FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday Premier League Targets

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday Premier League Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.

For details odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (EST)

10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Everton v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Brighton v. Liverpool
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Crystal Palace
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Tottenham
12:30 p.m: Arsenal v. Manchester United

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

FORWARDS

Harry Kane, TOT at WAT ($12,000): Tottenham have dropped points in three consecutive league matches, but it's certainly not due to Kane's play. The Spurs striker has three goals on 17 shots (five on goal) in his last three matches in all competitions, and the league-leader in shots should continue to pepper them toward the net Saturday at Watford. The Hornets don't allow a ton of shots per game, but their four goals allowed at home to Manchester United on Tuesday certainly provide optimism that Spurs could put a few on the board as well.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, STK v. SWA ($8,000): Choupo-Moting didn't take a single shot in the past two games and yet only six players on the slate have taken more shots this season. The matchup is more the draw here, as Swansea City have allowed the third-most shots and second-most shots on goal this season, including the most shots on goal over the past four gameweeks. The Swans have been pretty good at not allowing a bunch of goals on all of those shots, but don't confuse them for Burnley; this is a side ready to concede more, and it could come Saturday against a Stoke side that has higher implied goal odds than Arsenal and Manchester United.

Oumar Niasse, EVE v. HUD ($8,000): I couldn't bring myself to highlight Wayne Rooney ($8,000) after be bagged a hat trick on four shots on goal during Wednesday's 4-0 win over West Ham (nice call by my colleague Schuyler Redpath on that one), but I understand why people would want to go back to the well. Niasse was suspended for the past two matches after being retroactively punished for diving, but he could make his way back into the starting XI for new manager Sam Allardyce's first match at the helm. Whoever starts up front for Everton is worth considering against a Huddersfield side that's allowed 11 goals in their last three games, but Niasse at least has shown a higher propensity to shoot than Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($7,500).

MIDFIELDERS

Mohamed Salah, LIV at BHA ($12,000): Salah is simply on another level right now, and the matchup at Brighton is hardly one that should slow him down. He has scored 11 goals on 23 shots on target in his last nine matches in all competitions, including seven goals in his last four Premier League games. To put that in perspective, no player has more than three goals in the last four gameweeks. Salah's nine shots on goal over that span also lead the Premier League, a category he leads for the entire season as well despite taking 27 fewer shots than Harry Kane ($12,000, forward). Finally, Liverpool are the biggest favorites on the slate and have the highest implied goal odds, giving plenty of reason to lock the Premier League goal leader into a fantasy lineup despite the high price.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, EVE v. HUD ($8,000): Sigurdsson has one goal and two assists in his last three matches, and the addition of Allardyce should pave the way for the Icelandic midfielder to get closer to what he was with Swansea than what we've seen for the most part with Everton. The matchup at Huddersfield could be the perfect jumpstart, as they've allowed more shots and shots on goal in the last four gameweeks than all but two teams on Saturday's slate, not to mention the most goals.

Erik Lamela, TOT at WAT ($5,500): Lamela's spot in the starting XI is far from guaranteed, as he's made just one substitute appearance after being sidelined for over a year because of multiple hip injuries. However, with Spurs needing to rotate, there's definitely a chance Lamela gets that first start of the season. Playing fewer than 90 minutes is all but guaranteed, but getting access to the Spurs attack at this price isn't something that happens often. Lamela showed his upside in that lone appearance, picking up an assist only a few minutes after coming on. Again, the playing time upside is somewhat limited, but his low price helps make up for it.

DEFENDERS

Victor Lindelof, MUN at ARS ($4,500): Arsenal are flying high and figure to be on the front foot in their match against United, who may be without Nemanja Matic and Marouane Fellaini due to injuries. Without those two strong midfielders in front, Lindelof could be provided with plenty of opportunities for clearances and interceptions, a situation United don't usually find themselves in much.

Phil Bardsley, BUR v. LEI ($4,000): With Matthew Lowton ($5,500) expected to be sidelined again, Bardsley has another opportunity to pay off his paltry salary. His 19 fantasy points against Bournemouth on Wednesday weren't explosive, but it was an excellent return for the cost. It could be more of the same Saturday against Leicester, as it only takes a few tackles, interceptions and clearances to help make value.

Andrew Robertson, LIV at BHA ($4,000): Robertson's playing time is wholly dependent on whether manager Jurgen Klopp decides to rest Alberto Moreno ($6,500), who last failed to get a start on Sept. 16. The congested schedule certainly opens up the possibility, especially with Liverpool playing a Champions League match Wednesday. Robertson is the definition of an attacking fullback, and while he can provide a few defensive stats as well, it's the chances he likes to create that we're after.

GOALKEEPERS

David de Gea MUN at ARS ($5,500): Arsenal are expected to attack out of the gate against a potentially vulnerable (and rotated) Manchester United side, but the Red Devils will still have the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in front of their net. Manager Jose Mourinho will likely try to make this game a slog, which only benefits de Gea in terms of having weak shots trickle toward the goal. With no goalkeeper priced more, and the cheapest expected starters no less than $4,500, you can pretty much pick whoever you want and hope for the best in the save variance game.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew M. Laird, the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's Head of DFS Content and Senior Soccer Editor. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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