FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Saturday EPL Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.

MATCHES (EST)

10:00 a.m: Hull City v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: Leicester City v. Middlesbrough
10:00 a.m: Liverpool v. Sunderland
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Crystal Palace
12:30 p.m: Chelsea v. Tottenham

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED FREE KICK AND CORNER TAKERS

Hull City: Robert Snodgrass
West Brom: Matt Phillips, Chris Brunt
Leicester City: Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton
Middlesbrough:Gaston Ramirez, Stewart Downing
Liverpool: Philippe Coutinho, James Milner
Sunderland: Patrick van Aanholt
Swansea City: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Crystal Palace: Jason Puncheon, Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend
Chelsea: Eden Hazard
Tottenham: Christian Eriksen, Heung-Min Son

GOALKEEPER

Ron-Robert Zieler, LEI v. MID ($5,900): Zieler is expected to continue starting in place of the injured Kasper Schmeichel, which means fantasy players will have the opportunity to save $1,500 for Leicester's starting keeper. Admittedly, Leicester haven't been great in Premier League play this season, and Boro have gotten the second-fewest shots on target, but with the inconsistent production from most goalkeepers, it's tough to justify paying up when you can have Zieler for under $6K.

DEFENDERS

Lamine Kone, SUN at LIV ($4,400): Sunderland figure to be defending a ton Saturday against a Liverpool side that have scored the most goals in the Premier League this season. With Liverpool's attack likely to be strong, Kone will have a big opportunity to rack up plenty of clearances, something he's shown capable of doing after picking up 14 last week against Hull City. The upside is somewhat limited given his lack of attacking prowess, but the defensive stats are there for the taking Saturday.

Allan Nyom, WBA at HUL ($3,200): Nyom has been a steady producer ever since locking down a spot in the starting XI, and he'll now face off against a Hull side that could allow him to move up in the attack. Nyom had an assist last weekend and is able to create chances while still picking up a solid number of tackles, interceptions and clearances. His ceiling isn't overly high, but his low salary certainly allows spending up elsewhere.

Kevin Wimmer, TOT at CHE ($3,100): With Jan Vertonghen ($4,400) expected to start at left-back in place of the suspended Danny Rose ($5,200) and injured Ben Davies ($4,200), Wimmer should get the start at center-back alongside Eric Dier ($5,600 midfielder). His fantasy game log is sparse, but he's likely to get plenty of opportunities to rack up the defensive stats, as Chelsea will attack plenty and give Wimmer the chance to pile on the clearances, interceptions and tackles. Even if he doesn't come off with an explosive outing, his near-minimum salary doesn't hurt.

MIDFIELDERS

Philippe Coutinho, LIV v. SUN ($12,100): Coutinho comes in as the most expensive player on the slate, which is understandable given his solid floor, excellent upside and Liverpool's expected domination of Sunderland. Teammate Sadio Mane looks very attractive at $8,800 as well, though it's worth noting he's very goal dependent, scoring more than 10.25 fantasy points without a goal just once this season. On the flip side, Mane's -120 goal odds (on bet365) are the same as Roberto Firmino's and trails only Daniel Sturridge (-200).

Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA v. CRY ($8,300): Bob Bradley's men come in as slight favorites against a Crystal Palace side that have lost five consecutive games, allowing 13 goals over that span, including 12 in their last four. They've been particularly bad on the road, allowing six goals in their last two, which came against Leicester City and Burnley. Sigurdsson is at the heart of the Swansea attack, as he'll be on all set pieces, and he's even been starting as a false nine, getting him even closer to goal. He's been a very solid fantasy option since Bradley took over, scoring more than 30 fantasy points three times in five games, including two with at least 40.

Wilfried Zaha, CRY at SWA ($6,500): Zaha has picked up an assist in four consecutive games, which is additionally impressive given they've come at Leicester, home against Liverpool, at Burnley and home against Manchester City. Oh, and they've all been Palace losses. He created 11 chances, won 10 tackles, drew 10 fouls and put three shots on target over that span, giving him a solid fantasy floor because he contributes in multiple categories. Additionally, Swansea have allowed more chances to be created than all but Burnley, Hull and Sunderland this season, while also trailing just those three teams in shots allowed.

FORWARDS

Roberto Firmino, LIV v. SUN ($11,300): Firmino has the best odds to score a goal among likely starters (sorry, Daniel Sturridge), and he's also adept at setting them up, as not only does he have three assists in his last four game, he's created 11 chances. There will likely be plenty of Liverpool stacks, but leaving Firmino out could be very costly.

Pedro, CHE v. TOT ($7,900): Pedro has two goals, four assists, nine chances created and 10 tackles in his last five games, and while he doesn't have the goal upside of teammate Diego Costa ($11,900), he may actually have a better situation on the field, as Spurs will be without their top two left-backs, which means they'll be pushing Jan Vertonghen out wide. Vertonghen does play left-back for Belgium, but it's certainly an area of vulnerability for Spurs against a Chelsea attack that has been flying since moving to their 3-4-3 formation.

Salomon Rondon, WBA at HUL ($7,600): Rondon is very goal dependent, but he's also playing the team that has allowed the most goals, most shots, and second-most shots on target in the Premier League this season. Rondon has been fairly active in his recent road games, taking 14 shots over his last four away matches, and while he only has one goal in those games, he may have a better matchup Saturday.

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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