EPL Grind Down: Week 23

by Hesh Hambazaza (hambazaza) Last Updated 2017-01-31 19:53:15

With the transfer deadline fast approaching, there are multiple teams that are in flux with the changes; this will affect how we build our teams on Tuesday. Nevertheless, the slate does offer some interesting matchups with multiple high profile teams playing against minnows, and it will be interesting to see how they play out. Also, of note, the games start in the afternoon, similar time as the Champions League matchups, giving us the rare double-gameweek in EPL.

If you want some last minute advice or help navigating the starting lineups, I’ll be hanging out in the Marketplace answering questions and chatting about the lineups about an hour prior to lock, so come hang out.

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Arsenal						Watford
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				-425						1425
				L W W D W W						L D L L D D
				14-5-3						6-6-10
15.59	5.18	10.59	6.41	17.73	19.00	10.68	3.59	13.64	8.00	18.73	23.59
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Walcott, Cazorla, Sanchez		Sanchez, Cazorla, Chambers, Walcott		Cazorla, Sanchez, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain		Deeney, Ighalo		Abdi		Watson, Abdi, Capoue, Holebas

Arsenal ran riot over Southampton in the FA cup over the weekend with a 5-0 throttling. In that match, Southampton trotted out a team that wasn’t that remarkable, but Arsenal had a solid lineup of backups/returnees from injury. A couple of players that looked particularly good were Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott. Arsenal had the opportunity to have a look at some young midfielders in Maitland-Niles and Reine-Adelaide. But we’re not concerned with those right now, what is worthy of looking at is that Welbeck and Walcott looked really good with Sanchez (coming off the bench). With Ozil coming back from rest, Arsenal will find themselves with a very strong lineup. This week they are playing at home and hosting a Watford team that is without a win in the Premier League since December 10th and in that span have dropped all the way down to 14th place in the table and will risk falling even further. This is a matchup that should be all Arsenal all day and Watford will be lucky to escape without big damage to the goal differential.

Arsenal Top Plays

Alexis Sanchez, Midfielder/Forward, $13,500 FD, $11,000 – Alexis Sanchez might be in the best position of any player this week, and he’ll be my number one target anywhere. Of course, the sites are in on this and have him priced accordingly meaning he’ll cost you a hefty sum. If you’re playing in any cash games or in a tournament where the top 80% move on to the next round, then Sanchez should be in your lineup. Don’t spend a lot of time debating it. In a GPP, Sanchez might be a decent fade, but be sure to include another Arsenal forward and hope that they end up getting the goals/assists.

Olivier Giroud, Forward, $11,400 FD, $8,200 – The price tag isn’t so bad on DraftKings as opposed to FanDuel where it is rather high. Giroud did get the rest this past week though and is entering this matchup ready to get back to scoring goals after being held without a goal against Burnley 9 days ago. If you’re looking to stack this Arsenal squad, then Giroud is either a good pivot from Sanchez, or a good player to combine with Alexis Sanchez.

Arsenal Secondary Plays

It is unclear who Arsenal will start in the attacking midfield positions, Mesut Ozil ($9,100 FD, $7,900 DK) appears to be a shoe-in, the last spot could be anybody from Iwobi, Walcott, Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain. All of them are viable options to varying degrees, depending on price. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to roster any of them if they get the start. The most intriguing one of those might be Oxlade-Chamberlain as he arguably played the best match he’s ever played in an Arsenal uniform over the weekend, and while he didn’t get in on the goal scoring action, he did provide an assist and ended up with 13 fantasy points on DK. He should be in line to participate in any goal scoring the Gunners pull out this week.

Watford Top Plays

It’ll be difficult to recommend anybody from this Watford team as a primary option given the fact that they are on the road, and their lineup is really an unknown at the moment with some of the injuries and suspensions they’re facing. Sebastian Prodl ($5,500 FD) might be an option with his potential for clearances and tackles against the potent Arsenal attack.

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Bournemouth						Crystal Palace
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				111						277
				L L W D L D						L D L L L L
				7-5-10						4-4-14
11.77	4.23	13.95	8.32	18.32	20.00	11.86	3.73	14.18	8.77	23.55	21.86
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Wilson, Daniels, Stanislas		Ibe, Arter, Gradel		King, Fraser, Gradel, Stanislas, Daniels		Cabaye, Gayle, Wickham		Cabaye, Puncheon, Jedinak, Ward, Delaney		Townsend, Puncheon, Cabaye, Ledley

This matchup could end up being one that surprises people. Bournemouth have scored goals in all their recent matches except Chelsea. Meanwhile Crystal Palace have been terrible in recent weeks with just two points in their last 8 matches, and only 2 goals scored since Sam Allardyce has taken over as manager of the squad. The team is on the road against a Cherries team that hasn’t necessarily been playing well at home, but will look for this matchup against the Eagles to find their way back to the win column this week.

