This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 2:30 pm: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa
- 2:30 pm: Leicester City vs. Watford
- 2:30 pm: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 2:30 pm: Southampton vs. Norwich City
- 2:30 pm: Wolverhampton vs. West Ham United
- 3:15 pm: Liverpool vs. Everton
FORWARDS
Son Heung-Min, TOT at MUN (£25): There are options galore in this matchup, with Harry Kane (£28) having the highest goal-scoring odds and the highest overall price. Neither side has been particularly inspiring defensively, also putting both Marcus Rashford (£24) and Anthony Martial (£21) on the radar against a Tottenham backline that's conceded two goals in all three matches since manager Jose Mourinho has taken over. Rashford was unlucky to have his header called a Tom Heaton own goal during Sunday's draw against Aston Villa. He has four goals (could have been five) in his past six matches and will be the cornerstone of United's attack again Wednesday. Tottenham concede the third-most shots and shots on target among teams on the slate, giving United's attackers a potentially fruitful matchup from a floor standpoint. Despite a favorable match against Bournemouth last weekend, Kane failed to live up to his price as Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min stole the show, with Alli scoring two goals and Son providing two assists. Both players have been impressive over the past month, but Son's numbers have been eye-popping as he scored four goals and provided four assists while taking 17 shots over a five-match span. In that timeframe, Son has four outings with 14 or more points and one with 9.75. His production has been elite despite being cheaper than Kane on a consistent basis.
Danny Ings, SOU v. NOR (£18): If you're the type of person who likes to dream up unlikely scenarios and how you could profit from them, you can find Danny Ings Golden Ball odds for +6600. Ings has six goals in his past eight starts and has scored in three straight matches. Southampton v. Norwich has the second-high implied goals total, just behind Chelsea v. Aston Villa. The Saints followed up a draw against Arsenal last weekend with their first win in eight matches Saturday against Watford, and they appear to be turning it around after a brutal stretch of results. Ings has been a catalyst, along with James Ward-Prowse, and will have a favorable matchup at home against Norwich, who have conceded the second-most goals in the league. Teemu Pukki (£16) scored for the first time in eight matches during Saturday's draw against Arsenal and is reasonably priced for targeting Southampton's porous defense. Raul Jimenez (£21) is another forward to keep an eye on in this price range, as he has four straight appearances with at least 11 fantasy points.
Michy Batshuayi, CHE v. AVL (£14): In my article for Saturday I outlined how Michy might come into the starting XI as Tammy Abraham's replacement against West Ham. Clearly, manager Frank Lampard and I had a disconnect as he opted for Olivier Giroud as Chelsea's target man up top. It didn't work out for either of us, as I had to find an alternative and Chelsea were shut out, with Giroud scoring 4.4 fantasy points in 71 minutes and Michy unused. Tammy Abraham (£26) needs to be assessed ahead of Wednesday's match and may miss out once again. Lampard's options include Giroud again, Michy, who's been productive in limited playing time, or Christian Pulisic operating as a false 9. I can't see why he would go with Giroud again, giving Michy a good chance to start. Chelsea are the biggest favorite on the slate and have the highest implied goal total, which means getting either Giroud, Michy or Pulisic in your lineup could be optimal. Willian (£20) and Pedro (£20) are alternatives in Chelsea's attack, though neither has been all that productive.
MIDFIELDERS
James Maddison, LEI v. WAT (£21): Maddison is tied for fourth in accurate crosses and finds himself in the top 10 for shots taken. His four goals and two assists have helped him become one of the top fantasy midfielders. The last time Maddison finished with fewer than 7.4 points, it was mid-September. Watford are poor defensively and Leicester should have no problem exploiting their frailties. Other options in Leicester's midfield include Youri Tielemans (£19), Harvey Barnes (£15) and Wilfred Ndidi (£14), who plays much more defensively.
Jack Grealish, AVL v. CHE (£16): Kevin De Bruyne's volley against Newcastle was the best goal over the weekend, but Grealish's curling effort against Manchester United on Sunday wasn't far behind. Grealish has scored three goals and provided two assists over the past five matches, helping him to 16.9 or more fantasy points in four of his five outings. His consistency throughout the season has been impressive, as only three of his 12 starts have finished under 6.5 fantasy points. There's no doubting the difficulty of Wednesday's matchup against Chelsea, though Grealish has been able to produce against almost anyone.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, LIV v. EVE (£16): The injury to Fabinho (out until mid-January) opens up more playing time for the likes of James Milner (£16), Naby Keita (£16), Adam Lallana (£15) and Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has been manager Jurgen Klopp's first choice off the bench but has also started three of the past six matches, though his final stat lines have been mildly inconsistent. Liverpool squeaked out a 2-1 win against Brighton on Saturday, which was the first time in 18 home matches that one of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane failed to score. If that attacking triumvirate fails to score again Wednesday, Liverpool will need their midfield to carry the load. Losing Fabinho from the holding midfield role could force Klopp to a formation change and open up more playing time in attack, though it's yet to be seen.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Digne, EVE v. LIV (£16): A matchup against Liverpool at Anfield means a clean sheet is highly unlikely, but Digne still offers plenty of value. He's third in accurate crosses (33) behind Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£18) and tied for fourth in corners won, which has helped him finish with at least 7.5 points in four of his past six matches. His share of set pieces has been a main contributor for his accurate cross numbers. Teammate Djibril Sidibe (£10) is minimum price and has been a consistent starter at right-back with Seamus Coleman sidelined. On the other side of the pitch, Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk (£19) are the most expensive defenders on the slate and coming off big performances in the win over Brighton.
Ricardo Pereira, LEI v. WAT (£15): Pereira only trails Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£14) in tackles won among all Premier League players, and he is averaging 2.00 interceptions per 90 minutes. He's been a big contributor to Leicester's defense, which has conceded only nine goals in 14 matches and leads the league in clean sheets with six. The Foxes play host to Watford, who have been impressively poor in front of net, scoring nine goals in 14 games. Leicester and Liverpool have the top clean sheet odds against Watford and Everton, respectively, which is worth targeting, though Leicester's defense has an easier matchup and been playing better. Caglar Soyuncu (£17) has been as consistent as Pereira but is slightly more expensive should you focus on their matchup against the Hornets.
Kurt Zouma, CHE v. AVL (£12): Chelsea have the third-highest clean sheet odds, though that's not why I like Zouma in this spot. He's quite cheap and his production has topped 7.4 points in five of his last six starts. His cost savings allows you to target more of the expensive attackers while keeping a defender on a heavy favorite. I recommended Emerson Palmieri (£15) over the weekend and his price was bumped up after being £13 in almost all of his appearances.
GOALKEEPERS
Kasper Schmeichel, LEI v. WAT (£15): Alisson Becker is suspended for one match and will be replaced in net by Adrian (£14) during the Merseyside Derby, which is somewhat notable as Liverpool have kept clean sheets in three of their past five matches against Everton in all competitions. Liverpool and Leicester have the top clean sheet odds, followed by Chelsea. Kepa Arrizabalaga (£17) hasn't been nearly as profitable as Schmeichel and is a bit more expensive, making me lean towards Leicester's league-leader in clean sheets. Alex McCarthy (£13) and Tim Krul (£13) are intriguing options for their matchups against each other, though you would be playing more for the save potential than any chances of a clean sheet. David Martin (£16) kept a clean sheet in his first career Premier League start for West Ham but doesn't offer much value as the Hammers travel to Wolverhampton.
