Daily Fantasy Soccer Picks for English Premier League - DraftKings 3/01/16

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We are treated to some Premier League action in midweek and there’s a $25,000 prize pool up for grabs in Tuesday’s EPL slate. There are some crucial games taking place, but non-more important than Leicester City’s home match versus West Bromwich Albion. Despite being one of the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, Leicester City are now the bookmakers favourite to win the League and should they win the League, it would arguably be the biggest shock in the Premier League’s history.

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Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois – DK 4,100
Opponent – Norwich
Goalkeepers receive five points for a clean sheet, five if their side wins the match but lose two points each time they concede a goal, therefore selecting a strong goalkeeper is important to succeed. Chelsea are the most likely winners of the sides playing on Tuesday, therefore Thibaut Courtois is the obvious choice in goal. Chelsea’s opponents, Norwich have failed to score in three of their last four matches and Chelsea have improved defensively since Guus Hiddink’s arrival, as a result there’s reason to believe that Courtois will keep a clean sheet against poor opposition.

 

Forwards

Romelu Lukaku – DK 7,600
Opponent – Aston Villa
Romelu Lukaku is not quite the most expensive striker this slate but he’s priced at $7,600 for good reason. First of all, he faces poor opposition in the form of Aston Villa who have conceded 14 goals in their last five matches. Secondly, he’s averaged 13.2 points per game this campaign and of the strikers available in this slate, only Jamie Vardy has averaged more. Goals are obviously crucial to success and Lukaku has scored 16 goals in his 26 appearances this season and two of those came in the reverse of this fixture earlier this season.

Diego Costa – DK 7,000
Opponent – Norwich City
As I mentioned earlier when I was talking about Oscar, Norwich are the worst side in the Premier League defensively, they’ve conceded 51 goals this season which is more than any other side. Thus leading me to believe that Diego Costa is a good option up front. Despite not matching the form of last season, Costa has still averaged 10.5 points per game and you’d expect him to outscore his average against poor opposition. In the Spaniard’s last 13 matches, he’s scored nine times and assisted six goals in all competitions, therefore we can assume that Diego Costa is finding form again.

 

Midfielders

Yannick Bolasie – DK 5,000
Opponent – Sunderland
Yannick Bolasie has been out injured for a number of weeks but he’s recently made a couple of substitute appearances and is almost certain to start against Sunderland. He came on at half time versus West Brom at the weekend and scored eight points in just 45 minutes. The Crystal Palace winger is an excellent point-scorer and should be valued closer to the $6,000 mark, he’s averaged 12.6 points per game so far this season. Before his injury, Bolasie went eight consecutive games of scoring 10 points or more which indicates what a consistent point-scorer he is. Finally, he’s facing Sunderland who are 19th in the League, therefore it’s safe to assume that he’ll get plenty of opportunities to score points against a poor opposition.

Aaron Lennon – DK 3,300
Opponent – Aston Villa
First of all, I’d wait for team news before selecting Aaron Lennon in your side because Roberto Martinez has chosen to rotate the Englishman this season, but if Lennon does start, he’ll be an excellent addition to your side at $3,300. DraftKings shows Lennon’s average points per game at 5.9 this season, however this doesn’t do him justice because it’s only recently that he’s started playing the full 90 minutes. Four of Lennon’s last five matches has seen him score 23, 15, 15 and 11 points which shows that he can be a top point-scorer if he starts against the worse side in the League, Aston Villa.

Oscar – DK 5,300
Opponent – Norwich City
With Pedro out of this fixture injured, Oscar is likely to come in and replace the Spaniard and as a result is undervalued at $5,300. It’s important to note that Chelsea are facing Norwich who are the worst side in the League defensively. They’ve conceded an astonishing 51 goals this season which is more than any other Premier League side, so Oscar will surely have a few opportunities to score. The Brazilian midfielder has averaged 9.1 points per game this season despite not starting every match. Since joining Chelsea, Oscar has scored 32 and assisted 26 goals in 162 appearances, therefore it’s clear that he has the potential to be score lots of points against Norwich.

 

Defenders

Seamus Coleman – DK 4,100
Opponent – Aston Villa
Seamus Coleman is arguably the best right back in England and against Aston Villa he’s poised to be a top point-scoring defender in this slate. He’s averaged 9.5 points per game this season and you’d expect him to outscore his average against Aston Villa who should allow him to get forward. Coleman has been impressive in his last two matches for Everton scoring 16 and 20 points and there’s a good chance he’ll repeat his high scoring against Villa.

Martin Kelly – DK 2,300
Opponent – Sunderland
In the absence of Pape Souare, Martin Kelly will remain at right back for Crystal Palace as he continues to be undervalued. Kelly started at right back a week ago in the FA Cup against Tottenham and scored the only goal of the match. He also played at the weekend against West Brom and scored five points, and he’s got good point-scoring potential against Sunderland. Sunderland have only scored 15 goals in their 13 home matches this season, therefore there’s a good chance of a Crystal Palace clean sheet, which will result in extra points for Martin Kelly.

 

Utilities

Saido Berahino – DK 3,500
Opponent – Leicester City
Saido Berahino hasn’t played much football this season, but he appears to have won over his manager once again and he’s a bargain at $3,500. Just a couple of days ago Berahino scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season and produced arguably his best performance of the season. In the 2014/15 campaign, Berahino scored 14 goals in 38 appearances and if he can rediscover that form, the Englishman is one to watch over the final few weeks of the season if he continues to be priced under $4,000.

Jordan Ayew – DK 3,700
Opponent - Everton
My final recommendation for Tuesday’s Premier League slate is Aston Villa forward, Jordan Ayew. Ayew was sent off in his most recent start for Aston Villa but is set to return up front against Everton who aren’t the best side defensively. They’ve conceded 35 goals this campaign, consequently Jordan Ayew should get a few opportunities to score on his return to first team football. Admittedly, Villa have had a woeful season but Ayew has been their best player by some distance. He’s scored five goals in just 16 starts and has scored 21 points on two occasions recently.

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