Bournemouth Top Plays

Junior Stanislas, Midfielder, $6,500 FD, $7,000 DK – The Bournemouth midfielder is the top ball-handler for the team and took 8 crosses last time out. He’s been taking the majority of the corners for the team and will likely continue to do so this week as well. Crystal Palace are a team that concedes a decent amount of crosses at a below average clip from the right side of the field putting Stanislas in a decent position to return on his relatively low price tag.

Bournemouth Secondary Plays

Adam Smith, Defender, $5,800 FD, $4,600 DK – He plays on the same side as Stanislas and should get the opportunity to push forward again this week as he did last time out when he ended up with an assist and seven crosses. Smith makes for a capable defender who can deliver some fantasy production on both sites but is not a must play by any stretch.

Callum Wilson, Forward, $7,100 FD, $6,100 DK – Wilson should have a good game here after failing to score against Watford last time out, but he’ll be worth looking at again if he gets the start. Afobe got the start two week ago, and could return this time, and either one would be ok in this spot as your secondary forward/utility spot to round off your lineup. Afobe is a bit cheaper at $6,900 on FD and $5,200 on DK.

Crystal Palace Top Plays

Wilfried Zaha, Midfielder, $6,200 FD, $7,000 DK – The price on FD is pretty cheap considering the role that Zaha plays on this team. Provided he arrived from The Gabon in time to be included in this matchup, Zaha should pick up right where he left off. The Ivory Coast had a short AFCON with just 2 points, but Zaha had a good tournament despite not scoring any goals. He’s back now, and there are rumors that he’s on his way to Tottenham, so be on the lookout for any late breaking transfer news, but these are more than likely just rumors with no truth behind them.

Crystal Palace Secondary Plays

Yohan Cabaye, Midfielder, $6,200 FD, $5,600 DK – Cabaye has the potential for a goal or assist in any matchup on this team. He still has no assists this season, and just 2 goals so far. However, his real value lies on FanDuel with his defensive stats being a staple that we can target and take advantage of the expanded scoring.

Burnley vs Leicester

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Burnley						Leicester
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				192						170
				L W W L W L						D L W D L L
				8-2-12						5-6-11
9.59	3.14	19.14	10.36	17.32	24.82	10.86	3.36	14.14	8.05	19.09	23.45
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Andre Gray, Sam Vokes		Dean Marney, Johann-Berg Gudmundsson		David Jones		Mahrez, Vardy		Mahrez, Drinkwater, Gray		Mahrez, Drinkwater, Gray

This matchup will be confusing to some to analyze, on the one hand, Burnley have been the fourth best team in their home stadium of Turf Moor, and thus are expected to get all three points because of this. On the other hand, the oddsmakers give Leicester a slight edge in this one despite Leicester not showing the sort of form that carried them to the title last season, but rather the sort of performances that people actually expected from them last season. Burnley were close to beating Arsenal last time out and Andre Gray now has two goals in two successive matches taking his total to seven on the season.

Burnley Top Plays

Andre Gray, Forward, $6,800 FD, $5,600 DK – with two goals in his last two matches, Gray is cementing himself as a capable Premier League striker. He’s managed to translate his scoring prowess in the Championship to the Premier League as he’s guiding his Burnley squad to safety in this year’s competition. Of his seven goals scored, he’s scored 5 of them at home with an average of 2.4 shots per game (up from 1.7 shots per game overall)

Tom Heaton, Goalkeeper, $7,200 FD, $4,900 DK – Playing at home also helps Heaton and the Burnley defense, as they’ve allowed only 11 goals at home, while allowing 22 goals away from home. Heaton made 39 of his 93 saves at home bringing his save-goals conceded ratio to 3.54, meanwhile on the road his save-goals conceded ratio is just 2.4, prompting us to focus on Heaton at home, especially when the team is an underdog as that guarantees him better results and higher fantasy outputs.

Burnley Secondary Plays

Johann Berg-Gudmundsson, Midfielder/Forward, $4,300 FD, $5,400 DK – it will be either JBG or Scott Arfield starting here, and my money is on Berg-Gudmundsson as he’s a more consistent player when getting the start. He’s taking corners and spot kicks for this team and is very cheap on both FD and DK in a very beatable matchup that should spell some solid fantasy contributions for him this week.

