The Premier League season continues to wind down this weekend with four games on the slate for Saturday EPL fantasy action. Leicester City won’t continue the most improbable title run in history until they clash with Swansea on Sunday and that leaves us to focus on the fantasy aspect of Saturday’s games. DraftKings has posted countless contests including the EPL $1K Striker that features $1,000 in prize money with only a $3 entry fee. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s Premier League DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues.
GK: Fraser Forster, Southampton
Salary: $4,200
Southampton bounced back from a tough 1-0 loss to Leicester with a win over Newcastle and then followed it up with a 1-1 draw against Everton last week. Liverpool and West Ham United are still very much within their reach and they could potentially pull away from Stoke City with a win this weekend. Aston Villa is stuck at the bottom of the table with just 16 points and has been shut out in four of its last five games so Forster should be a strong goalkeeper pick in DraftKings tournaments.
D: Virgil van Dijk, Southampton
Salary: $3,300
After breaking down the potential for Southampton to get a clean sheet win it only makes sense to roll with at least one of their defenders. Virgil van Dijk looks like the best bet with three goals and 24 shots this season and he is available at a good enough price to make him a reasonable top defender option.
D: Gary Cahill, Chelsea
Salary: $2,400
Cahill should be in the starting lineup for Chelsea again this week and it should be a favorable matchup on the road at Bournemouth. The Blues had been on a substantial run before running in to trouble with back-to-back losses to Swansea and Manchester City so look for them to bounce back against a Bournemouth side that has dropped three of its last four games.
D: Eliaquim Mangala, Manchester City
Salary: $2,400
Mangala slid in to the starting lineup for Manchester City again last week and with the focus somewhat shifted to their Champions League bid there is a strong chance he starts again versus Stoke City at home. Mangala doesn’t offer much in terms of offense but he is a strong defender that could be in line for a clean sheet bonus and the fact that we can plug him in at just $2.4K means we can save some money to spend big on the midfield and forward positions.
M: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
Salary: $7,900
De Bruyne has been an absolute force for City when healthy this season and we expect that to continue this week when they host Stoke. De Bruyne has six goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season and should build on those totals as our top midfield option this week in EPL fantasy.
M: Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
Salary: $6,200
Coutinho is second to only Roberto Firmino in goals for Liverpool with eight this season with an additional five assists to five him 13 points on the season so far. Liverpool has been very inconsistent throughout the year but they have strung together three straight wins and are undefeated over their last four games so it makes sense to roll with them while they are hot heading in to a matchup with Newcastle United.
M: Yaya Toure, Manchester City
Salary: $4,500
The fact that Toure has six goals and five assists but is still $2.4K cheaper than De Bruyne is an obvious sign that he is a strong value option play for this weekend. Toure will be right in the middle of the City attack and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he and De Bruyne finish with two of the top fantasy scores for midfielders in EPL fantasy.
F: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
Salary: $8,700
Aguero is coming off a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Chelsea and is up to 22 goals on the season so there is no doubt that he is both the top forward option and top option on the board regardless of position for this weekend. The fact that he is so expensive has to be taken in to consideration but the reality is that he is worth the price tag especially with some strong sleeper plays locked in at other positions.
F: Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool
Salary: $5,600
Sturridge has been limited to just eight starts this season but he has scored seven goals with an assist and we like him as a strong pick to deliver up front for Liverpool this weekend. Sturridge has scored in each of his last two appearances with goals against Bournemouth and Everton so with a couple of deep sleeper options available to us for the FLEX position we can lock him in here at a decent enough price.
FLEX: Paul Dummett, Newcastle United
Salary: $2,400
Newcastle will certainly be in tough when they visit Liverpool this weekend but they have scored four goals in their last two games while beating Swansea and earning a draw versus Manchester City so we aren’t too afraid that we have to completely stay away from them. Dummett has been a consistent defender in his 19 starts and the fact that he is available for only $2.4K is the most important aspect of his insertion in to our EPL fantasy lineup.
FLEX: Maya Yoshida, Southampton
Salary: $2,100
Yoshida came off the bench to replace an injured Jose Fonte in Southampton’s draw with Everton and there is a good chance he gets the start against versus Aston Villa. Yoshida doesn’t have the highest upside but the fact that we can plug in a starting defender with a favorable matchup at just $2.1K makes him the perfect fit to fill out our lineup and afford us enough money to spend big on star talent at other positions in EPL Fantasy Leagues.
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