Manchester City’s dominance at the top of the table has been the biggest story in the Premier League early on this season but it isn’t the only intriguing storyline worth following. Everton has been a pleasant surprise with a strong start while Leicester City has struggled to find its way both in league play and in the English Cup. We took those storylines in to account when building our lineup for this weekend’s DraftKings tournaments as we had plenty of options to choose from with seven games on the slate. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings EPL fantasy leagues.
GK: Maarten Stekelenburg, Everton
Salary: $5,200
Everton has followed up a season-opening draw with Tottenham by stringing together four straight wins to remain just two points back of Manchester City for top spot in the Premier League early on this season. They will have an excellent opportunity to add another three points to their record when they play Bournemouth on Saturday. Bournemouth is coming off a 4-0 loss to City and has managed just three goals through its first five league games so Stelkelenburg should benefit from the favorable matchup.
D: Scott Dann, Crystal Palace
Salary: $3,800
Crystal Palace is undefeated over its last three games including back-to-back wins over Middlesbrough and Stoke City in its last two games an Dann has been excellent early on this season. Dann is currently ranked third among Premier League defenders in fantasy scoring and he should be a strong EPL fantasy play this Saturday when Crystal Palace clashes with Sunderland.
D: Mason Holgate, Everton
Salary: $3,600
Holgate has been another quality EPL fantasy defender early on this season and it only makes sense to roll with him to capitalize on what should be a favorable matchup for Everton. Holgate is available at just $3.6K so he is definitely a strong value option in DraftKings tournaments.
M: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
Salary: $10,100
City manager Pep Guardiola referred to De Bruyne as the second-best player he has ever managed behind Lionel Messi and his numbers so far this season support that assertion. De Bruyne has two goals and four assists through City’s first five league games and he has been just as good off the ball as he has been on the ball for his club. De Bruyne is arguably the biggest reason why City has opened the season with five straight league wins and he is definitely worth investing a little more money in as the highest priced player in our DraftKings lineup heading in to a date with Swansea.
M: Robert Snodgrass, Hull City
Salary: $6,500
De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Alexis Sanchez are all among the top scoring midfielders in the Premier League through five league games but right there behind them is Snodgrass, who remains an overlooked value option heading in to this week’s game. Snodgrass has three goals through five games and has benefited from clean sheet bonuses on two occasions. At just $6.5K, he should be an excellent value option versus Liverpool this weekend.
F: Romelu Lukaku, Everton
Salary: $8,800
Rather than going all in with a player like Sergio Aguero or even Sanchez up front in a forward role, we decided to roll with two quality strikers that are both available at solid values for this weekend’s games. Lukaku is dealing with a toe injury but should be good to go, so make sure to keep on eye on the wire and replace him with either Eden Hazard or Christian Benteke if he is ruled out for Everton’s game against Bournemouth.
F: Diego Costa, Chelsea
Salary: $8,700
Costa helped lead Chelsea’s incredible comeback against Leicester City in English Cup action and he has impressed early on this season in the Premier league with five goals and an assist through his first five league games. Costa should be primed for another strong performance in what should be a high scoring game versus Arsenal on Saturday so make sure to have him in your lineup at a very reasonable $8.7K.
FLEX: Gareth McAuley, West Brom
Salary: $3,000
West Brom has opened the season with at least a point in three of its first five games and McAuley has been a pleasant surprise on their back end as the second-best EPL fantasy defender in Premier League competitions. McAuley’s EPL fantasy score is based largely on his goal and two clean sheets and he should be in line for another strong performance when he plays the full 90 minutes versus Stoke on Saturday.
