The Starting XI - EPL Match Week 33
Thanks to two FA Cup semifinals taking place this weekend, the EPL slate on DraftKings will look lighter than usual, however the huge clash between league leaders Chelsea and Manchester United will help keep us busy on Saturday.
Besides the big occasion at Stamford Bridge, the first thing that catches the eye is the lack of offensive names to choose from this weekend. WIth both Arsenal and Liverpool busy with FA Cup duties (Aston Villa too) and the likes of Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku, Robin Van Persie, and potentially Loic Remy nursing various degrees of injuries, the forward selection for Saturday looks scarce to say the least. It gets a bit better on Sunday thanks to Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane both being in action, but Saturday will definitely require players to be at their drafting best.
As he does each week, Ernestiko will highlight eleven players (2 GK, 3 DEF, 3 MF, 3 FW) from this weekend’s DraftKings slate, who could have big performances.
GK Julian Speroni $5,000 – Crystal Palace
As seen in recent weeks, Crystal Palace is a side finishing this campaign strong and nobody should be surprised if they squeak into the top half of the table by season’s end. Saturday’s matchup against West Brom perfectly highlights two teams going in completely opposite directions with Crystal Palace having reeled off four straight wins and West Brom suffering three consecutive losses. While Palace don’t keep many clean sheets, Speroni’s last four games have read 9, 11, 11, 11 in FPTs.
GK Joe Hart $5,500 – Manchester City
Hart is by far the best play on Sunday’s GK slate and Man City desperately need to right their ship on the back of two straight losses. City currently find themselves in 4th position in the league table with Liverpool breathing down their necks for the final Champions League spot next season. A home match versus a West Ham side having lost four of their last six and playing for nothing should be the perfect remedy for correcting City’s recent issues.
DEF Kieran Trippier $5,500 – Burnley
Trippier will likely be in many lineups and for good reason. The game against Everton will feature several wing backs who love to go forward and pour crosses into danger zones so Trippier will likely have free reign down the right flank. Statistically, nobody in the Premier League sends in more crosses than Trippier.
DEF Branislav Ivanovic $5,500 – Chelsea
It is big games like the one this weekend that have given Ivanovic his DFS fame so it’s no surprise he’s on the list of top defenders this weekend. Given that many of the higher priced forwards are unavailable on Saturday’s slate, there should be leeway in including the higher rated defenders. Ivanovic has five goals and four assists in the league but hasn’t had any since February. He’s due.
DEF Alexsandar Kolarov $4,600 – Manchester City
DFS players won’t be too disappointed to see usual City left back Gael Clichy be out for this weekend’s visit from West Ham as Kolarov provides the better fantasy play. He last featured in the Premier League in March against Leicester and delivered 17 FPTS in large part to 9 delivered crosses. Kolarov is also prone to delivering freekicks bringing an offensive element to a defensive role.
MF Eden Hazard $9,400 – Chelsea
Hazard is at the focal point of virtually everything Chelsea does and is arguably the one player in the side that hasn’t tapered off at any point this season. The numbers back up Hazard’s influence as he has been involved in 31% of Chelsea’s 64 league goals (12 goals, 8 assists). With Chelsea having somewhat of an injury crisis among their center forwards, Hazard will be counted on once again this weekend.
MF Frank Lampard $4,800 – Manchester City
This is one to certainly keep an eye on but could provide tremendous flexibility in Sunday’s lineups. Lampard is rarely in City’s starting lineup but given James Milner is out injured and Yaya Toure’s drop in form, Lampard could be in line for a surprise start against the club he grew up with, West Ham. It would certainly be special for Lampard as he prepares to head over to the MLS and should he get the nod, his five goals in limited action this season may warrant a play.
MF Yannick Bolasie $7,200 – Crystal Palace
Hopefully, we didn’t miss the boat by not highlighting Bolasie last week and he has a follow up act after his hat trick and 44 FPTS performance last week. Crystal Palace are flying right now while West Brom are crashing down the table so the table could be set for the Bolasie sequel.
FW David Nugent $5,800 – Leicester City
Leicester face a huge game this weekend when welcoming Swansea. A win could see Leicester creep out of the relegation zone depending on what Hull does with their game in hand and keep their Premier League hopes for next season alive. The game against Swansea comes at a good time for City as Swansea have some injury concerns and Nugent looks to be the guy to capitalize if the home side are to get a massive three points. Nugent has two goals and one assist in his last three games so the form suggests he could be key on Saturday.
FW Sergio Aguero $10,300 – Manchester City
Aguero was the lone bright spot in City’s disappointing loss to rivals Manchester United last weekend, netting both goals. Another good performance from Aguero could see him rise to the top of the scoring list with our next selection not far behind.
FW Harry Kane $10,100 – Tottenham Hotspur
A Starting XI regular, Kane will be buoyed by making the finalists list this week for the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. While Spurs come in with questionable form, they face a dreadful Newcastle side who have lost five straight and are showing zero signs of life. Kane has struggled in his last two matches after netting a hat trick so facing Newcastle could bring “HurriKane” back to scoring ways.
SUBSTITUTE BENCH
GK Tim Howard $5,200 – Everton
DEF Danny Rose $4,000 – Tottenham
MF Aaron Lennon $6,100 – Everton
MF David Silva $8,400 – Manchester City
FW Glenn Murray $4,000 – Crystal Palace
FW Danny Ings $5,800 – Burnley