Leicester Top Plays

Marc Albrighton, Midfielder, $5,400 FD, $5,500 DK – With the team missing Slimani and with Mahrez coming in from his African Cup of Nations duties, Albrighton still remains the main play maker on this team and his performances have improved over the last few weeks despite the team’s drop in results. He had a big game against Derby in the FA cup last weekend with 17 crosses and while I don’t expect the same number of crosses this time, Leicester may be trying to control the midfield more this week and that would push for more Albrighton fantasy points.

Leicester Secondary Plays

Jamie Vardy, Forward, $7,500 FD, $5,900 DK – Vardy is way too cheap here that I can’t in good conscious ignore it. Vardy last season reached heights of close to 10K and was routinely among the top 5-10 highest priced forwards. This week he’s very cheap and worthy of a couple of GPP shots because of that cheap price tag. It’s hard to look at what Vardy is capable of and decide to ignore him.

Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Middlesbrough						West Bromwich Albion
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				175
				W L L D D L						L L W W L W
				4-8-10						9-5-8
9.00	2.32	14.00	8.59	19.82	21.59	10.00	3.14	13.68	8.14	19.73	22.45
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Ramirez, Downing		Ramirez, Downing		Downing, Ramirez, Friend		Berahino, Rondon, Gardner		Gardner, Rondon, McClean		Brunt, Gardner, McClean, Berahino

When Middlesbrough were promoted last season from the Championship, it was on the strength of their defense. They were hoping to carry that strength into a mid-table position in the Premier League this season. This has not panned out for them so far as they have just 18 goals in 22 matches and currently sit in 16th place after conceding 25 goals on the season. The team enters this matchup with some questions on defense as Barragan is out and Chambers and Friend are both doubts to play leaving them very thin at the back. This makes their matchup with a West Brom team that has been in attack mode most of the season. West Brom have had worse results on the road however with just 9 goals scored away from home this campaign leading us to think that this will end up being a very low scoring affair with both teams struggling in their respective situations.

Middlesbrough Top Plays

Victor Valdes, Goalkeeper, $6,400 FD, $5,100 DK – playing at home in a matchup without his top defenders means that Valdes should face more pressure from the opponents. More pressure means more shots, and more shots means more saves and/or more goals conceded. If Valdes has more saves than goals conceded then he’s had a good day. Probably not worth taking on DK because of his high price, but on FD, he’s one of my top keepers there.

Fabio, Defender, $5,300 FD, $4,700 DK – One of the few starting defenders available for Middlesbrough this week is Fabio who had two solid performances the last two weeks and it wasn’t through a goal or assist, but rather through crosses, tackles and interceptions that Fabio managed to add 16 and 17 points on DK and 20.25 and 22 on FD. Can he continue that trend?

West Bromwich Albion Top Plays

Matt Phillips, Midfielder, $6,600 FD, $6,800 DK – Phillips failed to make use of his chances against Sunderland last time out but he got close. This week he’s facing a team that is deceptive in its strength and will look to take advantage of them. He’s cheap enough on DK and FD to fit in most lineups and you’ll want to get some shares of Phillips as you build your teams this week.

West Bromwich Albion Secondary Plays

Chris Brunt, Midfielder, $6,200 FD, $5,000 DK – Brunt has come through a few times this season ith goals or assists. But he’s also had some matches where he’s given us nothing worth mentioning for fantasy purposes. The matchup with Middlesbrough will be a tough one, but I’m coming around to the idea that Brunt will have his strong outings where he finds the net or assists. At the least, he’s getting touches in the final third and that’s a recipe for continued success.

Sunderland vs Tottenham

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Sunderland						Tottenham
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				778						-256
				W L L D L L						W W W W W D
				4-3-15						13-7-2
9.95	2.86	18.41	10.82	16.09	24.36	17.73	6.23	9.55	5.91	19.50	15.82
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Borini, Defoe, Watmore		Khazri, Van Aanholt		Khazri, Januzaj, Gooch, van Aanholt		Kane, Chadli		Eriksen, Lamela, Kane, Walker		Eriksen, Lamela

Sunderland have given up. Well, not exactly, but the team this week has sold off Patrick Van Aanholt, who was their top defender and one of their better attacking options. They also happen to be hosting Tottenham this week, in a matchup that may as well not even take place as the outcome seems all but decided. The team will be without Papy Djilobodji as well, who is serving a four game ban, and have conceded 42 goals so far this season making them in the not-so-enviable position of being the most likely team to be relegated at the end of the year. For their opponent, Tottenham are a candidate for an all-team stack. Of course, stacking in soccer is not really a good idea, but there are some good correlation plays to take into account. For example, an underdog goalkeeper with the opponents striker, and a striker and midfielder partnership are two that come to mind.

