I almost never advocate for paying up for goalkeepers, especially in cash games, but the nature of this slate is such that I’m not sure we have much of a choice. The cheaper goal keepers all face very good offensive teams. Even West Brom, who are going to be relegated, have scored the third-most goals in the league over the last five weeks. I think we pretty much have to pay up at keeper, which drastically changes how I will build out my lineups. Rather than save money in defense, which is how I like to do it, I think we need to save money on our attackers. Fortunately, there should be several affordable options for doing so. We just need to keep a close eye out when starting lineups are announced.
Goalkeepers | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Dean Henderson | MUN | AVL | 5400 | 9.85 | 12 | 15.80 | |
I rarely advocate for paying up for a goal keeper, but Henderson is an exception. He has at least two saves in nine of his last 10 games; the lone exception was a 1-0 win against West Ham. Henderson has seven wins in his last 10 games and four clean sheets in his last seven. Of the teams in the slate, only Manchester United have allowed more saves than Aston Villa, and United has 16 more goals. Henderson has a nice combination of floor and upside, and he isn't even the most expensive keeper on the slate. | |||||||
Jordan Pickford | EVE | WHU | 4500 | 7.64 | 9 | 11.90 | |
If you don't want to pay up for Henderson, I think Pickford is your best bet. Everton have only conceded five goals in their last five games, with 14 saves and two clean sheets in that span. In fact, Everton have at least three saves in six of their last eight games, and I suspect they'll make it seven in nine on Sunday. |
Forwards | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Said Benrahma | WHU | EVE | 6100 | 5.56 | 13 | 7.22 | |
Benrahma has eight crosses, eight chances created, seven shots and an assist in his last three starts. If Mark Noble is out again, Benrahama is an excellent play on both sites. | |||||||
Anwar El Ghazi | AVL | MUN | 7400 | 11.02 | 17 | 14.73 | |
It took awhile for El Ghazi to step up in the wake of Jack Grealish's injury, but it has finally happened. El Ghazi has scored in two consecutive games, with two chances created and six crosses in that span. I think El Ghazi is slightly safer than Ollie Watkins, though Watkins is a fine alternative on DraftKings. | |||||||
Mason Greenwood | MUN | AVL | 8200 | 7.29 | 19 | 9.24 | |
Like El Ghazi, Greenwood's breakout has taken far longer than expected, but there is no doubt it has come. Greenwood has four goals in his last four games, despite only playing 18 minutes in one of those. Like El Ghazi, Greenwood is cheaper than his more heralded teammate (Marcus Rashford) on FanDuel but is more expensive on DraftKings. I would like to play Greenwood if I can afford him, but Marcus Rashford is a fine consolation prize. |
Midfielders | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Gylfi Sigurdsson | EVE | WHU | 6300 | 8.85 | 15 | 12.03 | |
Sigurdsson had three crosses and four shots last week with James Rodriguez out. West Ham have conceded the most goals in the league over the last five game weeks, and we're getting Sigurdsson at a reasonable price. He hasn't created any chances for a couple of weeks, however, so I think he's a GPP play only on Fanduel. | |||||||
Gabriel Martinelli | ARS | WBA | 7600 | 5.61 | 14 | 9.37 | |
Martinelli is turning himself into a must-play when he starts, even though his price is rising. Martinelli has 10 crosses in his last two starts, with seven chances created, nine shots, a goal and an assist in his last three starts. He is also one of the cheaper Arsenal attackers who could conceivably start. | |||||||
Richarlison | EVE | WHU | 6500 | 10.37 | 18 | 14.21 | |
I never thought I would say this, but Richarlison has been one of the most consistent attackers on the slate, with double-digit DK fantasy points in seven of his last 10 games. Richarlison is an even better cash play on FanDuel, though he is a bit more expensive there. | |||||||
Martin Odegaard | ARS | WBA | 7200 | 6.65 | 13 | 8.12 | |
If you don't hold his performance against Liverpool against him, Odegaard has been even better than Martinelli, and is cheaper. I think my plan would be to just play Martinelli, and then pivot to Odegaard if Odegaard starts. The problem with Arsenal playing the late game is You need to have a backup plan if one or both of them begin the game on the bench. | |||||||
