Daily Fantasy Soccer Picks for the English Premier League - DraftKings 4/2/16

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The Premier League returns on Saturday after an international break and there are seven games taking place in Saturday’s 3pm slate, which has some big prizes up for grabs. Top of the table, Leicester City do not feature until Sunday, when they host Southampton and they’ll be looking to cement their place at the top of the table. Tottenham and Arsenal will be doing their best to close the gap on the Foxes and both sides feature in this slate.

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Goalkeepers

Petr Cech – DK $3,500
Opponent – Watford
At the time of writing, it looks like Petr Cech will start in goal against Watford, therefore he is a must have at $3,500. Cech is being massively undervalued because he’s been out injured for nearly a month, but he is set to return to the starting eleven on Saturday. The Arsenal goalkeeper offers excellent value because they are at home against Watford and goalkeepers receive five points if their side wins and five points if they keep a clean sheet. Arsenal are the most likely winners of all 14 sides competing in Saturday’s 3pm slate and as a result, Petr Cech is the best value goalkeeping option.

Shay Given – DK $2,500
Opponent – Swansea City
Shay Given is without a doubt the second best goalkeeping option behind Petr Cech this weekend. Given hasn’t played much football this season but Jack Butland is out injured and subsequently the Irishman is set to start his first Premier League game of the season. As I’ve mentioned above, the five bonus points for a victory and five for a clean sheet are crucial as far as the goalkeeping position is concerned. Stoke City host Swansea of Saturday in what is a very winnable game. Swansea are a very poor side, they sit 15th in the Premier League table in comparison with Stoke who are 8th. Furthermore, Swansea are very poor going forward, they’ve only scored 31 goals all season and as a result, Shay Given has a good chance of keeping a clean sheet at home against a very poor attack.

 

Defenders

Nacho Monreal – DK 3,900
Opponent – Watford
At $3,900, Nacho Monreal is the most expensive defending I’m fielding, but he’s worth more than that. The Spaniard has averaged 8.1 points per game this season, that’s more than fellow Arsenal full-back, Hector Bellerin who has been priced at $4,200. Moreover, there are a number of other defensive options who are averaging a similar points per game total and they face tougher opposition Watford. The opponent is obviously very significant because firstly, defenders receive three points if their side keeps and clean sheet. Arsenal are the most likely side to keep a clean sheet of all the teams competing in this slate because they face Watford at the Emirates, who have only scored 30 goals all season.

Phil Bardsley – DK 2,800
Opponent – Swansea City
Arsenal/Stoke goalkeepers and defenders is starting to become a theme but for good reason. First of all, Bardsley is cheap at $2,800 because he hasn’t featured much this season, but the full back has played recently due to the injury of Glen Johnson. In the very few games that Bardsley has played in this campaign, he’s averaged 6.8 points per game and in his most recent start he scored 11 points. Furthermore, defenders receive three points if they keep a clean sheet and Stoke City face Swansea who are very poor going forward as I’ve already alluded to above.

 

Midfielders

Mesut Ozil – DK 8,000
Opponent – Watford
He’s pricey at $8,000 but omit Mesut Ozil from your squad and you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. He’s averaged an astonishing 14.7 points per game this season, only Dimitri Payet has averaged more of the midfielders available in this slate. The main reason for Ozil’s consistency? He takes Arsenal’s corner kicks and has delivered a total of 214 crosses this season, which are worth 1 point per cross. The German has also assisted scored 7 goals and assisted 18 others, therefore it is obvious that Ozil has the potential to be a big point-scorer, particularly at home against an average side in the form of Watford.

Wahbi Khazri– DK 5,400
Opponent – West Brom
Admittedly I didn’t know a lot about Wahbi Khazri before he signed for Sunderland but he’s been a success thus far. He’s only played seven games for Sam Allardyce’s side so far and it’s still early days but his averaged a very respectable 13.7 points per game. Khazri has proved in his time at Bordeaux that he’s capable of scoring and assisting goals and this is what makes him a very attractive proposition as a midfielder. He scored 5 goals and assisted 7 in his 20 appearances for Bordeaux before joining Sunderland and the season before that Khazri scored nine times in 29 starts.

 

Forwards

Sergio Aguero – DK 8,800
Opponent – Bournemouth
Sergio Aguero may be the most expensive forward in this slate, but it’s pretty difficult to ignore the Argentine. He is arguably the best player in the Premier League and has scored 42 goals in his last 54 Premier League appearances and goals are very valuable at 10 points each. It isn’t surprising that Sergio Aguero is a high point score on DraftKings, he’s averaged 13.6 points per game this season which is very respectable, although he’s capable of outscoring that average on Saturday. Aguero’s opponents are Bournemouth who are below average, they’re 13th in the Premier League table and have conceded 50 goals this season, and only four sides have conceded more.

Aleksander Mitrovic – DK 4,500
Opponent – Norwich City
Aleksander Mitrovic appears to be Rafa Benitez’s first choice striker and he’s fairly priced at $4,500 this weekend. The 21 year old scored his first goal under the new boss before the international break against Sunderland and he’ll most likely be rewarded with another 90 minutes of football. Mitrovic has scored 6 times for Newcastle this campaign but we can expect more from the Serbian in coming week as he’s averaging a respectable 2.4 shots per game. This is significant because shots are a product of goals and are more predictive of future performances. The final and main reason for me selecting Mitrovic is the opponent he is facing, Norwich City. Norwich are one of the worst sides in the Premier League and they are woeful defensively, subsequently Mitrovic should have a few opportunities to score in consecutive matches.

 

Utilities

Bacary Sagna – DK 3,700
Opponent – Bournemouth
Bacary Sagna has been Manchester City’s first choice right back for the last couple of months and this makes him a good cheap option in the utility position. The Frenchman has averaged 8.75 points per game in his last eight starts for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Manchester City have a relatively easy fixture away at Bournemouth and we should see Sagna come down the wing to deliver a few crosses throughout the match. Furthermore there’s a good chance of a Manchester City clean sheet which will earn Sagna an extra three points.

Steven Naismith – DK 3,800
Opponent – Newcastle United
Last but not least, we have Norwich City forward, Steven Naismith. Admittedly he hasn’t had a great time since joining Norwich but he’s a capable goalscorer and this is what makes him an attractive proposition at $3,800. Since joining Everton in the 2012/13 season, Naismith has scored 19 Premier League goals, despite not being a first team regular. Furthermore, The Scotsman has a very easy fixture at home against Newcastle United, who have conceded 55 goals this season, only Aston Villa have conceded more.

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