Sunderland Top Plays

Vito Mannone, Goalkeeper, $6,400 FD, $3,700 DK – He’s going to face close to 30 shots with almost 10 of them on target. If Mannone saves 5-6 shots then he’s already reaching 20 fantasy points on FanDuel and if he manages to limit the damage on DK to just 1 or 2 goals he could have a positive outing there as well. Worst case scenario he concedes 4 goals and has 4 saves and ends up with 0 points. For $3,700 it would be a good strategy given the upside of the unlikely scenario of a clean sheet.

Sunderland Secondary Plays

Jermain Defoe, Forward, $7,900 FD, $6,600 DK – The law of “opposite day” seems to apply with whatever I write about Defoe. So for a change, I’m working on the reverse jinx this week. ahem Defoe will likely fail to earn a single point today. The matchup with Tottenham is too tough for him to break through and take a single shot, let alone score any goals. IF; and that’s a big if, you decide to roster him, may God have mercy on your soul.

Ok, now that that is done, Defoe is actually in a seemingly tough matchup, but he should have the skills and the ambition to try to steal a goal from this Spurs squad, use only in tournaments.

Tottenham Top Plays

Harry Kane, Forward, $12,900 FD, $9,500 DK – Kane is another top forward that is worth taking. The last time he played against a non-top 5 team Kane scored a hat-trick and ended up with 93 FanDuel points and 53 DraftKings points. There isn’t anything I can say to talk you into taking Kane, or into not taking Kane.

Christian Eriksen, Midfielder, $10,100 FD, $9,600 DK – The top play maker on this squad is going to try to make this game count as they face a weak Sunderland squad. Eriksen and the rest of the Tottenham squad should have their way with the defense that might be as porous as ever. Eriksen is a cheaper option on FD, but slightly more expensive on FD

Dele Alli, Midfielder, $9,300 FD, $8,200 DK – If you want to venture away from Kane or Eriksen, Alli is a great option as a cheaper offensive option on this team with his ability to score goals seemingly at will in recent weeks. If you look at the game logs, he has 9 goals in his last 8 matches. For the discount against a weak opponent, he’s a great play to target.

Swansea vs Southampton

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Swansea						Southampton
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				240						132
				L L L W L W						W L L L L W
				5-3-14						7-6-9
11.32	4.05	14.55	9.27	22.32	19.32	15.09	4.68	10.41	6.32	27.00	17.50
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Sigurdsson		Sigurdsson		Sigurdsson, Routledge, Stephen Kingsley		Tadic, Bertrand, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Davis		Tadic, Ward- Prowse, Redmond, Van Dijk		Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Davis, Bertrand

Don’t look now, but Swansea are out of the relegation zone with two wins in their last three matches and the team looks poised to continue that run. They managed to beat Liverpool in Anfield last time out in a surprise showing that may have been their win of the season. They were led by a brace from Fernando Llorente and a goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson. The team will look to continue that run int his matchup as they play host to Southampton. Southampton were utterly destroyed in the FA cup matchup with Arsenal over the weekend, but they did manage to book their place in the EFL cup final last Wednesday, so they were resting the majority of their top players. They come into this matchup with some confidence as they defeated Leicester 3-0 last time in the league. They are favorites here and are expected to come away victorious on the road.

Swansea Top Plays

Lukasz Fabianski, Goalkeeper, $6,400 FD, $4,400 DK – In standing tradition, the home team being an underdog makes for a great opportunity to target the goalkeeper. Fabianski is no different. They’re facing a Southampton squad that can be potent offensively. This should increase the projection for shots that Fabianski will face.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, Midfielder, $8,400 FD, $7,800 DK – As the top midfield orchestrator on this team, Siggy gets the nod here for the potential to get 15+ fantasy points on DK and 25+ on FD. He’s going to have the ball at his feet and will also be standing over free kicks. He scored a goal last week against Liverpool and will be excited to try to follow that effort up with another goal.

Swansea Secondary Plays

Fernando Llorente, Forward, $7,600 FD, $5,400 DK – The author of two goals last week, Llorente is likely a starter again this week in a formation that puts him as a lone striker. Look for Llorente to take anywhere between 3 and 6 shots this week against Southampton. Southampton have played better defense this season and they allow the fewest shots on target, giving us reason to think that a striker might not get a lot of opportunities to score which lowers Llorente’s projection a bit.

