The Premier League season continues this week with six games on the schedule for Saturday. When it comes to the DraftKings daily fantasy leagues for this weekend, we narrowed down our options either forward in order to capitalize on the three most favorable matchups with the exception of a couple of additional options as value plays at the attacking positions. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s EPL fantasy leagues.
GK: Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
Salary: $5,500
Chelsea extended its win streak with a 1-0 win over Sunderland in their most recent game on Wednesday and there is every reason to think they will keep on rolling when they clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Courtois is the top-ranked fantasy goalkeeper in the Premier League this season so it only makes sense to turn to him as the top option on the board with a very good chance that he shuts the door on Crystal Palace this weekend.
D: Gary Cahill, Chelsea
Salary: $3,700
Crystal Palace followed up a pair of high-scoring performances against Southampton and Hull City with an absolute dud in last week’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United and we are banking on the Blues shutting them down again on Saturday. Cahill is available at a very reasonable price at under $4K so it makes sense to take a chance on him as a value pick at the defender position for Saturday’s EPL fantasy contests.
D: Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham United
Salary: $3,300
West Ham United is another club with a favorable matchup as they get set to play Hull City on Saturday. West Ham showed signs of life with a 1-0 win over Burnley in their last match and now they get the opportunity to shut down a Hull side that has failed to score in each of their last three losses. Ogbonna is another option available at a very reasonable price so we will lock him in here as our second defender pick in EPL fantasy.
M: Dmitri Payet, West Ham United
Salary: $9,100
Payet has been West Ham United’s best attacking option for fantasy purposes so far this season so it makes sense to give him a chance in this spot. Payet will actually be our most expensive player on the board but he has done enough this season to warrant the opportunity as a strong midfield pick.
M: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
Salary: $8,800
Mahrez and the rest of his teammates have struggled at times this season but it has never been a question of talent. Leicester City should be in a decent spot versus Stoke City this weekend and it could turn out to be one of the higher scoring games of the day.
F: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United
Salary: $8,800
Ibrahimovic has shown flashes of his elite ability up front at United this season and Saturday will represent another chance for him to flex his muscle in a key game against West Brom. The two clubs are separated by just four points in the standings so the urgency will be there when United try for the win this weekend with Ibrahimovic leading the way up front.
F: Jermain Defoe, Sunderland
Salary: $7,200
With Mahrez locked in for Leicester City, we will hedge our bets with a strong value play from Sunderland as Defoe has been excellent this season. Sunderland will have a tough test against Watford but the potential is there for Defoe to find the score sheet as he has been an excellent EPL fantasy value play throughout the year at just $7.2K.
FLEX: Miguel Britos, Watford
Salary: $3,100
Britos will be among those tasked with trying to slow down Defoe and the Sunderland attack and he will also represent a strong value play on the back end for us this weekend. Britos might not offer much in terms of offensive upside but he should play the full 90 minutes on Saturday and the potential is always there for a clean sheet if Watford can slow down Defoe and company this weekend. Watford enters the weekend with 21 points so far this season. They have scored 21 goals in 16 games, which puts them right in the middle of the pack.
Click here to get the latest England Premier League betting lines, totals and props for every single game this week!
