This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 1:00 pm: Manchester United vs. Sheffield United
- 1:00 pm: Newcastle United vs. Aston Villa
- 1:00 pm: Norwich City vs. Everton
- 1:00 pm: Wolverhampton vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 3:15 pm: Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
FORWARDS
Marcus Rashford, MUN v. SHU (£25): You should spend most of your money at forward for Wednesday's slate. The question is which team, or teams, to focus on. I'm leaning slightly toward Man United even though they are smaller favorites and don't have as high of an implied goal total as Liverpool. I think there's a chance Sheffield United's absences on the back line could blow up even more than in the match against Newcastle (3-0 loss). Rashford proved he was healthy by going the full 90 on Friday, and he has the best odds to score on the team. I don't think it's a must, but you could stack him with Anthony Martial (£24) in addition to Bruno Fernandes in the midfield.
Sadio Mane, LIV v. CRY (£27): I like Wolverhampton, but it's rarely been a good idea to bet against Liverpool this season. Mohamed Salah (£29) should be popular if he starts, but I'd rather save a couple pounds on Mane, who wasn't dealing with a knock last match. Mane is just behind Rashford in terms of goal odds and the lone benefit Salah has is that he's also on penalties, something Palace rarely allow. It's possible to stack Salah and Mane, but the rest of your roster could have some issues. That's why Roberto Firmino (£23) will get some attention even though he's usually the forgotten man in this attack.
Joelinton, NEW v. AVL (£14): If you need a cheap forward, possibly in the utility spot, Joelinton is a nice discount despite facing Aston Villa. He hasn't had the best season and probably should've had a couple goals against Sheffield United, but he will get more chances against this back line. Richarlison (£22) and Adama Traore (£17) have higher floors and are easier to trust, but if you need to save money, Joelinton is the lead striker against a team that has given up the most goals in the league.
MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes, MUN v. SHU (£28): If you don't get Fernandes, you'll have the money to spend big on three forwards. However, Fernandes is worth the money and the best cash play. He has at least 7.95 fantasy points in all six league starts, averaging 4.02 shots and 5.36 crosses per 90 minutes. He has one of the higher floors on the slate and is the best stacking piece with Rashford up top. Otherwise, the midfield is pretty slim unless you think Paul Pogba (£26) is worth the price despite not starting since September or Jack Grealish (£22) can rebound after some ho-hum performances.
Diogo Jota, WOL v. AFC (£17): The main reason to use Fernandes is because if you don't, your top midfielder could bust and finish with two points. If you want a viable method to winning some GPPs, that may be through Wolves. Unlike Liverpool and Man United, you can reasonably fit Wolverhampton's best four players into your squad. I like Jota more than Joao Moutinho (£17) because he has more upside and managed a couple shots on target last match. If you back these four Wolves players, you'll have enough money for Fernandes and another top forward. I'd consider stacking them because Bournemouth have allowed multiple goals in each of their last five matches, losing four.
Matt Ritchie, NEW v. AVL (£16): In this range, you could grab anyone and it probably wouldn't matter. That means a bunch of Aston Villa and Newcastle players, most with minimal upside outside of Ritchie. The outside midfielder was great in the first match following the restart, getting three shots on target and creating two more. Every match won't go that well, but he remains Newcastle's guy on set pieces and he has 12 shots in his last three starts. In another favorable matchup, he should get a few more opportunities.
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. CRY (£19): As long as you have extra cash, Alexander-Arnold should be in your squad. He had 13.2 fantasy points without an appearance on the score-sheet last match and rarely finishes below five points, which is good for a defender. With another clean sheet possible, Alexander-Arnold is the safest defender. Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk (£19) and Andrew Robertson (£18) are in the same mold, but given their prices, I wouldn't focus on building lineups around them. Also, either Joe Gomez (£15) or Dejan Lovren (£15) is expected to start for the Reds.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, MUN v. SHU (£16): Wan-Bissaka feels somewhat cheap given the pricing of other top defenders. He has great clean-sheet odds and, similar to Alexander-Arnold, hits at least five fantasy points almost every start. The upside isn't there, but that's why he's cheaper. Unlike with Liverpool, you can reasonably stack the Man United back line with Harry Maguire (£17) and Luke Shaw (£16) in the same range. Of course, you'd then have to bank on a Man United clean sheet, which hasn't been easy this season.
Willy Boly, WOL v. AFC (£14): If you don't have money for defenders, you can still find decent stacks with teams like Wolverhampton and Newcastle. I'll stick with Wolves because Boly has a clean sheet in five of his last six starts and Bournemouth struggled to get anything going against Crystal Palace last match. Without a clean sheet, Boly is mediocre, but that's the case for most defenders in this range.
GOALKEEPER
David de Gea, MUN v. SHU (£15): You can get Orjan Nyland (£11) on the cheap end, but after getting burned by Aaron Ramsdale last slate, I'll take the safe route with De Gea. He's hit double-digit fantasy points in four of his last six starts, and Sheffield United failed to find the back of the net against both Villa and Newcastle in recent contests. de Gea is always in play for a mistake, but I'll take my chances on him when Alisson Becker is £19.
