EPL Top Plays: Saturday, March 4th
Welcome to Gameweek 27 in EPL. This week we’ve got six matches to tackle as we look to build our best lineups for the games on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Because of time constraints, this week I’m moving away from a Grind Down and pivoting to a “top plays” article. Next week you should expect a Grind Down to be back with all the goodness that you expect. I will still provide the rankings over on the Marketplace package, along with team and player projections. There is also a strategy section that gives you a heads up on MLS and how to play MLS contests in general (and how they differ from EPL and UCL).
Goalkeepers
Heurelho Gomes, Watford, $4,600 DK, $6,600 FD – There are not a lot of great options at goalkeeper this week with most home teams either being favorites or matches being an even toss up. Gomes stands out due to playing at home and hosting a Southampton team that will challenge him as they try to get away with a win. Gomes has shown the ability this season to get multiple saves in a game and truly carry his team when they need him the most. He’s facing one of the hottest strikers in the league in Gabbiadini, but that only makes him more appealing.
Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester, $5,300 DK, $6,300 FD – They finally have a win, and a marquee one at that. The defending champs emerged from their matchup with Liverpool 3-1 victors after struggling for the majority of 2017 and failing to score a single league goal in that span. Now that they have that monkey off their back, they’ll look to take on a Hull team that should be beatable. Schmeichel is listed as questionable at the moment, but if he gets the start, he’s one of my favorite keepers to target this week where I’m looking to spend up.
Defenders
Erik Pieters, Stoke, $4,600 DK, $6,100 FD – Stoke are going to be an interesting team this week. They’re facing a Middlesbrough team that doesn’t challenge much offensively. That means that defenders like Pieters will have opportunities to attack and support the offense. This gives Pieters an offensive game that raises his floor and ceiling together as it gives us a chance to stack up our team with players that should get forward most of the time.
Cedric Soares, Southampton, $5,300 DK, $6,100 FD – Speaking of players that get forward a lot, Soares is a good play to target in a relatively thin defense this week. Soares has the potential to touch the ball plenty in the opponents final third. In his last five games he’s averaged 25 touches in the final third a game. In that span he’s translated that to 11.8 DK points and 23.1 FD points.
Craig Dawson, West Brom, $4,000 DK, $5,800 FD – West Brom is a team I want exposure to as they host Crystal Palace. That will start with the full backs and Dawson makes for an interesting target in that regard. Palace should concede some possession this week and that gives the defenders for WBA a chance to spread out and attack, similar to Pieters from Stoke. Dawson is slightly cheap and could make for a good player to target on DK.
Midfielders
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea, $9,300 DK, $9,900 FD – Sigurdsson is one of the best players in the league. And even though I say this on a regular basis, it doesn’t stop being true. This week as Swansea take on a weak Burnley squad that still doesn’t have a win in their pockets, Sigurdsson becomes a must play. He’s going against a team that has allowed 25 goals so far this season and as the top corner kick taker, free kick taker and penalty taker on the squad he gets the biggest chance at scoring a goal among any player on that team. Swansea are also on a two game winning streak at home and that should extend to three when they are done with this match.
Nathan Redmond, Southampton, $5,700 DK, $6,700 FD – Southampton played an inspired match against Manchester United in the final to the EFL cup, and while they still came away with just second place, they played very well. The midfield in particular was very organized and at times outplayed the Red Devils. Redmond had a lot to say about that as he was active on the left hand side of the field. He’ll be matched up with Janmaat who has had rough defensive outings in the past and Redmond will be active in the attack and could put the pressure on him.
Chris Brunt, West Brom, $6,100 DK, $6,400 FD – Another West Brom player to consider is Brunt as he looks to snap a string of below average performances in recent weeks. Brunt is a tournament option for me on both DraftKings and FanDuel as he tries to break through against a weaker Crystal Palace squad. Brunt is matched up with Zaha on the other side and that should improve both players’ outputs and offensive and defensive numbers. Brunt gets the nod over Zaha due to playing at home.
Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool, $9,400 DK, $9,400 FD – Coutinho and Liverpool will be looking to snap out of their funk in this week’s match after losing to the previously scoreless-in-2017 Leicester City. They now get to host Arsenal in a match that has all the pressure on the hosts as they have now slipped to 5th place and are just 1 point ahead of Manchester United and a fall out of European contention altogether for next season. Coutinho is a dynamo for this Liverpool team, he’s very active and puts pressure on the defense opposite him. Arsenal have made mistakes defensively that a talented player like Coutinho could take advantage of in the right circumstance. If I had to put my money on one player to break through for the Reds, it would be the Brazilian.
Forwards
Manolo Gabbiadini, Southampton, $8,100 DK, $8,300 FD – With two goals and a third uncounted goal in the EFL cup final, Gabbiadini announced his arrival on the big stage for English Football fans. Of course, if you’d been paying attention you’d know that he had scored in three straight games for Napoli before his move to the Saints, and since his arrival has started his games with five goals in three games in the Saints uniform. Gabbiadini is the hottest striker in the world right now and he’s facing a Watford team that is without a clean sheet in 6 games. Gabbiadini should score, but even if he doesn’t he’ll be active enough to warrant a roster spot in all formats.
Fernando Llorente, Swansea, $5,200 DK, $8,000 FD – With Swansea facing a weak Burnley team, taking Llorente at home should pay dividends. He’s a better option in DraftKings than on FanDuel because of his cheap price tag, but looking at his contributions and potential contribution, you could take him in both sites and feel comfortable with it.
Jamie Vardy, Leicester, $5,900 DK, $7,500 FD – He finally broke out of his goal scoring slump with a goal against Sevilla in the Champions League, then he followed it up with a brace against Liverpool and is finally back on track. Until his price on DK catches up to him, I’ll be rostering him regularly in order to maximize returns.