Jamie Vardy’s incredible goal-scoring run that has powered Leicester to the top of the table to Chelsea’s dramatic fall from grace just one year after one of the most dominant title runs in Premier League history, there has been no shortage of intriguing storylines in EPL fantasy this season. Vardy’s magic and Chelsea’s plight will both be taken in to consideration this week as we build the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings Premier League Daily Fantasy League action.
GK: Robert Elliott, Newcastle
Salary: $4,200
Eliott has had his share of highs and lows this season but Newcastle is coming off back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Tottenham in which they outscored their opponents by a combined 4-1 score. Now they get to match up against an Aston Villa side that has scored a league-low 13 goals this season.
D: Paul Dummett, Newcastle
Salary: $2,800
After highlighting Villa’s lack of offensive firepower, it only makes sense to go back to Newcastle to grab one of their more reasonably priced defenders in Dummett, whose fantasy stat line will benefit if they manage to earn a clean sheet win.
D: Adam Smith, Bournemouth
Salary: $2,700
Bournemouth has gone undefeated in its last four games, including a pair of impressive wins over Chelsea and Manchester United. There is no reason to shy away from Smith as another very reasonably priced defender with the potential to deliver a solid stat line.
D: Guillermo Varela, Manchester United
Salary: $2,300
Sticking with the theme of underpriced defender options that will allow us to spend more later, we will take a chance on Varela after injuries to United’s back end have forced them to give him the opportunity. He has played well so far.
M: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester
Salary: $8,300
After saving a ton of money by building our defender positions up with quality bargain options, we have plenty of money to spend on the attacking positions beginning with the most dominant attacking midfielders on the board. Mahrez is Leicester’s main man in the middle is the highest-priced midfielder available but he has certainly performed at a high level all year and is worth taking a chance on here.
M: Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace
Salary: $4,500
Zaha isn’t nearly as dominant as Mahrez but he offers an intriguing midfield option that has the potential to play above the level of his price tag…if Crystal Palace can find their offensive touch versus Stoke City.
M: Gareth Barry, Everton
Salary: $2,900
With an eye towards some of the higher priced forwards on the board, Barry makes an excellent pickup for our final midfield position as a quality option that is available at under $3K. We don’t expect Barry to contribute at the level of a player like Mahrez but we will hope he can at least give us something as a quality bargain play.
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester
Salary: $7,900
Vardy’s magical goal-scoring run has been one of the most talked about storylines of the season to this point and we will hope it doesn’t end this weekend with Leicester taking on Everton. Vardy has the potential to at least get one goal on Saturday and anything more than that will make him that much more worth plugging in here.
F: Harry Kane, Tottenham
Salary: $7,400
Romelu Lukaku is listed at a higher price than both Vardy and Kane but we like Kane ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Tottenham as they look to get back on track following last week’s disappointing loss to Newcastle. Kane has found his scoring touch and we love the idea of pairing him with Vardy up front this weekend.
FLEX: Steven Fletcher, Sunderland
Salary: $3,700
Spending big money on players like Mahrez, Vardy and Kane means we are somewhat limited with out FLEX options but Sunderland’s forward core offers some intrigue for two different reasons. First of all, Sunderland will clash with a Chelsea side that can’t seem to find its form so we like the matchup. Second, Fletcher and his teammate Duncan Watmore are available at under $4K.
FLEX: Duncan Watmore, Sunderland
Salary: $3,300
With exactly $3.3K to spend on the final FLEX position it only makes sense to pair Watmore with Fletcher and hope for some magic up front. We have certainly seen crazier for some of Chelsea’s opponents this year so there is a very real chance that the Sunderland tandem delivers this weekend and makes us look like geniuses.
