Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Saturday EPL Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

MATCHES (EST)

10:00 a.m: Brighton v. Leicester City
10:00 a.m: Everton v. Cardiff City
10:00 a.m: Fulham v. Southampton
10:00 a.m: Manchester United v. Crystal Palace
10:00 a.m: Watford v. Liverpool
10:00 a.m: West Ham v. Manchester City
12:30 p.m: Tottenham v. Chelsea

FORWARDS

Mohamed Salah, LIV at WAT (£27): There are plenty of high-impact forwards on Saturday's slate, as Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea are all available to choose from, not to mention Everton's strong home matchup against Cardiff City and Leicester's away match to Brighton. All that being said, it's tough to make the argument against Salah, who has taken at least three shots in eight of his last nine games, scoring five goals on 37 shots (16 on target) in that span. Only Sergio Aguero (£28) has higher anytime goal scoring odds, and while pairing the two of them eats up a lot of salary, there are definitely lower-salary players at other positions that make fitting them in a bit easier.

Anthony Martial, MUN v. CRY (£20): Manchester United are the second-biggest favorites on the slate, and Martial has been their best goal scorer recently, finding the back of the net in five consecutive Premier League matches, scoring six goals on 13 shots, including eight on target, over that span. And while he didn't score in two starts against Juventus in the Champions League during his domestic scoring run, he still fired off five shots, including thee on goal, and drew five fouls. And while everyone wants to talk about problems with Manchester United, they've scored multiple goals in five of their last seven matches while Crystal Palace have allowed multiple goals in four of their last six, including three of the last four.

Jamie Vardy, LEI at BHA (£18): Vardy is averaging almost a full shot per 90 minutes more this season than last, and while he hasn't found the back of the net in his last four starts, he's still managed to take multiple shots in all but two games. His shot volume without a goal likely isn't enough on a slate with so many of the top goal scorers, but Vardy will be facing a Brighton side that's allowed the most shots and second-most shots on goal this season, while he comes in considerably cheaper than the upper-tier options.

MIDFIELDERS

David Silva, MCI at WHU (£24): Silva has been one of Manchester City's best attacking pieces of late, which is pretty impressive given how much firepower they have. He's gotten on the scoresheet in six of his last eight games in all competitions, scoring five goals on 22 shots (eight on target) and assisting two others on 22 chances created. He also completed at least 50 passes five times in that span, and he's reached double-digit fantasy points in 10 of his last 12 games. His salary isn't cheap, but he's arguably Manchester City's most reliable fantasy scorer. If you want cheaper exposure to the Man City attack, Ilkay Gundogan (£16) could get a start for the injured Bernardo Silva (£20), and his occasional role on set pieces puts him in good positions to get on the scoresheet himself. If you don't want to trust Manchester City playing at West Ham despite being the biggest favorites on the slate, you could pivot to Manchester United's Paul Pogba (£23), who has taken multiple shots or drawn multiple fouls in every match this season.

James Maddison, LEI at BHA (£18): Maddison's role on set pieces will always keep him active in the Leicester attack, and he'll be facing a Brighton side that allows more fantasy points than any other in the Premier League, with much of that coming from the plethora of shots, shots on goal, accurate crosses and fouls they concede. All of those fit perfectly into Maddison's wheelhouse, as he averaging 2.32 shots, including 0.81 on goal, 1.81 accurate crosses and 2.92 fouls drawn per 90 minutes this season.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, EVE v. CAR (£20): Sigurdsson's role on set pieces maintains his vital piece in the Everton attack, one that is facing a Cardiff side allowing the most second-most goals, assists and corners among teams on the slate. It's worth at least recognizing that he's recently recovered from an ankle injury, but if Sigurdsson is in the starting XI there may not be a safer midfielder on the slate, even with players from Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea available. If you need to spend down, the other side of this game offers Victor Camarasa (£14), who had eight shots, including two on goal, and five accurate crosses in his last two games.

DEFENDERS

Lucas Digne, EVE v. CAR (£16): If there's a reason to be hesitant about Sigurdsson it's that Digne has taken on a bigger role of set pieces, accounting for 12 of Everton's 17 free kicks in their past two Premier League games. Additionally, Everton come in with the third-best clean sheet odds on the slate, as they face a Cardiff side that's scored just two goals in five away matches this season. Paying down for Seamus Coleman (£14) isn't a bad idea either, though he doesn't come with any set pieces like Digne.

Fabinho, LIV at WAT (£15): Liverpool have the fourth-best clean sheet odds on the slate, and while he isn't at all an attacking midfielder, Fabinho does give us access to the Liverpool "defense" despite usually playing as a defensive midfielder. He's eclipsed 70 passes in three of four starts this season, and he's always capable of winning tackles, intercepting passes and drawing fouls, enough so that he's worth the look to get exposure to Liverpool.

Denis Odoi, FUL v. SOU (£11): Fulham have been absolutely dreadful defensively this season, coming in having allowed the most goals, most assists, second-most shots, most shots on goal and second-most accurate crosses. Those defensive struggles led to the sacking of Slavisa Jokanovic and hiring of Claudio Ranieri, who is expected to solidify the back line for a team that hasn't struggled as much in the attack. The Fulham-Southampton match has the second-lowest implied goals total, and with two sides needing to be better defensively, Odoi could be a very cheap path to a clean sheet.

GOALKEEPER

Jordan Pickford, EVE v. CAR (£15):David de Gea (£16) comes in with the second-best win and clean sheet odds and will be facing a Crystal Palace side that has three goals in their last five League games, getting shut out thrice in that span. However, he has just one Premier League clean sheet this season (he does have two in the Champions League), so I understand some hesitation. For those who don't want to trust a Jose Mourinho side, Pickford is just £1 cheaper and is facing a Cardiff attack that has been shut out in three of five away matches this season, and he's made 18 saves in his last four games.

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 is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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