It would be an understatement to call the first few weeks of the Premier League season unpredictable from a fantasy perspective. Stars like Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Charlie Austin have been replaced at the top of the goal-scoring list this season by players like Riyad Mahrez, Callum Wilson, Odion Ighalo and Bafetimbi Gomis.
That has made building the perfect lineup for DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues that much more difficult this year, even though we have been able to do a pretty good job when it comes finding the perfect balance between star players and sleeper bargain plays. Here’s what we’ve got for Week 7 for our Daily Fantasy lineup in DraftKings:
GK: David De Gea, Manchester United
Salary: $5,600
After managing only three goals through their first four games, Manchester United has picked up the pace up front with a combined six goals over the course of consecutive wins. However, United will have a very difficult time keeping up that pace.
They certainly won’t need to score a lot against Sunderland this weekend as long as they can play a responsible defensive game. Sunderland has been shut out in back-to-back losses and don’t have a win this season, so we really like United at home in this one. A strong performance from De Gea could result in a clean sheet win.
D: Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
Salary: $5,600
Most of the time it makes sense to find sleeper plays at the defender position and save money for more pressing needs up front. However, the fact that we have identified both a sleeper defender and a sleeper midfielder for this week allows us to spend a little more on the top fantasy defender in Ivanovic. The star of the Blues back line has the potential to be the highest scoring defender every single week. We expect a strong performance this weekend against a Newcastle side that has managed just three goals through its first six games of the season.
D: Matteo Darmian, Manchester United
Salary: $4,500
United should be able to keep the Sunderland attack in check and that will mean a strong fantasy performance from Darmian, who has been excellent on Louis van Gaal’s back line. Darmian is available at just $4.5K, so that is a good enough price to take him as the second defender in our lineup.
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M: Matthew Ritchie, Bournemouth
Salary: $5,500
Newly promoted Bournemouth has exceeded expectations this season but one player that has not lived up to his reputation is Ritchie, who has struggled to produce points despite being an integral piece in their midfield. It’s only a matter of time before Ritchie breaks out and we will bet that it happens this week at Stoke.
M: Daley Blind, Manchester United
Salary: $3,200
Injuries have forced United to make some adjustments at the back and it has also provided us with the opportunity to fill in our second midfield position with perhaps one of the best value plays on the board. Blind has been slotted in on United’s back line and at just over $3K we love being able to slide him in to this spot.
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
Salary: $8,600
With three wins and three draws through the first six games of the season, it’s Leicester that is right there behind Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham United at the top of the table. Vardy has been among the biggest reasons for it as he’s second on the team in goals (four). We have him pegged for another big performance in a showdown with Arsenal on Saturday.
F: Pedro, Chelsea
Salary: $8,300
It’s only a matter of time before the Blues start scoring a ton of goals again and this could be the weekend they break through. They get a cupcake matchup with Newcastle United. Pedro has combined for seven shots while starting each of the last two games for Chelsea and we’re expecting a dominant fantasy performance this week. He comes in at a reasonable price tag for a player with his talent.
FLEX: Callum Wilson, Bournemouth
Salary: $8,100
Wilson is tied for the Premier League lead with five goals through six games this season and is among the biggest reasons for Bournemouth’s early season success. The fact that he is still available for under $8.5K this weekend makes him that much more enticing of an option. He is the best player available to plug in to our FLEX spot with the remaining money that we have left to spend.
