This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. West Ham
10:00 a.m: Brighton v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Chelsea v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: Arsenal v. Newcastle
12:30 p.m: Manchester City v. Tottenham
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARDS
Alexis Sanchez, ARS v. NEW (£24): Given that Manchester City and Spurs play each other, there's a good chance Alexis is the highest-owned player in cash games and GPPs on Saturday. Arsenal haven't been dominant by any means, but Alexis has still be able to score at least 6.85 fantasy points in 10 of his last 11 games, including six with at least 10.35. Getting on the scoresheet hasn't been too difficult during his run, and his knack for taking shots (as well as putting them on goal) while drawing fouls and winning corners provides a solid floor in case he doesn't find the back of the net. Sergio Aguero is the only non-Gunner (£27) with better anytime goal-scoring odds, and Alexis' matchup is much easier in terms of peripheral points.
Alvaro Morata, CHE v. SOU (£24): Morata was held out of Chelsea's win over Huddersfield on Tuesday because of a back issue, but it's not considered serious and he should get back to leading the line Saturday at home against Southampton. He really struggled to get much going in Chelsea's surprise loss to West Ham last week, but before that he was excellent, putting 10 of 15 shots on goal in the prior three games, allowing him to top 12.00 fantasy points in each game while only scoring one goal. With Chelsea heavily favored, there's little reason to think Southampton will be able to keep Morata from being targeted in the box, even with Virgil van Dijk around to make his job difficult. And if he does get some looks, they could very well land on target, as Southampton have allowed the fifth-most shots this season among teams on the slate but the most on goal.
MIDFIELDERS
Mesut Ozil, ARS v. NEW (£19): Ozil basically starts every game with four fantasy points thanks to his passing numbers, as he's eclipsed 80 completed passes in each of the past four games. Saturday shouldn't be much different, as Arsenal are expected to dominate possession against Newcastle, who come in having allowed 16 goals in their past six matches, including multiple goals in all but one. Not known for his shooting, Ozil has taken multiple shots in three of his last four games while creating 12 chances over that span.
Xherdan Shaqiri, STK v. WHU (£20): West Ham come in having shut out Chelsea and Arsenal in their last two matches, and while the Stoke attack will never be confused for those of the former two, the matchup works in Shaqiri's favor. Not only did West Ham allow 41 shots in their past two, they also gave up 44 crosses, which works particularly well for Shaqiri if Peter Crouch (£14) leads the line.
Rajiv van La Parra, HUD at WAT (£14): van La Parra didnt feature in Tuesday's match against Chelsea after serving a three-match red-card ban, but a return to the starting XI against Watford is a great time to roll him into a fantasy roster. His returns have been a bit inconsistent, though we saw he can provide a solid floor when he had five shots, including two on goal, while winning four corners and three fouls against Bournemouth back on Nov. 18. Picking a Huddersfield player away to Watford doesn't instill the highest confidence, but van La Parra's big game against the Cherries was also away, and he took three shots each against Tottenham and Swansea. The low-ish salary helps the risk, though his floor is reasonably high in this price range.
DEFENDERS
Cesar Azpilicueta, CHE v. SOU (£16): Teammate Marcos Alonso (£16) gets more of the attention among the Chelsea defenders because of his attacking exploits, but there may not be a more consistent fantasy defender than Azpilicueta, who has scored at least 6.35 fantasy points in 10 of his last 11 games. Similar to Ozil, Azpilicueta's prolific passing gives him a solid floor, as he's reached at least 120 completed passes in two of his last four games. He won't shoot much, and his crossing is fairly minimal while lining up in Chelsea's back three, but a few defensive stats sprinkled in with a potential clean sheet (Chelsea have the second-best clean sheet odds) and Azpilicueta will easily pay off his top salary. If you're looking for a somewhat cheaper option, Andreas Christensen (£13) should do the trick.
Shkodran Mustafi, ARS v. NEW (£15): Arsenal come in with the best clean sheet odds, so getting some exposure certainly makes sense. None of their options are particularly cheap, but plenty of that is because they are solid fantasy options. Mustafi was excellent in Arsenal's big 5-0 win over Huddersfield on Nov. 29, his last injury-free start, as he completed 100 passes while picking up seven interceptions, three tackles, two fouls drawn and a corner won. He's unlikely to get that many touches Saturday, but the Newcastle attack should afford him more opportunities for defensive stats while not threatening the clean sheet too much.
Geoff Cameron, STK v. WHU (£10): Cameron returned from a concussion last weekend and he was afforded his first start Tuesday at Burnley. His performance was hardly something to write home about, finishing with just 1.35 fantasy points in the 1-0 loss, but his minimum price salary has us looking back again. Stoke have been much better defensively at home this season, and Cameron looks likely to get another start with Kurt Zouma (£14) ruled out again. The upside isn't that big, as Cameron barely gets into the box, but a clean sheet wouldn't be shocking against a West Ham side that's been shut out in two of their last four matches while scoring just once each in the others.
GOALKEEPER
Petr Cech, ARS v. NEW (£15): Cech and Thibaut Courtois (£15) come in with the best clean sheet odds, and given there's only a £4 difference between them and the lowest-priced expected starting keeper, paying up makes sense once again. If there is a big difference between their two opponents it's that Newcastle have forced 58 saves while only scoring 16 goals this season and Southampton have scored 17 goals but forced only 33 saves.
