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: Sunderland v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: Tottenham v. Swansea City
10:00 a.m: Crystal Palace v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: Stoke City v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: West Brom v. Watford
12:30 p.m: West Ham v. Arsenal

GOALKEEPER

Darren Randolph, WHU v. ARS ($5,700): Randolph has taken over the starting job from Adrian ($6,300), and while Arsenal come in as road favorites, the West Ham defense has been better of late, with Randolph coming off an excellent seven-save, one-goal-allowed performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Fantasy players could also look toward Paul Robinson ($4,500), who may start again in place of the injured Tom Heaton ($7,300), but it's worth noting that Burnley's goalkeepers have saved eight shots but allowed eight goals in their last three games.

DEFENDER

Winston Reid, WHU v. ARS ($5,700: Reid has had at least 15 combined interceptions and clearances in three of his last five games while also taking five shots (three on target) and drawing 10 fouls over that span. With Arsenal likely to attack heavily in another London derby, Reid, who is second in the Premier League in interceptions despite playing 282 fewer minutes than league-leader Curtis Davies, should be very active in picking up defensive stats, which has allowed him to score at least 20 fantasy points in five of his last six, including three times with at least 33.

Federico Fernandez, SWA at TOT ($6,100): Fernandez has developed a solid fantasy floor thanks to his clearances, of which he's had 27 in the last two games combined, and he looks slated to continue his streak, as Spurs have forced the third-most clearances in the league this season. Fernandez's upside isn't terribly high, but he should be very busy in trying to slow down the Spurs attack, which has looked much better with Harry Kane back up front.

Danny Rose, TOT v. SWA ($6,000): Rose has been a very consistent producers, scoring at least 20 fantasy points in seven of his last eight games. He does it on both ends of the field, as not only has he created seven chances and drawn six fouls in the last two games (which came at Arsenal and home against West Ham), but he also won six tackles and picked up five clearances. With Swansea capable of putting up a fight on the attacking end, there should be plenty of opportunities for Rose to pick up fantasy points all over the field.

MIDFIELDER

Gylfi Sigurdsson, SWA at TOT ($8,400): The matchup is admittedly not the easiest, as Spurs have the highest win odds on the entire slate, but they have allowed multiple goals in two straight games while posting shutouts just twice in the last eight. Meanwhile, Sigurdsson, who has been starting up top for Swansea, has scored at least 40 fantasy points in three of the last four games. Playing at White Hart Lane is certainly no easy task, but Sigurdsson is the focal point of the Swans' attack and has put multiple shots on goal in four of his last five. Because he is so involved, he has a solid fantasy floor, and his goal-scoring odds are tied for the highest on the team (that being said, they are a fairly low +275). And, if you're into this sort of thing, we've got a revenge game!

Joe Allen, STK v. BUR ($7,800): Allen has struggled in his last two league matches, though that can be attributed to playing a more defensive role thanks to considerable injuries in Stoke's defensive midfield. However, if he can return to his no. 10 role against Burnley, he could be set up for a breakout performance. Xherdan Shaqiri ($7,300) is also worthy of consideration because he's on many set pieces, but his role on the wing limits his peripheral stats. Burnley have allowed the most chances created, most shots, most shots on goal and most passes in the Premier League this season, and Allen role's (if he's back in the central attacking midfield) plays perfectly to reap plenty of fantasy benefits.

Wilfried Zaha, CRY v. SOT ($6,500): Zaha has a goal or an assist in each of his last five games (one goal, four assists), taking nine shots over that span, including four on target. He comes in at the same price, or within $200, as teammates James McArthur ($6,400), Andros Townsend ($6,300), Jason Puncheon ($6,500) and Yohan Cabaye ($6,500, suspended), but he has a significantly higher upside without sacrificing much floor thanks to his fouls drawn (13 in last five games), tackles (13 in five) and chances created (11 in last five). Southampton have been very well organized defensively this season, but less so on the road, whereas Palace have every reason to attack heavily at Selhust Park.

FORWARD

Harry Kane, TOT v. SWA ($12,700): Despite being the second-most expensive player on the slate, Kane is likely to be a popular fantasy pick, with Spurs coming in as the biggest favorites and expected to score the most goals. Additionally, Kane, who has five goals in his last five Premier League matches, has the best individual anytime goal-scoring odds at -125. Kane has gotten nine shots on target during his last five league appearances, and he's created seven chances, though it's worth noting five came at home against Sunderland.

Marko Arnautovic, STK v. BUR ($7,300): Stoke are the second-highest favorites on the slate, and while Wilfried Bony ($7,400) has the better goal-scoring odds, doesn't it make more sense to grab the guy who has taken at least one shot in every game this season as opposed to the one who didn't even play last weekend and was replaced by Mame Diouf ($5,300) in the lineup. Admittedly, Diouf did score a solid 21 fantasy points last weekend at Watford without a goal or an assist, but Arnautovic has a pretty solid fantasy floor himself with good goal upside (he and Diouf technically have the same goal-scoring odds at +175). For a position that's usually pretty goal-dependent, Arnautovic provides some safety with the upside of a player attacking one of the worst teams in the Premier League.

Jermain Defoe, SUN v. LEI ($3,900): Something is not right here. While Leicester are favored in the match, Sunderland have the best win odds of any underdog. Additionally, Leicester have been terrible on the road this season, while Defoe has scored in three of his last four games, adding two assists over that span. He is very goal dependent, but he also has better goal odds (+140) than all of the Leicester city options except for Jamie Vardy ($9,000), who has failed to score in his last nine league appearances, taking just five shots over that span, with none ending up on target. Defoe would be a solid play at twice this price.

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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