Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

MATCHES (EDT)

7:30 a.m: Chelsea v. Manchester United
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Tottenham
10:00 a.m: Wolverhampton v. Watford
10:00 a.m: Manchester City v. Burnley
10:00 a.m: Bournemouth v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: Newcastle v. Brighton
10:00 a.m: Cardiff city v. Fulham
12:30 p.m: Huddersfield v. Liverpool

FORWARDS

Sergio Aguero, MCI v. BRN (£27): Fading Aguero seems mighty dangerous on a slate where Manchester City are huge favorites at home against Burnley and he has by far the best anytime goal scorer odds. Aguero leads the Premier League in shots despite playing fewer minutes than anyone in the top seven, and only Chelsea's Eden Hazard (£24) has more goals. Aguero's shot volume alone makes him one of the best plays, as he put seven of his 20 shots on target and three in the back of the net in his three games prior to Man City's scoreless draw at Anfield before the international break. Up against a Burnley side that's allowed the most shots and second-most shots on target among teams on the slate, and Aguero is going to be extremely popular, for good reason. I also wouldn't hesitate to pair him with teammate Raheem Sterling (£24) given their high implied goal total, though it may make it tough to spend up for a high-priced player in another match.

Mohamed Salah, LIV at HUD (£27): And here's a player from another match worth paying up for because of his solid shot floor and high upside. Salah has returned to full training after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Egypt over the international break, and his matchup against a Huddersfield side that's allowed multiple goals in two of their last three games is worth exploiting. Salah's availability is not guaranteed, which may push some of his ownership down, but he could have been the most popular options if there was no Man City on the slate.

Danny Ings, SOU at BOU (£16): Southampton haven't been great this season, but Ings has been getting enough shots off to make him very viable at his price. He's taken at least two shots in all but one match, and he's put two on goal in four of those games, scoring thrice. His anytime goal scorer odds aren't that high, but given the price and Bournemouth's occasional defensive deficiencies, he's worth a look.

MIDFIELDERS

Christian Eriksen, TOT at WHU (£22): There are question marks or tough matchups for many of the top-priced midfielders, and while paying up for Eden Hazard (£24) has been quite fruitful this season, I think the forwards in his price range are more reliable this weekend. However, if you find yourself with cash to burn for a midfielder, Eriksen has an interesting matchup away to West Ham, as well as a solid shot floor if he starts. He's been sidelined for the past few weeks due to an abdomen injury, and while he is back in full training, it's unclear if he's ready to go 90 minutes. That being said, he led Tottenham in shots until he got hurt and now faces a West Ham side that's allowed the sixth-most shots among teams on the slate, while Tottenham have the third-highest implied goal total.

Will Hughes, WAT at WOL (£15): Hughes has been a steady fantasy-point producer this season, though his scores aren't jumping off the screen. However, with Jose Holebas suspended, Hughes could have an opportunity to take on a bigger role on set pieces, which would put him in much more attractive positions for scoring fantasy points. Watford playing away isn't ideal, and Hughes seems unlikely for an explosive outing, but his fairly low salary and reliability are at least worth consideration.

Josh Murphy, CAR v. FUL (£14): Murphy has scored at least 4.30 fantasy points in every start this season, as his production from shots, fouls won, corners won and accurate crosses makes him a viable cash play. Making matters even better, he now faces a Fulham side that has given up loads of fantasy points this season. If you want even cheaper exposure to the Cardiff City attack (I really didn't think I'd ever be writing that), Victor Camarasa (£11) has seemingly taken over on the set pieces and scored a goal against Arsenal earlier this season.

DEFENDERS

Aymeric Laporte, MCI v. BRN (£17): Teammate Benjamin Mendy (£18) continues to get more attention because of his excellent attacking attributes, but Laporte has been Manchester City's most reliable fantasy scorer, scoring at least 5.75 in all but one of his 10 starts between the Premier League and Champions League. His high pass volume, interceptions and tackles give him a solid base, and it certainly doesn't hurt that Manchester City have by far the best clean sheet odds on the slate. Paying up a little more for Mendy isn't a bad idea, but don't ignore Laporte.

Adam Masina, WAT at WOL (£10): Masina is slated to start for Holebas, and while the matchup isn't really ideal, getting a minimum-priced defender who can contribute through a number of defensive stats can be really helpful. The Wolves attack is decent, but they've only scored more than one goal once since their season opener, so it's not like Masina will be trying to stop some kind of onslaught.

Virgil van Dijk, LIV at HUD (£16): You can make a reasonable case for any member of the Liverpool back line, as they come in having allowed just three Premier League goals while Huddersfield have scored just four this season. There's some upside potential with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£16) because he could be on set pieces, but van Dijk continues to be the most reliable thanks to his high passing floor and well-rounded defensive work.

GOALKEEPER

Ederson, MCI v. BUR (£17): After a run of struggles, at least in terms of his fantasy production, Ederson has scored at least 11.00 points in four consecutive Premier League matches thanks to clean sheets in each plus three wins. Man City are by far the biggest favorites on the slate with the highest clean sheet odds, making the gap between him and someone like Asmir Begovic (£13) worth the difference.

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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