This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Brighton v. Watford
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Southampton v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Newcastle
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Crystal Palace
12:30 p.m: Burnley v. Tottenham
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BOU (£27) and/or Raheem Sterling, MCI v. BOU (£25): With Manchester City the obvious home favorite to roster, let's get their forward options out of the way right off the bat. After Gabriel Jesus -- who is projected to come off the bench -- Aguero has the best goal scoring odds of any player on the slate, with Sterling not too far behind. While Aguero may be worth paying a couple more pounds for, Sterling has proven he's fully capable of going off for a tournament-winning score. He showed up with a brace and 29 fantasy points in last Saturday's 4-1 romp over Tottenham, and in another favorable matchup against Bournemouth he can either be paired with Aguero or can be viewed as a worthy pivot at lower ownership.
Charlie Austin, SOU v. HUD (£17): Both Austin and Richarlison jump out as potential values at the forward position. Austin has been consistently racking up points through shots on goal, with two on target in four consecutive appearances. He came off the bench at Chelsea last weekend, but should be back in action from the start in a more favorable matchup against Huddersfield on Saturday.
MIDFIELDERS
Leroy Sane, MCI v. BOU (£22): Sane notched a pair of assists and finished with 15.10 fantasy points against Spurs, and he serves as a slightly cheaper way into the Manchester City attack at a projected lower ownership than Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne (£26). Considering you can use six of your 11 roster spots on one team, Sane should fall in right behind his aforementioned teammates.
Xherdan Shaqiri, STK v. WBA (£19): Shaqiri has topped eight fantasy points in consecutive games without a goal or an assist. As Stoke City's key cog in the attack, he's positioned for a big day playing at home against West Brom if he makes his mark on the scoresheet in addition to his usual haul of peripheral stats.
Mikel Merino, WHU v. NEW (£15): Merino has averaged 8.3 fantasy points per game across his last five appearances, with the majority of his points coming from a collection of defensive statistics. That kind of consistency warrants consideration on a slate where we'll need a value midfielder to help jam in our high-priced Manchester City targets.
DEFENDERS
Nicolas Otamendi, MCI v. BOU (£17): Otamendi has proven his worth on both ends of the field, garnering defensive points for his contributions at center-back and also turning up with the occasional goal off a set piece. Sure, we can save a few pounds if Eliaquim Mangala (£14) starts alongside him but, given Otamendi's nose for goal in dead-ball situations, paying all the way up for Otamendi can be justified.
Aaron Cresswell, WHU v. NEW (£14): Cresswell has evolved into a more central role along the West Ham back line recently, playing his part in West Ham's run of three consecutive clean sheets. Despite the positional shift, he's still been over a fair share of set pieces, a trend that should continue or possibly improve with Manuel Lanzini suspended.
Jeremy Pied, SOU v. HUD (£13): Pied is likely to slot in for Ryan Bertrand (hamstring), potentially opening up some value in a Southampton defense with a good matchup against Huddersfield. Earlier this month, Pied hit 7.70 points strictly through peripherals in his only start of the season.
GOALKEEPER
Ederson, MCI v. BOU (£17): There are multiple games on the board that would be no surprise to see a goal or less scored in, but good luck pinpointing which goalkeeper emerges as the best value. There really isn't too big of a gap between Ederson and riskier options, so I don't mind paying up for the peace of mind of having the biggest favorite on the slate in my lineup. City should have no problem running their winning streak to 17, and a clean sheet at home against Bournemouth is well within reason.
