Saturday’s five-game EPL DFS slate is notable for featuring eight teams in the bottom half of the league. All five teams directly above the relegation zone are in action. Leeds could find itself the big loser if it is unable to take a point at home against Manchester City. They could drop to 19th if Burnley can win at Watford. Besides Manchester City, the other top-half team in action is Wolverhampton, which means this could be a low-scoring slate. If that is the case, crosses and chances created will be at a premium.
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Nick Pope
BRN
WAT
4800
6.58
9
10.60
I know he is on the road and Burnley cannot continue to play this well forever, but he has a win and a clean sheet in two consecutive games. Watford has lost more games than any team this season and only Norwich has been shut out more often. Pope is usually pretty safe for a handful of saves without conceding many goals but I actually like him better in tournaments this week.
Vicente Guaita
CRY
SOU
4400
6.66
9
10.82
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have allowed more saves than Southampton this season, and those teams have literally scored twice as many goals as Southampton. Palace is eighth in the league in clean sheet percentage so Guaita has some upside but he is my favorite keeper for cash games Saturday.
Ederson
MCI
LEE
14
14.30
Once again, Ederson is the only keeper worth paying up for to chase a win and a clean sheet. Even on the road, City are the biggest favorites on the slate.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Gabriel Jesus
MCI
LEE
18
16.88
Jesus was one of our core plays last week and he responded with four goals and an assist. I obviously don't expect a repeat, but I do think he is one of the better values in the Manchester City attack.
Leon Bailey
AVL
NOR
5800
5.55
15
6.53
Playing the cheapest attacker against Norwich is usually a pretty good strategy, but I think Bailey could be an especially good value. His only starts since November were against Wolverhampton and Leicester, and this is a much, much better matchup. Among players with at least 180 minutes Bailey is second on his team to only Philippe Coutinho in shots per 90 minutes.
Philippe Coutinho
AVL
NOR
9000
12.16
20
17.45
He is the best attacker on the team with the best matchup. He may not be the best value but with so many cheap plays on the slate I don't know how you can fade him, especially on FD.
Fabio Silva
WOL
BHA
3800
1.58
10
2.13
I thought he looked like Wolverhampton's best attacker against Burnley, even if he didn't have much to show for it statistically. Silva is a cheap enabler and if this is the game he breaks through with his first goal, you have have a huge leg up in tournaments.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Josh Brownhill
BRN
WAT
5300
6.38
15
13.19
Brownhill's one cross against Wolverhampton was disappointing but he did create three chances. This should be a better matchup even on the road. Brownhill is safer on DK but with eight chances created in his last two games, I'm considering him for FD lineups as well.
Imran Louza
WAT
BRN
3900
5.6
9
10.11
His ceiling is low but he splits time on set pieces and he faces a Burnley squad that has allowed the most crosses in the league. He is a great punt on DK, especially for cash games.
Kevin De Bruyne
MCI
LEE
21
23.50
Only Norwich has more goals against than Leeds this season and De Bruyne remains the safest Manchester City attacker.
Dwight McNeil
BRN
WAT
7900
9.58
12
10.68
McNeil looks rejuivenated under interim manager Mike Jackson, with eight crosses, three chances created and six shots (two on goal) in his last two games. He is one of the safer forwards on DraftKings and he looks like a nice punt play on FanDuel.
James Ward-Prowse
SOU
CRY
10400
15.88
19
19.81
He is by far the safest player on the DK slate. You are probably playing a midfielder in the UTIL spot anyway so you may as well pay up here.
Midfielders
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Pascal Gross
BHA
WOL
7000
9.82
13
11.55
Gross had five crosses in his last game despite playing 29 minutes. He is a safe forward on DK even if he probably isn't scoring a goal.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Kiko Femenia
WAT
BRN
5500
7.18
9
10.60
Burnley is 17th in fantasy points allowed to defenders and they have allowed the most crosses in the league. Femenia is splitting time on set pieces and is one of the safest defenders on the slate.
Christian Kabasele
WAT
BRN
2900
1.8
7
9.03
Kabasele has double-digit FD fantasy points in five straight games, with 32 clearances in that span. No team allows as many clearances as Burnley this season.
Joachim Andersen
CRY
SOU
4000
4.76
10
12.19
Only Burnley and Liverpool have allowed more clearances to opponents than Southampton this season. Andersen is averaging 18.8 FD fantasy points in his last six games and if he comes close to that number Saturday he will be a very nice value.
Liam Cooper
LEE
MCI
11
13.84
Cooper has started the last three games and scored at least 15.6 fantasy points in all three, averaging 21.2 fantasy points in that span. Manchester City leads the premier league in possession and that should give Cooper plenty of opportunities for defensive stats.
Connor Roberts
BRN
WAT
5100
6.69
10
12.31
Roberts has double-digit DK fantasy points in each of his last two games. Watford has allowed the third-most goals and crosses in the league, and Roberts's chemistry with Dwight McNeil should continue to cause problems for Watford's defense.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Romain Perraud
SOU
CRY
4600
6.03
7
8.76
Perraud has nine crosses in his last two games and with Valentino Livramento out, Perraud should be safe for 90 minutes. Perraud isn't the safest defender but he looks like a pretty nice value.
