The Premier League season continues on Saturday with six games on the schedule. However, DraftKings has narrowed its focus to five games without the matchup between Manchester City and Crystal Palace. We took the time to analyze the matchups and find the best combination of star talent and sleeper value plays for Saturday’s games. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s EPL fantasy leagues.
GK: Maarten Stekelenburg, Everton
Salary: $4,800
Everton’s point streak came to an end with a loss to Chelsea last week. However, they should be able to get back on track with a favorable matchup versus Swansea City on Saturday. Swansea has earned four points in its last two games following a rough patch. That could mean they are due for a slight regression against an Everton side that is trying to keep its hopes of climbing any further up the table alive this week.
D: Erik Pieters, Stoke
Salary: $4,700
Stoke is one of eight teams separated by three points in the middle of the table heading in to this weekend. Bournemouth is one of the teams they are looking up at but considering the standings they are definitely the club that should be playing with more urgency. Pieters is one of the most expensive defenders on the board this week. Considering the smart value picks elsewhere it makes sense to roll with him in EPL fantasy on the back end.
D: Ashley Williams, Everton
Salary: $3,000
While Pieters is one of the more expensive plays, Williams is one of the better value options at the defender position. At just $3K, Williams should be a smart pick that allows us to spend more at other positions on the board.
M: Demarai Gray, Leicester
Salary: $5,900
Gray is coming off a strong performance for Leicester last week and will look to put together another strong outing against Watford in terms of EPL fantasy purposes. At under $6K, Gray is an excellent value option for this week’s DraftKings competitions.
M: Sam Clucas, Hull
Salary: $4,300
Hull City is barely treading water above the relegation line. They will need to take full advantage of an opportunity against a Sunderland club that is sitting at the bottom of the table. Hull is only two points up on Swansea in that final position above the relegation zone so look for Clucas and his teammates to approach this contest with a greater sense of urgency.
F: Romelu Lukaku, Everton
Salary: $9,500
Lukaku has been one of the best forward options in the Premier League this season so we will take a chance on him here. After saving some money with smart value picks at the other positions we have plenty of money left over to fit him under our salary cap in this spot.
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester
Salary: $8,200
Vardy is available for more than $1K less money than the top two forward options on the board. That makes him a decent value pick in this spot. Vardy is just as dangerous up front as a player like Lukaku this weekend so it makes sense to plug him in here. Leicester enters the week in 11th place with 40 points. In terms of EPL fantasy, they have given up 54 goals and scored just 42 in 34 games this season.
FLEX: Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea
Salary: $9,500
With $9.6K left over to address the final FLEX position on our roster we can pick whomever we want in this spot. Sigurdsson is one of two forward options listed at $9.5K, which is the most expensive price for this week’s DraftKings competitions. With each of the top two options on the board locked in, we feel very good about our attacking players for this week’s EPL fantasy leagues.
Swansea City enters the week in 18th place, which means they are in the relegation zone. They have just 32 points in 18 games. They’ll need to make up the ground between them and Hull City (who are two points ahead) before the end of the season.
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