EPL Week 25, Tuesday: Top DFS Plays
It’s a quick turnaround in the world of fantasy soccer and we have a midweek set of fixtures in the EPL. DraftKings has upped the prizepools once again and Tuesday’s slate has a $10K Golden Boot, a $10K Equalizer, a $4.5K Nutmeg as well as some satellites to tomorrow’s $15K Treble for $300.
If you enjoy seeing the large prize pools in other sports and wish that DK would increase their prize pools for soccer, then now is your chance to enter a team or two into this and try to help further the push to increase the overall prizepools. Today we have four games to tackle and some interesting matchups. Make sure to check starting lineups, and remember lineups lock at 2:45PM EST, so you have plenty of time to get your teams figured out, and you’ll have a decent afternoon sweat going.
Be sure to follow me on twitter @DFS_Hambazaza and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Good luck.
Goalkeepers:
Costel Pantilimon, Sunderland – $4,900 – He’s been playing very well recently and is very capable of holding a clean sheet as well as recording some excellent saves. He’s facing a QPR team that is missing Charlie Austin due to injury and has struggled on the road so far this season, scoring only 6 goals and losing all 11 games. I have him as the top goalkeeper on the slate followed closely by David Ospina, but Pantilimon is slightly cheaper and facing a manager-less opponent.
David Ospina, Arsenal – $5,300 – Speaking of Ospina, I do like this Arsenal team today. They have a juicy matchup against Leicester, who have just sacked their manager and have lost three straight games in the Premier League. Arsenal’s midfield is a bit tough to predict with Alexis Sanchez returning, but their defense is still strong and Ospina might not get as much supply for saves as other keepers. I still like him for the win, and the threat for the clean sheet comes only from Riyad Mahrez (more on him later).
Allan McGregor, Hull City – $4,300 – If you want to go cheap for keeper, look no further than Allan McGregor and Hull City, as they face an Aston Villa team that might be one of the worst offensive sides in the EPL. They managed to get a score on Chelsea’s defense, but I’ll take my chances that they won’t repeat that feat twice in two games. The main fear I have is that Agbonlahor is now starting and he is a capable forward who can challenge McGregor. McGregor should have to make some saves, which will make him appealing. If you want to go contrarian, you can try to roster Villa’s keeper, Brad Guzan as he should see some supply as well. I am however not as confident in Guzan as I am in McGregor.
Other Keepers I Like: Hugo Lloris – Tottenham ($4,600) , Simon Mignolet – Liverpool ($4,800)
Defenders:
Alberto Moreno, Liverpool – $3,700 – Playing midfield for Liverpool but listed as defender on DraftKings makes Moreno a great play. Liverpool have recently switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation with Moreno playing as a LM, and it has given him more freedom and has pushed him the furthest up the field as he has been in recent weeks. Moreno has benefited from the Clean Sheets his side has managed recently but, unfortunately, playing against Kane this week I don’t trust the chances for a Clean Sheet as much this week. However, he should have some supply to provide some shots on target as well as some crosses and touches in the final third.
Hector Bellerin, Arsenal – $4,400 – Arsenal’s right full back should be in line for another start this week, as he faces a Leicester City team that directs most of its supply from the other side of the pitch, thus giving Bellerin fewer defensive responsibilities. I suspect that Bellerin will find himself venturing forward quite a bit this week and a 4+ crosses delivered match should be in order.
Danny Rose, Tottenham – $3,900 – Tottenham have been on fire recently and have very good form heading into this matchup with Liverpool. They currently sit in fifth in the Premier League and have a shot at a Champions League spot. Rose has started all the recent matchups at the left back position and he should be back again in this match (although whoscored.com has him coming off the bench, I’ll believe it when I see it). In his last few games Rose has fantasy point totals of 18, 10, 15, 4, 22. He has a low floor, but also a very high ceiling as he draws fouls, delivers crosses and can land an assist or goal. If he’s in the starting XI, don’t hesitate to roster him.
Other Defenders I Like: Anthony Reveillere – Sunderland ($3,800), Kieran Gibbs – Arsenal ($4,000), Kyle Walker – Tottenham ($3,700), Patrick Van Aanholt – Sunderland ($3,700)
Midfielders:
Christian Eriksen, Tottenham – $8,000 – Eriksen plays on the same side of the field as Rose, and can deliver several crosses a game. This Spurs team is one that plays off the wings a lot, and Eriksen is the main corner kick taker and the main free kick taker for this team, so he can be a threat any time there is a foul outside the penalty box.
Ahmed Elmohamady, Hull City – $5,900 – He’s been great for the Hull City midfield, and twice in the last three weeks he’s hit the crossbar with a header from a set piece. Elmohamady is a threat to score recently and he’s been delivering an absurd amount of crosses. Over the last four game days he’s had 21 total crosses, good for fourth in the EPL. You can roster him and expect somewhat low ownership, as most people will overlook him since he never actually scored recently, even though he did come close several times.
Mesut Ozil, Arsenal – $8,300 – I love the Arsenal midfield, but it’s tough to know who to target between Ozil, Cazorla, Ramsey and Walcott. Plus, with the return of Alexis Sanchez, it makes for a tough call on who has to sit between that bunch to make way for Sanchez. I predict that Cazorla is the most likely to sit, given that he was subbed off at the 66th minute last time out. Ozil has scored twice in the last two games and makes for a great play, as he’s been extremely active in the offensive end. In these two games Ozil has had a 64 total touches in the final third, 13 touches in the penalty area, 7 total crosses and 6 assist potentials resulting in 1 assist. With the return of Sanchez, his touches in the final third should decrease, but his crosses and chances created should increase. Expect Ozil to put up some good numbers today.
Other Midfielders I Like: Riyad Mahrez – Leicester ($5,300), Adam Johnson – Sunderland ($5,300), Sebastian Larsson – Sunderland ($5,600), Sone Aluko – Hull ($4,800), Carles Gil – Aston Villa ($5,000)
Forwards:
Harry Kane, Tottenham – $10,100 – There is nothing you can do to hold back the English striker. He’s been a great goal threat ever since he started playing regularly for Tottenham. With 10 goals in his last 10 games, Kane is a tremendous talent with great upside, and I would not be surprised with a goal or two by Citizen Kane in this matchup. If you can fit him in, do it.
Oliver Giroud, Arsenal – $9,200 – Alexis Sanchez might be back this week, and logic dictates that Giroud might get less opportunities at goal, but the way I see it is defenses will be keying in on stopping Alexis, leaving Giroud open or at least not marked as heavily. Giroud could be the indirect beneficiary from Sanchez being back, so he makes an excellent GPP pivot from all those rostering Kane and Sanchez.
Jermaine Defoe, Sunderland – $6,300 – He’s my favorite cheap forward play on the day. Defoe has scored two goals in his last two games and ever since he’s been signed by Sunderland he’s provided a boost to their offense. His price has risen to $6,300, but his true price should be closer to $8,000, so until he reaches that threshold I’ll continue putting him in all my lineups, as the upside outweighs the risk.
Other Forwards I Like: Eduardo Vargas – QPR ($5,200), Gabriel Agbonlahor – Aston Villa ($4,600), Daniel Sturridge – Liverpool ($8,100), Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal ($9,700)