Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday Premier League Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday Premier League Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

MATCHES (EST)

10:00 a.m: Everton v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Huddersfield v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Burnley
12:30 p.m: Chelsea v. Crystal Palace

Play the Premier League £2.5K GPP for only £5 ($7.09)

FORWARDS

Riyad Mahrez, LEI at WBA (£25): The forward pool on Saturday's slate is really light on elite goal scorers, which helps Mahrez move to the top of the salary list. Chelsea's Alvaro Morata (£24) is right behind, though he's also failed to start enough matches recently to warrant the risk in case he doesn't land in the first XI. Meanwhile, Mahrez has been really good since re-entering the starting lineup following his failed transfer to Manchester City at the end of January, as he took 10 shots, drew seven fouls and added five accurate crosses and three tackles won in his last two games. Leicester are favored despite playing away, and based on what we've seen recently, they'll be relying on Mahrez for their attacking spark.

Salomon Rondon, WBA v. LEI (£16): We want guys who take shots, and no one on the slate has taken more than Rondon over the past seven gameweeks (only Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero have taken more over that span). Rondon only has one goal in that time, but the consistent opportunities are encouraging enough to roster him at home against Leicester, even if West Brom come in as the underdog. It also doesn't hurt that only four players on the slate have drawn more fouls than Rondon over the past six as well. And if you don't have any faith in West Brom, Burnley's Ashley Barnes (£17) is right behind Rondon in terms of shots over the past seven gameweeks.

Theo Walcott, EVE v. BHA (£22): Everton are the second-biggest favorites on the slate and Walcott has been their most consistent attacker since joining the side. He's had at least three shots, fouls drawn or tackles won in each of the past five games and now has a prime opportunity to break his four-game goalless drought against a Brighton side that's allowed the fourth-most shots per match among teams on the slate, despite allowing the third-fewest goals.

MIDFIELDERS

Eden Hazard, CHE v. CRY (£26): Hazard was dreadful at Manchester City last weekend, a game that saw his streak of scoring more than 8.5 fantasy points end at six games. However, he has a great bounce-back opportunity against Crystal Palace, with Chelsea coming in as the biggest favorites with the highest implied goal total. Hazard does most of his fantasy damage with shots and fouls drawn, in addition to his goals and assists, and whether he's playing on the wing or starting as a false 9, the attack will revolve around him. Teammate Willian (£21) should also garner plenty of attention, though he could move back to the bench if Morata starts.

Manuel Lanzini, WHU v. BUR (£16): I actually like multiple pieces of the West Ham midfield, specifically Michail Antonio and Joao Mario, who both come in at the same price as Lanzini. It doesn't feel like there will be a ton of goals in this one because Burnley have allowed just one goal in each of their past seven games (their last clean sheet was Dec. 30 at Huddersfield) while West Ham have scored once in five of their past six, but the addition of Antonio to the starting lineup could be the spark the Hammers have been looking for recently. That being said, I prefer Lanzini as the engine who moves the ball toward goal and should be over most set pieces.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson, BUR at WHU (£16): On the other side of this game is Gudmundsson, who doesn't have to worry about sharing set pieces at all. Despite scoring just one goal in his last seven starts, Gudmundsson has scored more than 7.50 fantasy points in four straight games, as he's able to contribute through accurate crosses, corners won, interceptions, tackles and fouls won. Burnley's attack hasn't been stout, but the return of Chris Wood (£16) from injury could give them something new against a West Ham side that's allowed 11 goals in their past four games.

DEFENDERS

Marcos Alonso, CHE v. CRY (£16): Given Chelsea's strong win and clean sheet odds, you're likely to see plenty of Chelsea defensive stacks thanks to the lack of high-priced attackers that would make it hard to pay up for defenders. Alonso has the most upside of the group while Cesar Azpilicueta (£16) is the most consistent, and pairing the two together shouldn't be an issue salary-wise.

Idrissa Gueye, EVE v. BHA (£14): Gueye lines up exclusively as a defensive midfielder, which means we'll benefit from all the tackles he wins (he's second in the Premier League) while also getting some clean sheet points if Everton can hold off Brighton, who come in with seven away goals this season. If you're looking for a little more upside, Seamus Coleman (£14) picked up an assist in last weekend's loss to Burnley and continues to be a solid piece on the wing.

Cedric Soares, SOU at NEW (£13): Cedric showed last week that he can still be a solid attacking fullback, finishing with four shots (two on goal) and connecting on three of 11 crosses en route to 14.10 fantasy points in a scoreless draw with Stoke City. The Newcastle attack has lacked bite this season, so a clean sheet Saturday is certainly in the cards. The biggest hesitation is that last week's performance could be a huge outlier, but the risk of rostering Cedric could come with a big reward.

GOALKEEPER

Thibaut Courtois, CHE v. CRY (£16): On one hand you see that Courtois failed to get a clean sheet in each of his past three games, making five saves and allowing four goals. On the other hand you see he played against Barcelona in the Champions League and then away matches to Manchester United and Manchester City. Needless to say, Saturday's home match against Crystal Palace should be easier, even if they did just score two against Manchester United on Monday. If you'd rather save some money, Jordan Pickford (£13) offers that up with decent clean sheet odds too.

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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