This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Premier League: Saturday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
10:00 a.m: Brighton v. Watford
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Bournemouth
10:00 a.m: Southampton v. Huddersfield
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. West Brom
10:00 a.m: Swansea City v. Crystal Palace
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Newcastle
12:30 p.m: Burnley v. Tottenham
FORWARDS
Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BOU ($10,500): Any discussion of this slate begins with how much Manchester City exposure you want. They are the dominant favorite with a team implied goal total that's higher than nearly every other match total. Aguero isn't usually in the discussion for cash games, but with Man City expected to score plenty of goals against Bournemouth, he gets serious consideration because of his very high anytime goal scorer odds. Teammate Kevin De Bruyne ($10,700) is usually the easier cash-game play, and I don't think that changes in this match; he just doesn't have the GPP upside of Aguero. Pairing them together is an option, though fading one (probably KDB in GPPs and Aguero in cash) for either Leroy Sane ($9,600) or Raheem Sterling ($9,900) is an understandable pivot. Sane is the safer cash option because he takes some corners -- and could take more with David Silva ($8,800, midfielder) unlikely to play -- while Sterling comes in with leading the team in goals for the season while taking multiple shots in his last seven starts (including 13 shots in his last three). It's possible to pair three of them together, but it certainly makes the rest of your lineup pretty scrubby.
Harry Kane, TOT at BUR ($11,000): Do you not believe Man City will crush Bournemouth at home and think that Tottenham's matchup at Burnley, who have allowed the most shots this season and could be without two regular starting defenders, is a better one? Have you ever wanted to roster Kane in a situation when he has great goal-scoring odds but will be much lower owned than he usually is? Well, Saturday is your lucky day. With so many people like to stack Manchester City, Kane becomes an ideal GPP pivot. It's possible to pair Kane with one of the Man City guys, but you better hope he scores and they don't or else the move won't pay off. Kane has had a few great games even without scoring, and Saturday could bring that again, but he's unlikely to pay off without a goal if the Man City guys light it up. The same can be said about Son Heung-Min ($8,300), who has shown solid upside of late and comes in significantly cheaper.
Pascal Gross, BHA v. WAT ($7,000): This isn't so much a recommendation of Gross as an opportunity to talk about all the other forwards. On a slate when we have four forward-eligible options from one team that's a giant favorite, plus Kane at Burnley, it's tough to consider other players. Nevertheless, Gross and Andros Townsend ($7,200) theoretically make sense as cash-game forwards, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson ($6,700) slightly behind but only because of matchup. If Spurs go ahead early, it's theoretically possible that Gudmundsson starts sending in a bunch of crosses to try and catch up, but that only seems like a recipe for Burnley to go down further. In terms of GPP options, Charlie Austin ($6,900) has taken 11 shots, including eight on goal, in his last four games and has solid goal-scoring odds at home against Huddersfield. You could also make a similar case for Marko Arnautovic ($6,500), who is likely to be higher owned (though not highly owned) than teammate Michail Antonio ($6,300) because he's better. And finally, Jordan Ayew ($5,300) has stuck out to me a bit, scoring at least eight fantasy points in three of his last four games, including a solid 10 against Man City despite committing seven fouls. If I was looking for a cheap forward he'd be in the discussion, though I don't think it's the optimal play Saturday.
MIDFIELDERS
Xherdan Shaqiri, STK v. WBA ($9,300): Shaqiri falls into the bucket of players to consider if you aren't convinced about Man City's dominance. His price is prohibitively high unless you pair him with just one Manchester City (and no Spurs) player, but he's shown in recent weeks that he's a great fantasy producer, scoring at least 12 fantasy points in five of his last seven games, including a 21-point effort last weekend against West Ham thanks to six shots, 12 crosses, four fouls drawn and two tackles won. Meanwhile, West Brom have allowed the third-most crosses among teams on the slate and have committed the second-most fouls, which should give Shaqiri some added dead-ball opportunities.
