18): Pukki has been excellent when playing at home, scoring three goals and providing two assists over three matches at Carrow Road. Aston Villa are middle of the table in goals conceded (11), giving the Canaries a good opportunity at home. Pukki's floor is boosted by his 3.18 shots, including 2.16 shots on goal, per 90 minutes. Aston Villa and Norwich lead the slate in shots conceded, giving Pukki a solid floor, and he's also cheap enough where putting him in the starting XI shouldn't affect the rest of your roster all that much.
Ashley Barnes, BUR v. EVE (£14): The forward bargain bin brings back their leader, as Barnes drops back down from £19 and £16 over the past four weeks. He had a red-hot start to the season but has cooled off in recent weeks, which is the reason for his drop in price. Everton's defense has conceded the fifth-most goals this season and represent a good opportunity for Barnes to break out of his slump. Chris Wood (£17) has scored three goals in his past two matches and is another consideration, albeit a more expensive one.
MIDFIELDERS
Felipe Anderson, WHU v. CRY (£19): Anderson has scored at least 8.2 points in his past five starts, including double-digit points thrice. The base for his quality performances has been his defensive work, as he had 14 tackles won and six interceptions in his past four starts. Couple that with assists in consecutive matches and Anderson is worth putting in the lineup. Palace have been stout defensively, conceding seven goals in seven matches, which could make this a tight matchup. Luka Milivojevic (£14) has bounced back from two negative performances in the first three matches to start the season. He found the back of the net last weekend and is a reasonable price and pivot from Anderson. Milivojevic is averaging an impressive 2.57 accurate crosses per 90, which is mostly due to his role on set pieces.
John McGinn, AVL at NOR (£17): There have been very few fantasy midfielders with as impressive numbers as McGinn. His worst outing of the season was a reasonable 4.35 in a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, while he's scored at least 14.3 in four of seven starts. Norwich concede the most shots and shots on goal on the slate and McGinn is averaging three shots, including 1.57 on goal, per 90 minutes. Emiliano Buendia (£17) is another midfielder to target in this matchup due to his monopoly of set pieces for Norwich.
Dwight McNeil, BUR v. EVE (£15): Jack Cork fractured a part of his shoulder last weekend and appears set to miss out against the Toffees. That will likely move Dwight McNeil into a more central role, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£13) could come into the starting XI and take a portion of set-pieces from McNeil. That being said, he's still a strong fantasy scorer in open play, making his lower price worth targeting.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Digne, EVE v. BUR (£16): If I don't have room to fit Trent Alexander-Arnold (£19) or Andrew Robertson (£18) in my team, the next best option is Digne, who averages 1.76 accurate crosses per 90 and has a split of Everton's set pieces with Gylfi Sigurdsson. Erik Pieters (£18) has been impressive for Burnley, though I'd opt for Digne or the Liverpool defenders at his price.
Caglar Soyuncu, LEI v. LIV (£14): Targeting defenders against Liverpool isn't typically my strategy, but Leicester have been one of the tightest back lines so far, conceding five goals in seven matches. Soyuncu has been a main reason for that, making him a viable fantasy play despite the unlikelihood of clean sheet.
Sam Byram, NOR v. AVL (£10): Byram could be back in the team after missing time with a knock and could slot into the starting XI. For a minimum-priced defender, it will be tough to do better than Byram, who's had outings of 4.95 and 5.05 fantasy points in two starts, respectively. Norwich are so banged up that Byram's availability is a boost considering they're running out of options in the backline.
GOALKEEPER
Roberto, WHU v. CRY (£10): Crystal Palace have six goals in seven matches, and Roberto will be filling in for Lukasz Fabianski, who has been ruled out for three months with a thigh injury. He's minimum priced and facing a side who have been shut out three times. Alisson Becker (£15) has a slight chance to return Saturday, which would move Adrian (£14) back to the bench. Liverpool have the best clean sheet odds against Leicester City and are likely to win, or at least a draw, playing at Anfield.