Southampton Top Plays

Nathan Redmond, Midfielder/Forward, $6,700 FD, $6,300 DK – He’s underpriced for the role he plays on this team as Redmond looks to continue that role as the talented midfielder looks to break out of a goal drought this week against Swansea. Teams have managed to score many goals against Swansea this season. Look for Redmond to try to add to that tally and get his fourth goal of the season this week.

Dusan Tadic, Midfielder, $6,500 FD, $7,100 DK – With the exception of the Arsenal match, which Tadic joined after the result was all but decided. Tadic has had the lead corner kick duty and has taken crosses aplenty for this team. He also scored a penalty kick last week against Leicester in the 3-0 win. He’s another option to consider as you build your teams against Swansea.

Southampton Secondary Plays

Cedric Soares, Defender, $5,900 FD, $5,500 DK – Another expensive defender that we are forced to look to. He has double digit DK fantasy points in his last three starts. Soares isn’t the cheapest option, but he is capable of getting some fantasy points this week especially in this matchup.

Liverpool vs Chelsea

Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm	Sh/Gm	SoT/Game	Shots A/Gm	Shots A in box /Gm	Cross/Gm	Cross A/Gm
Liverpool						Chelsea
				Vegas Odds						Vegas Odds
				159						199
				W W W D D L						W W W L W W
				13-6-3						18-1-3
17.32	6.23	7.82	4.18	20.95	14.09	14.64	5.23	8.55	4.68	19.05	17.45
Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks		Penalties		Direct Free Kicks		Corners & Indirect Free Kicks
Milner, Benteke, Henderson, Sturridge, Coutinho, Moreno		Philippe Coutinho, Lallana		Milner, Lallana, Coutinho, Henderson		Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas, Costa		Willian, Oscar, Fabregas, Matic		Willian, Fabregas

This is going to be a late-start match, but it only starts 15 minutes after the first set of matches, so you’ll have all the lineup information you need before lock. This match is going to be a big one, Chelsea are playing excellent football right now, while Liverpool have failed to show up for a couple of matchups and that has left them with just 2 points in their last 3 matchups and they saw themselves exit out of two cups in the last seven days. Needless to say, it’s not a good time to be a Reds fan these days, but hopefully a visit from Table-toppers Chelsea can drive some energy back into the team. Sadio Mane has potential to be back for this one and if he is back, then we should start seeing the club’s performances tilt back to respectability.

Liverpool Top Plays

James Milner, Defender/Midfielder, $7,500 FD, $7,700 DK – Slated as a full back for Liverpool, but listed as a midfielder on FanDuel and a Defender on DK, Milner is one of the more consistent fantasy options week in and week out. Of course, the matchup with Chelsea is a tough one as the Blues have been one of the best defenses in the league so far this season. Milner does have the upside of penalty kicks, he also takes corners and pushes forward on the attack and delivers crosses when given the space.

Philippe Coutinho, Midfielder, $10,000 FD, $8,800 DK – If you wish to target some other Liverpool players, Coutinho might be a possible option, he’s priced very high on both sites, but his ability to score goals is as good as any other midfielder out there this week. Look for Coutinho to get some shots and to facilitate the attack. Liverpool will try to rely on short quick passes to break down the Chelsea defense and Coutinho will find himself with some big chances more often than not.

Liverpool Secondary Plays

Loris Karius, Goalkeeper, $5,400 FD, $4,800 DK – For being a home team that is slightly favored, Loris Karius’ price is relatively cheap on both sites making him a very real option to consider. There is reason to get Karius in your teams, but there are probably some better keepers to target, which makes Karius a good contrarian option.

Chelsea Top Plays

Diego Costa, Forward, $12,400 FD, $8,600 DK – The joint-leader in goals scored is fired up to score another goal here. He sat the FA cup bout on Saturday so he’s well rested and ready to take on Liverpool in a match that should be fun to watch. Costa will likely come close to scoring even if he doesn’t score outright. He’s a contrarian pick from Kane and Sanchez and one you can rely on to show up and put the pressure on the Reds defense.

Pedro, Forward, $8,900 FD, $7,300 DK – Pedro has been great for this team this season and he’s coming off a goal and assist in the FA cup. Pedro has been a big part of this team’s recent success and he’s helped them push their offense forward and maintain a balance that keeps them from being susceptible to counter attacks as well.

Chelsea Secondary Plays

Marcos Alonso, Defender/Midfielder, $7,700 FD, $5,700 DK – Alonso is similar to Milner in that both are defenders that push forward and play as part of the offense. Alonso doesn’t have as high a floor as Milner however, and he’s on the road so the goal potential is decreased. Look for Alonso to be part of the attack if Chelsea manage to get it together for that.