EPL Top Plays: Week 26
After a midweek Champions League bouts, and some Europa League as well, there are several teams that are on short rest and will be looking to exploit their depth, which means that you’ll have to make certain that the guys you choose to roster are actually playing in the games Saturday. As always, Twitter is your friend when it comes to starting elevens, so make sure to follow me on Twitter at DFS_Hambazaza and I’ll do my best to post the lineups as they become available.
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, Manchester City $5,500 – Hart is my choice for an expensive keeper for the slate as he is facing a Newcastle team that is not the most prolific offensive machine. Hart is slightly cheaper than Thibaut Courtois but he has the same potential as the Chelsea keeper, which puts them both in play. A lot of people will be on the Chelsea keeper by name recognition alone.
Allan McGregor, Hull City $4,600 – If you want to go slightly cheaper, Allan McGregor should be on your radar as Hull faces a QPR team that has struggled mightily on the road this season. Even with Charlie Austin back this week, McGregor is likely to be one of the top keepers to roster as he has the talent and his team will play some good defense. Moreover, if Austin is active, but not effective, McGregor could end up seeing several shots on target that result in saves, thus increasing his overall value.
Other Goalkeepers I Like: Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea ($5,700), David Ospina – Arsenal ($5,100), Asmir Begovic – Stoke ($4,400), Costel Pantilimon – Sunderland ($4,500)
Defenders
Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea $5,100 – After scoring in midweek in the Champions League and getting Chelsea closer to advancing to the next round, Ivanovic is now on a very hot streak of two goals in his last three matches. He is one of the top attacking defenders in the world right now and has the instincts of a striker. More than that however, is that Chelsea’s offensive philosophy allows him to excel at what makes defenders valuable on DraftKings. Ivanovic will deliver crosses, has a high floor and a high ceiling as well as he can provide goals and assists.
Kieran Trippier, Burnley $4,900 – On the other side of the ball, Kieran Trippier is the second most expensive defender on the slate tomorrow. While it may seem like a cop out listing my top two defenders as 1a and 1b being the most expensive defenders, these guys really are that reliable. Trippier averages close to eight crosses a game, and you can’t go wrong rostering him on your teams Saturday.
Patrick Van Aanholt, Sunderland $3,500 – This pick is a bit of a risk. He’s been in good positions for the last three weeks yet hasn’t had a good game except in the matchup against Burnley on January 31st. Van Aanholt makes a good stack option with Pantilimon if you choose to go that route with your keeper.
Other Defenders I Like: Alan Hutton – Aston Villa ($3,700), Gael Clichy – Manchester City ($4,300), Cesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea ($4,400), Phil Bardsley – Stoke City ($3,300), Erik Pieters – Stoke City ($3,200)
Midfielders
Mesut Ozil, Arsenal $8,000 – Since the calendar turned to February, Ozil has been one of the hottest players in the league, in his last three games he has two goals and two assists and has averaged almost three crosses a game, 2 shots a game and almost a foul drawn a game. In that span, Arsenal have managed to claw their way into fifth place and are in a fierce fight for a champions league spot. There is no reason to believe that Ozil will miss this matchup and if he does get the start he makes for a great under the radar play that can pay dividends.
Oscar, Willian, Cuadrado, Chelsea One of these there will end up starting, the way Chelsea’s fluid offense works is that any one of the midfielders can act as creative outlets for the attack and can initiate the offense. Because of this, it is very difficult to recommend a single one from this team. Chelsea has a great chance at scoring goals, if you had to select one, I would go with Cuadrado as the narrative street play as he is trying to prove himself in this Chelsea team and earn his playing time. Of course, that is contingent on him starting this match. If Cuadrado doesn’t start, or you don’t want to pay his price ($6,400), then Willian is my next choice at $5,500. Willian is coming off a forgettable game against PSG in the UCL and many will remember that, and thus will avoid him due to recency bias making him an excellent GPP play. Of course, you can pay up and go with Oscar, Fabregas or Hazard, all three options are explosive and have potential to score goals, however, if you want to win a GPP you’ll need a player who is low owned and has the potential to score a goal.
Ahmed Elmohamady, Hull $6,200 – Elmo has been delivering crosses and has been a threat at the goal, if you want a cheap play on a team that should be in line for a goal or two, Elmohamady should be involved and might deliver a few crosses that might lead to chances.
Other Midfielders I Like: Eden Hazard – Chelsea ($9,300), Yanick Bolasie – Crystal Palace ($5,900), Jefferson Montero (If starting) – Swansea ($4,200), Angel Di Maria – Manchester United ($8,700), Sebastian Larsson – Sunderland ($5,400), Victor Moses – Stoke ($6,100)
Forwards
Diego Costa, Chelsea $10,200 – You have to consider Costa one of the most talented strikers in the world when healthy. Add in a great matchup against a Burnley squad that has given up the most goals in the last six matches in the premier league, and you have a recipe for success. Every time Costa takes the field he has multi-goal upside, and I believe this week he reaches that upside.
Olivier Giroud, Arsenal $9,100 – With Alexis Sanchez returning to the lineup, many will expect that Giroud falls to the #2 option on offense and that the goals will shift back to Alexis. However, Alexis is a better play maker than Giroud and has more talent that can lead to him playing wide with Giroud playing as a lone striker. That alone puts Giroud as the top striker option for Arsenal, a team that is expected to put up some goals this weekend.
Dame N’Doye, Hull City $4,800 – This is an easy pick, Hull is playing Queens Park Rangers at home. QPR are the worst defensive team on the road, N’Doye is really cheap and just joined Hull and in his first full game of action ten days ago against Aston Villa managed to put up an assist and a goal for 27 fantasy points. His price is still too cheap for what he’s capable of, so take advantage of it while you can.
Other Forwards I Like: Radamel Falcao – Manchester United ($8,400), Jermaine Defoe – Sunderland ($6,000), Brown Ideye – WBA ($5,600), Sergio Aguero – Manchester City ($10,300), Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal ($9,600), Wilfried Bony – Manchester City ($7,900), Danny Ings – Burnley ($6,000), Peter Crouch – Stoke ($5,900)