This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Brentford vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Fulham
- 10:00 am: West Ham United vs. Everton
- 10:00 am: Wolverhampton vs. Southampton
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Matheus Cunha (WOL vs. SOU, $10,600): It's not a statement you'll hear often, but Wolves are the biggest favorites of the slate in a home matchup against Southampton. Wolves have a decent implied goal total of 1.80, while Southampton have been one of the best teams to attack for floor points this season. Cunha has been scoring over 10 floor points per start and he'll take set pieces if Pablo Sarabia doesn't start.
I prefer Cunha to Jarrod Bowen ($10,000) because of his slightly better open-play floor, but they are very similar options. Bowen hasn't taken as many set pieces the past few weeks with West Ham bench players subbing on and taking those opportunities. West Ham are the second-biggest favorites and Everton should allow attacking opportunities. Given the lack of priority at defender and value at midfield, it's easy to play both Cunha and Bowen in cash games.
Antoine Semenyo (BOU at BRE, $8,200): Semenyo has seen an increased role this season, and he's demonstrated an excellent floor even without set pieces. He regularly plays 90 minutes, he's Bournemouth's most like goalscorer and I like this matchup for Bournemouth. Brentford got to an early lead last Monday and proceeded to defend en route to only have 32-percent possession against Fulham. They had a 37-percent possession game at home to struggling Southampton. I might be a bit biased by Brentford's recent performances, but I like this spot for Bournemouth a bit more than the odds suggest.
In GPPs, I think Justin Kluivert and Evanilson are too cheap for their goalscoring odds and upside. It's easy to fit either as a second forward or even utility spot. Reiss Nelson ($6,800) played 80 minutes in his first start of the season Monday and he was aggressive when it came to taking shots and crossing the ball, though Fulham benefitted from a positive gamescript. Nelson is cheap enough to take some chances on in GPPs. Ismaila Sarr ($5,000) is simply too cheap. He's coming off of an 11-point floor performance last weekend, and Crystal Palace's injury situation means at least 80 minutes should be likely.
MIDFIELDERS
Marcus Tavernier (BOU at BRE, $7,300): It's probably no surprise that I'm interested in Tavernier against Brentford. It's a good matchup and Bournemouth's attack is fourth best in the Premier League in total shots, crosses and shots assisted this season. Tavernier's minutes haven't been elite this season, but he has played 75 or more minutes in all but one of his starts and a share of set pieces is a welcome boost to his floor.
Lewis Cook ($5,700) is always a decent option at this price, and he's taken a few more set pieces than Tavernier this season. That said, there are set-piece takers who are cheaper and have better open-play floors that I prefer to target in cash games.
Jesper Lindstrom (EVE at WHU, $5,300): Lindstrom started last weekend and it was surprising to see him play 88 minutes. He tallied 16 floor points and split corners with Dwight McNeil ($9,800) while taking direct free kicks. Everton are only slight underdogs, and no team has conceded more floor points than West Ham this season. Lindstrom can play this price tag off with just 70 minutes of playing time, and he's underpriced should he play a similar amount of minutes as he did last week.
Daichi Kamada (CRY vs. FUL, $5,100): Crystal Palace are going through a full-blown injury crisis in their attack, which has put Kamada into a 90-minute role and, at worst, a share of set pieces. Given Palace's injuries, there is a risk they simply play terribly on a team level, but Kamada's role is good and his salary is reasonable.
In tournaments, Mateus Fernandes ($4,200) is once again too cheap. He'll likely take left-sided corners for Southampton and Wolves are hardly a scary matchup. West Ham's Lucas Paqueta ($4,600) has had a weaker floor lately, but the lineups page has him projected in a more forward role, which has been the case the last couple matches due to the suspension to Mohammed Kudus. I'm willing to take a chance on him in GPPs at that price.
DEFENDERS
Ryan Manning and Kyle Walker-Peters (SOU at WOL, $4,800): Manning is probably the option I want to get to in cash games, but he's far from a lock despite a split of set pieces. Manning has been subbed off early in all of his starts, including at the 59-minute mark last weekend. Walker-Peters is coming off of a 12 point floor game against Everton and he's assisted six shots in his last three starts.
West Ham's Emerson ($4,400) might take a direct free kick or a random corner for West Ham, so he's worth considering in cash. I find it tough to prioritize him despite him looking good on paper. He's liable to get subbed early and his open-play floor is inconsistent. Still, West Ham are favorites, so it makes sense to prefer him to the Southampton options based on matchup.
Milos Kerkez (BOU at BRE, $4,000): Kerkez is coming off of a two-assist performance against Manchester City. He's a cheap, attacking full-back, and he's in a plus matchup for scoring fantasy points. Kerkez would be a better play if he didn't have so many early substitutions this season, but I think he is a good GPP option.
I'm not particularly enthusiastic about any of the defender options, and there aren't any obvious misprices to take advantage of. Punting is completely fine, even in cash games. That said, I'm more interested in playing Rayan Ait-Nouri in GPPs. I think his rostership will be low based on his price and since he won't be in the cash-game player pool, but any defender who can score or get an assist is worth considering in tournaments given the weakness of the other choices.
GOALKEEPER
Mark Travers (BOU at BRE, $4,600): I used a random number generator to choose which goalkeeper I was going to highlight, which I hope says enough about what I think of the position this weekend. With no team having better than 50-percent implied win probability, any goalkeeper is playable. In cash games, I think the cheap goalkeepers will be popular, and Aaron Ramsdale is saving 4.25 shots per game this season. If you like to live dangerously and have a lineup without Bournemouth attackers, Brentford are allowing 7.4 shots on target per game this season. Maybe it's Mark Flekken ($4,900) szn?
