Leicester’s remarkable run to the top of the Premier League table has been the story of the season so far with Jamie Vardy delivering on a weekly basis while setting a league record by scoring in 11 straight games. Vardy will look to extend his incredible run with Leicester set to visit Swansea this weekend and while that matchup is one of several that is expected to see rain and windy conditions, there is absolutely no reason not to have Vardy as the player you build your fantasy lineup around this weekend. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings Premier League Daily Fantasy Leagues.
GK: Maarten Stekelenberg, Southampton
Salary: $4,200
Southampton is coming off consecutive losses to Stoke and Manchester City but return home for a favorable matchup against an Aston Villa side that has just one win through its first 14 games. Villa has scored a league-low 12 goals and that makes Stekelenberg that much more attractive of an option at a very decent price.
D: Simon Francis, Bournemouth
Salary: $3,000
Bournemouth has struggled to find the win column of late but they are coming off consecutive draws with Swansea and Everton in which they scored five goals. They certainly don’t hesitate to active their defense. Francis has been a fairly consistent fantasy defender and he fits the mold of what we are looking for at the defender positions as a reasonably priced player with a high potential ceiling.
D: Charlie Daniels, Bournemouth
Salary: $2,800
Bournemouth is set to host a Chelsea side that has struggled to score goals of late so we won’t shy away from adding another reasonably priced defender from their back end in Daniels. The point is to find consistent producers at low prices on the back end and then save enough money to go big with star players up front and both Francis and Daniels fit that mold.
D: Patrick Van Aanholt, Sunderland
Salary: $2,600
Van Aanholt was the star on the back end for Sunderland in last week’s 2-0 win over Stoke City as he scored the game-winning goal and helped them secure a clean sheet win. Van Aanholt might not score this weekend but we expect a strong defensive performance with Sunderland needing him to be at his best versus Arsenal.
M: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester
Salary: $8,100
Mahrez has been the Robin to Vardy’s Batman for most of this season. He was held off the score sheet in last week’s draw with Manchester United but we expect a strong performance versus a Swansea side that is winless in its last four games heading in to this weekend.
M: Oscar, Chelsea
Salary: $5,100
Chelsea has certainly struggled to score goals and Oscar has not been great, but he is far too skilled not to break out eventually. His potential is high enough that it makes it worth taking a shot on him this weekend versus Bournemouth. The Blues need more out of their star midfielders so maybe this is the week they break through with a big performance against a Bournemouth side that hasn’t exactly shut down its opponents from scoring.
M: Junior Stanislas, Bournemouth
Salary: $4,000
It should be clear by this point that we expect Bournemouth to find their offensive rhythm again this week. Stanislas was the star for them in last week’s 3-3 draw with Everton, so we can hope for a similar result this time around. Stanislas scored twice and had four shots in last week’s draw and if he even scores half of the fantasy points he did a week ago it will make him an outstanding value play at just $4,000.
F: Jamie Vardy, Leicester
Salary: $8,000
Vardy delivered another goal in a clutch situation to help Leicester secure a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and stay tied for the top spot in the table last week. With his goal scoring streak at 11, it’s impossible to overlook him for this weekend’s slate. Vardy has been the most reliable fantasy player in the Premier League all season and it won’t be a surprise if he continues his dominant run with another big performance against Swansea on Saturday.
F: Harry Kane, Tottenham
Salary: $7,700
The temptation to line up the top two forward options for this week is too much to resist – especially when we were able to plug in a handful of bargain values at the defender positions. Kane has found his scoring touch and has started to heat up again and we love the idea of having both he and Vardy in our lineup this weekend.
FLEX: DeAndre Yedlin, Sunderland
Salary: $2,400
The search for bargain players that can produce on the back end continues with just $4.5K left over for our two FLEX positions. Yedlin represents exactly what we are looking for as a consistent player on the back end that has the potential to add to his fantasy point total at the offensive end of the pitch as well.
FLEX: Sebastian Coates, Sunderland
Salary: $2,100
There aren’t many options left over with the remaining $2.1K that we have left over but we would rather have Vardy, Kane and Mahrez in our lineup along with the entire Sunderland back line than spread the money we have available around and not be able to afford the top superstar options on the board. Coates is another decent play with the potential to perform above the level of his price tag and he is definitely worth taking a shot on as part of our optimal lineup for Saturday’s action.
