DraftKings EPL DFS Picks for Saturday, September 5

Manchester City define Saturday's five-game DraftKings slate, and with the value stacked at midfielder, the build comes down to how many City pieces you pay up for.

Saturday is a five-game slate on DraftKings, and it's defined by Manchester City, who are better than 80 percent to beat Coventry City with an implied total around three, higher than the full-game totals in most of the other matchups. Every home team is favored: Brentford host Sunderland, Brighton host Leeds, Fulham host Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest host Tottenham. Most of the cheap plays worth having are midfielders, which means you pay up at forward and then find your value in the middle.

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DraftKings EPL DFS Slate for Saturday, Sept. 5

• 10:00 am: Brentford vs. Sunderland
• 10:00 am: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leeds United
• 10:00 am: Fulham vs. Crystal Palace
• 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Coventry City
• 10:00 am: Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham Hotspur

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Premier League Cheat Sheet.

FORWARDS

Antoine Semenyo (MCI vs COV, $9,200)

Semenyo could have the best forward floor in the best spot on the board. He floats wide for Manchester City and that could lead to more crosses than prior performances. He has upside, an all-around floor and given the other options, it's easy to get to him. There is some worry about goal-scoring upside since he's managed just three shots in two games while the team has scored six.

Erling Haaland (MCI vs COV, $11,000)

Haaland is the ceiling swing and he'll be popular as always. He's the obvious multi-goal threat against a Coventry side that should spend the day defending, but at $11,000 he needs the brace or the hat trick to pay off. One goal and three shots leaves him short of the price. Treat him as the tournament play where you're betting on a big City scoreline, not a safe cash anchor.

Anan Khalaili (CRY at FUL, $4,400)

Khalaili is mis-positioned and he may actually be one of the best values at forward. He stepped into the Crystal Palace lineup for Daniel Munoz and went 75 minutes with five crosses against Manchester City, so at $4,400 with forward eligibility he's a real floor at a price that frees up the cap for a stud. He's not the exciting play, but on a slate this thin at cheap forward he's easier to click.

Dango Ouattara ($8,600) and Igor Thiago ($8,200) are the standalone Brentford strikers at home to Sunderland, and Mathys Tel ($7,900), Omar Marmoush ($7,600) and Gonzalo Garcia ($7,200) are the mid-priced options in the other games. Marmoush isn't a terrible idea, but he's a tad expensive in this spot and given the other options. Jorgen Strand Larsen ($3,500) is the minimum-priced Palace striker if you need the deepest pay-down.

MIDFIELDERS

Phil Foden (MCI vs COV, $9,600) and Rayan Cherki (MCI vs COV, $10,400)

Foden and Cherki are the top floors on the slate. They'll be on majority of set pieces for Man City, which should lead to a good floor in itself against Coventry. Throw in shots and chances created, and even before any possible goal or assist, they'll be better plays than most on the slate. 

The problem is that you probably can't play both of them unless you sacfricie a few other spots in your lineup. Because all of the good value plays are at midfield, you either fade them completely or punt completely at defender with both Foden and Cherki, and another City player in your lineup.

Yeremy Pino (CRY at FUL, $4,600)

There are a slew of cheap midfielders and Pino is probably the best of them. He's taken every Palace set piece this season and had a floor above 12 points against Man City last game. There are few reasons not to play Pino unless you think Palace get dominated and Pino goes less than 70 minutes again. I don't think either of those things are happening so he'll probably be in my lineup.

Vitaly Janelt is my other favorite option at the same price. He's in a better spot as a home favorite and splits Brentford set pieces. Again, the problem is that you can't pay up at midfield twice and play both of Pino and Janelt.

Josh King (FUL vs CRY, $3,600)

King is another choice with maybe a touch more upside. Fulham are favored at home to Crystal Palace, and the goals have to come from somewhere behind Gonzalo Garcia. As the attacking midfielder seeing 90 minutes with crosses and chances, King grades well above his $3,600 price. 

Elliot Anderson ($7,800) is the discounted way into the City midfield, but he's kind of the sub-optimal Declan Rice of this group. Pascal Gross ($8,500) is a strong floor for Brighton but a tougher matchup than the City pair, and Anton Stach ($8,000) is the Leeds set-piece play, more so if Harry Wilson sits. Morgan Gibbs-White ($8,800) is a tournament-only piece for Forest with no set pieces.

Kevin Schade ($5,300) has eight shots across two games and is a live tournament option yet again. His price will slowly grow, but if he's going close to 90 minutes, he'll be in the $7,000 range soon enough.

DEFENDERS

Maxim De Cuyper (BHA vs LEE, $6,900)

De Cuyper is the pay-up defender worth it. He carries a set-piece share for Brighton but adds more goal threat than every defender given his new role on the wing. I'd take him over the other pricey full-backs since the ceiling is higher. Neco Williams ($6,800) has a good role, but I'm not paying for him when De Cuyper is the same price.

If you're paying up for a stack of Manchester City players, the minimum-tier City center-backs in Ruben Dias ($3,300), Abdukodir Khusanov ($3,800) and Josko Gvardiol ($4,800) are the cheap way to buy into the slate's best clean sheet while fitting the attack. Antonee Robinson ($4,800) gets forward for Fulham at home to Palace, and Pedro Porro ($7,400) is too expensive at the position on a board with this much value below him.

GOALKEEPER

Bernd Leno (FUL vs CRY, $4,900)

I'm spending down in goal, because the cap is better used on the attack, and Leno is the one I like. Fulham are favored at home against a Crystal Palace side missing Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta, so the shutout is live and he'll face enough to bank saves if it isn't. At $4,900 he's the sweet spot between the punts and paying up.

Matz Sels ($4,800) is the same idea behind favored Forest, and James Trafford ($4,200) and Robin Roefs ($4,000) are the cheaper saves options behind the road underdogs. Gianluigi Donnarumma ($6,000) has the best clean-sheet odds behind Manchester City, but he may only touch the ball a couple of times, so the price is hard to justify with the goals you need elsewhere.