Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday-Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday-Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Daily Fantasy Soccer Cheat Sheet series.

MATCHES (ET)


Saturday, 11:00 am: AFC Bournemouth vs. Newcastle United
Saturday, 11:00 am: Burnley vs. Leicester City
Saturday, 11:00 am: West Ham United vs. Huddersfield Town
Sunday, 10:15 am: Fulham vs. Liverpool
Sunday, 12:30 pm: Everton vs. Chelsea

FORWARDS

Sadio Mane, LIV at FUL (£28): You can put me and most other Premier League fans in the corner that didn't see Mane eclipsing Mohamed Salah (£27) as Liverpool's most important attacker. While Salah still merits his own consideration, it's tough to argue with the deep vein of form that Mane is in . He has 10 goals in his past 10 matches and helped Liverpool advance to the Champions League quarter-final with two goals in Wednesday's win. Fulham have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season, which is typically enough to make any opposing forward an option. They concede the most shots on target on this weekend's slate, and second-most shots behind Burnley. Salah is riding a six-match scoreless streak but did provide an assist in Wednesday's win, though you'll need a goal at this price to make back your investment. Roberto Firmino (£21) is the cheapest of the Liverpool forwards but has been feast or famine for the most part. A Liverpool stack isn't out of the question either due to Fulham's swiss cheese backline.

Jamie Vardy, LEI at BUR (£23): Vardy has scored four goals and provided one assist in his past three matches, while also averaging three shots per 90 minutes. It'll be tough to replicate his two-goal, one assist outing from last weekend, but Burnley allow the most shots and second-most shots on goal of any team on the 10-team slate. It's worth noting Burnley are better at home, which is the case for the majority of Premier League sides. The addition of Youri Tielemans has helped their attack, and the Foxes have won two of their past three matches. Gonzalo Higuain (£24), Pedro (£22) and Willian (£22) are all in a similar price range and have a decent matchup against Everton. Higuain missed Thursday's Europa League match due to illness, which could keep Olivier Giroud (£17) in the lineup, especially after he netted a hat trick against Dynamo Kyiv.  

Callum Wilson, BOU v. NEW (£21): Wilson returned from a lengthy injury layoff to score a goal and provide an assist during last weekend's win over Huddersfield. Yes, it's worth noting the opponent, but at the same time it was also a dominant performance from the Cherries, as they finally had a full-strength attack that included Joshua King (£19), Ryan Fraser (£21 - Midfielder) and David Brooks (£19 - Midfielder). Bournemouth are much more fluid in attack with Wilson leading it, as evidenced by his three goals in his last three starts. Another intriguing option at striker is Marko Arnautovic (£22), who hasn't started a match for the Hammers since Jan. 29 but manager Manuel Pellegrini noted he could come back into the lineup for Saturday's match against Huddersfield, which is an ideal matchup for a striker of his quality.

MIDFIELDERS

Ryan Fraser, BOU v. NEW (£21): Aside from James Maddison (£21), no midfielder has a set-piece monopoly like Fraser. Newcastle concede over five accurate crosses per match and Fraser averages 1.82 per 90, which should help his floor along with set pieces. Both Wilson and Fraser provided a goal and assist against Huddersfield and will look to repeat that at home against Newcastle. David Brooks (£19) is slightly cheaper, while Jefferson Lerma (£12) is also intriguing due to the savings he provides, though he contributes mostly on the defensive end.

Harvey Barnes, LEI at BUR (£16): Barnes is averaging 4.31 shots per 90 (including 0.86 on goal), which trails only Gonzalo Higuain on this weekend's slate. He's carved out a role for himself in a Leicester City midfield that continues to produce from a fantasy standpoint. Both James Maddison (£21) and Youri Tielemans (£23) are more intriguing options, but they won't offer the savings Barnes does. Maddison has the highest floor of the three due to his role on set pieces, while Tielemans is coming off a monster performance (19.85 points) against Fulham. As I noted on the Vardy pick, Burnley concede a ton of shots, which fits right into Barnes' skill set.

James Milner, LIV at FUL (£16): Jordan Henderson (ankle) has already been ruled out, while Naby Keita (illness) is unlikely to play as well. Milner should come into the starting XI alongside Georginio Wijnaldum (£14) and Fabinho (£14) with Liverpool favored to score over two goals. When he starts, he typically takes set pieces along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah. He provides more savings than Fraser and Maddison but plays for the biggest favorite on the slate.

DEFENDERS

Joel Matip, LIV at FUL (£14): Virgil van Dijk (£19), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£18) and Andrew Robertson (£18) are all more appetizing options, but they're also going to cost you the same as a mid-tier midfielder, which isn't ideal if you want to spend up on more expensive attacking options like Eden Hazard (£26) and Mane. Matip has quietly been playing some of the best soccer in his Liverpool career but doesn't get the plaudits van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson receive. He did score an own goal and receive a yellow card in Wednesday's win over Bayern Munich, but he's otherwise had a floor around five points and could easily hit eight or more if Liverpool can keep a clean sheet.

Issa Diop, WHU v. HUD (£13): Both Diop and Angelo Ogbonna (£13) are the same price and have an attractive matchup against Huddersfield's anemic attack. Ryan Fredericks (£13) has started the past three matches at right-back and will have a chance to get involved in the attack with West Ham expected to see the majority of the ball. If it isn't clear, I'm shooting for the clean sheet bonus here as Huddersfield have been held scoreless in nine of their past 12 matches.

Emerson, CHE at EVE (£12): Marcos Alonso (£17) has been left out of the match-day squad for Chelsea's previous two Premier League matches, which has allowed Emerson to start at left-back. Alonso did return to the lineup in Thursday's Europa League win, so Emerson isn't a guaranteed starter. He's worth consideration if manager Maurizio Sarri rolls with him again, especially with Chelsea being the third-highest favorite on the slate and Emerson having an extremely friendly price.

GOALKEEPER

Lukasz Fabianski, WHU v. HUD (£14): West Ham have the best clean sheet odds on the slate and Huddersfield are alarmingly bad on the road, as they've managed six points out of a possible 42. Whether you look at their home or away splits, Huddersfield are simply unable to find the back of the net. While the West Ham backline is hardly airtight, the matchup is too good to overlook. The four-point win bonus is certainly in play here, and you won't have to pay up for it. Elsewhere, Alisson Becker (£17) paces all goalkeepers in price as well as clean sheets this season, and he has a matchup against the 19th-placed side in the table. Meanwhile, Martin Dubravka (£14) and Newcastle have allowed just six goals in their past six matches but will be facing a Bournemouth attack that are full strength now that they have Callum Wilson and David Brooks back in the side. 

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. Christopher Owen plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: owenc8888 (DraftKings, FanDuel), RotoCrook (Yahoo!).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Owen
Chris covers fantasy soccer for RotoWire. In his free time he enjoys watching Jurgen Klopp celebrate goals on the touchline and beyond.
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