Soccer Weekly Plays: EPL Week 6
Welcome to the EPL weekly soccer plays. When DraftKings kicked off their soccer tournaments last week, it caught a lot of people by surprise, and it also got several folks over at RotoGrinders really excited (namely myself). So, this week we are bringing you some soccer coverage in order to provide the best possible preparation for this week’s exciting EPL GPPs on DraftKings. Let’s not waste any more time — I’ll get right into the picks.
Goalkeepers
This week is tricky as several of the top goal keepers have negative matchups, which puts some of them out of play, On top of that, the ones with good matchups are not big household names, so you can go cheap and contrarian and still be getting the best value on the board.
Fraser Forster ($4,300) – Southampton – The Southampton goalkeeper enters this match with a three-game win streak in EPL and three clean sheets in his last five games. Moreover, he also manned the goal in his clubs League Cup matchup against Arsenal where they won 2-1. To say he is the hottest goalkeeper in the league would be an understatement. If you look at who he will be facing, you’ll see that he’s facing a Queens Park Rangers team that has struggled to find its identity lately. They are a team that takes a lot of shots at 15.2 shots a game, but they score at a paltry 0.6 goals per game. This is a perfect recipe for success for a goalkeeper. There is a bit of an inherent risk as they are a team that gets a lot of shots off, and you can’t expect a three-percent scoring rate to continue, but when facing a goalie who is as hot as Forster, I’m willing to take that chance.
Wojciech Szczensy ($4,100) – Arsenal – The price is surprisingly low on the Arsenal goalkeeper, considering he was one of the top performers last week and should again be a top performer this weekend. Arsenal are undefeated in their last 20 home games and they face a team in Tottenham that is coming off a loss to West Brom Albion. Tottenham attempted seven total shots last time out, with only four of them coming off of open play. Arsenal does not allow many set pieces to the opposition and only allows opponents to shoot 8.4 times per game. This is an important match to both teams, as it is the North London Derby and these teams absolutely hate each other. I think Szczensy plays well and Arsenal should be getting the W in this game.
Other GKs I Like
Lukasz Fabianski ($3,700) – Swansea
David De Gea ($4,000) – Manchester United (I know he’s coming off a bad game, and has a defense that looked lost last time out, but De Gea makes a decent tournament play as West Ham take 14 shots per game, and if he can get some saves off of some of those he will pay off his price. In addition, Manchester United will be looking to get that ugly loss out of the way from last game, and will play with a renewed focus on defense…..maybe)
Defenders
My favorite play on defense is to stack defenders with the goalkeepers from their teams, especially if that team is predicted to maintain a clean sheet (CS)
Nathanial Clyne ($4,100) and Ryan Bertrand ($4,000) – Southampton I prefer Bertrand over Clyne, as Bertrand has been more consistent at getting crosses in and he launches up the left flank to deliver them to the forwards. Clyne has also been active on the right side, and together they seem to drift forward as part of the attack to help the offense quite a bit. These are the players that can win GPPs, especially if Southampton can hold a lost QPR from scoring any goals.
Neil Taylor ($3,400) – Swansea The Left Back (LB) for Swansea leads his team in crosses and he, like Bertrand. tends to launch up the left side and assist the offense. He’s not as prolific as Bertrand, but he’s playing a Sunderland team that can allow an organized team to take advantage of them. Moreover, his team is in line as a favorite, which puts him as having a chance at the Clean Sheet bonus.
Others I Like
Calum Chambers ($2,500) – Arsenal, Kieran Gibbs ($3,700) – Arsenal, Gael Clichy ($3,100) – Manchester City
Midfielders
Cesc Fabregas ($9,200) – Chelsea Fabregas is my pick for the midfielder to feed his front line with the most opportunities. I also suspect that he’ll be getting up front a few times and taking some shots. Fabregas was quiet in the last game versus Manchester City, as his manager committed himself to a defensive game plan that left his team relying on the counter attack, subsequently minimizing Fabregas and his involvement in the team’s attack. Look for Fabregas to reach double-digit fantasy points and provide his forwards with several chances to score.
Gylfi Sigurdsson ($7,200) – Swansea Swansea is one of the teams that I am expecting to play well this week. Last week they suffered because of Wilfred Bony earning two yellow cards, which disrupted his team’s offense. It will also cost Bony the opportunity to play in this game versus Sunderland. Because of his absence, somebody will have to step up, and Sigurdsson is an attacking style midfielder who can load up and provide an attacking flair. To start the season he has recorded between one and three crosses in every game. Moreover, he’s provided four assists on the season, and he’s drawn eight fouls in the first five games of the season. Sigurdsson will be important for the success of Swansea this week, and I suspect that he’ll deliver.
Others I Like
Nacer Chadli ($7,100) – Tottenham, Angel Di Maria ($10,700) Manchester United, Steward Downing ($7,000) West Ham United, Dusan Tadic ($6,700) Southampton, Miles Jedinak ($5,400) Crystal Palace
Forwards
Disclaimer: Diego Costa is the top forward in the Premier League so far, and if you can fit him in a game that is expected to be high scoring, you do it.
Robin Van Persie ($8,900) – Manchester United – He opened his account last weekend for Manchester United, and he’s too good of an offensive player to not score a ton this year. This game has a high over under set at three, and I suspect that RVP will be involved somehow. He will at least take a few shots and might be subjected to some fouls as well. West Ham United commits close to 11 fouls per game and WHU is very bad at defending crosses, which leads me to believe that RVP’s header ability will come into play.
Diafra Sakho ($5,900) – West Ham United – A lot of people will be on Ulloa after his double score last game, and the fact that he’s on a three-game scoring streak. However, I’m not 100% sold that he can keep it up for one more game, and even though the matchup is there and I wouldn’t fault you for taking Ulloa, I’m probably only using him in GPPs. I do believe that Sakho is in a good position to succeed in this game, Manchester United looked lost last week and will be susceptible to a score from WHU. I know I touted De Gea as a GPP goalie earlier, but I am not 100% confident in him (that’s why he’s a GPP play). Sakho is talented and cheap, and you’ll have to roster one more cheapie if you want to fit any of the top notch forwards this week.
Gabriel Agbonlahor ($6,000) – Aston Villa – Chelsea might be the highest scoring team in the league, but they also play some questionable defense at times. Agbonlahor actually played decent last game and was in several spots where he could have scored, only to end up missing the ball several times. The chances were there, and they won’t show up on the box score, but his heat chart shows him right at the goal, and there is high potential that he can finally convert on several of his chances that might show up in this game
Others I Like
Danny Welbeck ($8,600) – Arsenal, Wayne Rooney ($10,200) – Manchester United, Emmanuel Adebayor ($7,700) Tottenham, Bafetimbi Gomis ($6,100) Swansea City, Graziano Pelle ($7,300) Southampton