Yohan Cabaye, CRY at SWA ($6,800): Swansea City just fired their third manager in the last 18 months and leading them Saturday will be midfielder Leon Britton, who has unfortunately ruled himself out from playing. The Swans have allowed nine goals in their last four games, including seven in their last three, while Crystal Palace have bagged multiple goals in three straight (seven overall). Cabaye is much more of a cash-game option, as his role over at least half of the Eagles' corners, plus his ability to help out on the defensive end, gives him a solid floor. If you're looking for upside, Ruben Loftus-Cheek ($5,200) is a better option for me ahead of Wilfried Zaha ($8,100, forward) due to the price difference. Speaking of price, there are a number of set-piece taking midfielders in Cabaye's range (and down), all of whom would be considered if we didn't have the Man City guys to worry about. Aaron Mooy ($7,500), Matt Ritchie ($7,300), James Ward-Prowse ($6,100), Anthony Knockaert ($5,800), Tom Cleverley ($5,300) and Tom Carroll ($4,800) all fit into that group; we shouldn't dismiss them, but the guys on the higher end will be tougher to fit in.
Gareth Barry, WBA at STK ($3,200): The West Brom corner-taker situation is very cloudy, as Barry, Grzegorz Krychowiak ($3,900), Chris Brunt ($5,000), James McClean ($4,400) and Sam Field ($3,600) have each taken corners in the past five games, and that doesn't even consider Matt Phillips ($5,900), who has taken the second-most on the team this season but hasn't played in the last four games. So, Barry's path to corners is tricky, but it's not impossible, and his price at least allows the flexibility to upgrade elsewhere. Just know that without corners you'll be lucky to get three fantasy points out of him. If paying down in this range is what you're looking for and that encouraging breakdown of Barry didn't sell you, there are holding midfielders who have been a bit more active of late, such as Davy Propper ($3,200) and Roque Mesa ($3,200), with Roberto Pereyra ($3,500) offering more attacking upside.
DEFENDERS
Jose Holebas, WAT at BHA ($6,200): Holebas has taken full advantage of Marvin Zeegelaar's red-card suspension, as he's resumed his role over set pieces, helping him send in 22 crosses in his last two games. Last weekend's match against Huddersfield was a bit different because Tom Cleverley was suspended, so Holebas is likely to see a few corners poached Saturday. Nevertheless, the matchup against Brighton isn't one to be ignored and Holebas has arguably the safest floor among defenders on the slate.
Kieran Trippier, TOT at BUR ($6,500): Any argument against Holebas being the safest floor defender on the slate likely starts with Trippier, who takes a few corners for Tottenham but never all of them. Burnley have given up a boatload of crosses this season, and with Spurs expected to attack heavily, there's every reason to think the fullbacks will be involved. Whether it's Trippier or Serge Aurier ($6,000) who starts on the right, either make a good play, and the same can be said about Danny Rose ($6,400) or Ben Davies ($6,100) on the left. Given their prices, you could be left with the option of paying down in the midfield to spend up on these guys, so it's all a matter of whether you trust Trippier or a guy like James Ward-Prowse ($6,100) more (Trippier for me).
Chris Lowe, HUD at SOU ($3,700): Lowe suffered a foot injury in last weekend's match, which forced him out at halftime after scoring four fantasy points. With a role on some of Huddersfield's corners, Lowe has a decent floor, and his sub-$4K price is an attractive one against a Southampton side that's really struggled of late. It's worth noting that Lowe played 67 and 45 minutes in his last two games, respectively, but manager David Wagner said Friday he's fit to play. If he's unable to start, I'd have no problem pivoting to any of his teammates, including Florent Hadergjonaj ($3,900) or Scott Malone ($3,800).
GOALKEEPERS
Jonas Lossl, HUD at SOU ($4,000): Given the expensive attacking players we'll want to target, paying up at goalkeeper doesn't seem worth it. Frankly, if David de Gea isn't on the slate then I rarely consider it. The Huddersfield defense hasn't been stellar -- in fact, their away defense has been horrific -- but I'm tempted by them playing a Southampton side that has scored multiple goals just once in their last 10 matches. Southampton haven't forced a ton of saves this season, so the hope (it's goalkeeper, hope is all we have) is that Huddersfield will allow a few more decent shots and Lossl will be able to stop them.