Bruno Fernandes | MUN | AVL | 9700 | 20 | 22 | 28.45 | |
Until very recently, Fernandes was great against most of the EPL but struggled against the top six. On the one hand, it is possible Fernandes is tired and simply won't be the same until he can get a rest. On the other hand, only two teams have conceded more than Villa in the last five game weeks, and this could be a get-right game for Fernandes. He is safer on DraftKings, where his crosses raise his ceiling, but I believe in him for both formats. | |||||||
Midfielders | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
John McGinn | AVL | MUN | 5200 | 8.82 | 11 | 11.52 | |
McGinn has flown under the radar even with Jack Grealish out, thanks to the emergence of Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore. That being said, McGinn has been solid on both sites, with five shots, five chances created and eight crosses in his last three games. He is a solid cash play even in a tough matchup. | |||||||
Jesse Lingard | WHU | EVE | 8600 | 17.67 | 20 | 25.49 | |
Lingard's game log looks eerily similar to Bruno Fernandes's. Fernandes is more expensive but has the best matchup. Lingard is much younger and likely healthier. Lingard is probably more dependent on goals, so I think I'll pay for Fernandes if I can afford him. |
Defenders | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Aaron Cresswell | WHU | EVE | 4600 | 10.09 | 11 | 14.03 | |
I cannot for the life of me figure out why Cresswell is so cheap on DraftKings. He was excellent last week at Burnley after missing the last two matches with a hamstring injury. For was well as Vladimir Coufal has played of late, his per-start numbers the last five game weeks are nearly identical to Cresswell's. I will gladly take the discount on Cresswell. | |||||||
Cedric Soares | ARS | WBA | 5200 | 6.89 | 8 | 9.05 | |
He has at least five crosses in three of his last five games, including against Tottenham and Leicester. He is a bit risky for cash games, but with such a nice matchup, I think I am okay with that risk. If you need to save a bit of money, Hector Bellerin is a fine alternative. | |||||||
Matt Targett | AVL | MUN | 4500 | 7.64 | 9 | 13.47 | |
Target it a bit risky, especially after he managed just 1.8 DK fantasy points against Liverpool a month ago. In his next game after that, however, he had 6.7 fantasy points against Manchester City. Targett was also very good against Tottenham in March. I'm not expecting a ton, but I think he could be a nice value despite a tough matchup. | |||||||
Harry Maguire | MUN | AVL | 3800 | 5.98 | 10 | 14.13 | |
Villa has surrendered more clearances than any team on the slate, though Maguire may not get a ton just because United will have so much of the possession. That being said, he has at least 8.9 FD fantasy points in 10consecutive games, and I'm fine with that floor. Maguire is always a threat on set pieces as well, which makes him particularly attractive in GPPs. | |||||||
Semi Ajayi | WBA | ARS | 2500 | 2.42 | 8 | 11.37 | |
Ajayi has at least 11.7 FD fantasy points in eight consecutive starts. His game log looks ugly thanks to some games off the bench, but he looks super safe for cash games. The only risk is if he doesn't start, but in that case we would probably just replace him in our fantasy lineups with whoever starts for West Brom in his place. | |||||||
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
Tyrone Mings | AVL | MUN | 2800 | 4.92 | 13 | 15.27 | |
As a Burnley fan who thinks James Tarkowski should be starting for England, I think Tyrone Mings is the most overrated defender in the entire world. That being said, he does get his fair share of clearnaces, which has led to 10 consecutive games of at least 9.5 FD fantasy points. I'm not necessarily looking to pay up for Mings, but there are enough cheap options elsewhere to make it worth spending here. |
Example Lineups
As always, the lineups below are examples of lineups you can make using the players in the Playbook and are not for plug and play.
DK Cash | DK GPP | ||||||||||||
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | ||
F | Richarlison | EVE | WHU | 10.37 | $6,500 | F | Anwar El Ghazi | AVL | MU | 11.02 | $7,400 | ||
F | Said Benrahma | WHU | EVE | 5.56 | $6,100 | F | Marcus Rashford | MU | AVL | 11.04 | $7,500 | ||
M | Gylfi Sigurdsson | EVE | WHU | 8.85 | $6,300 | M | Richarlison | EVE | WHU | 10.37 | $6,500 | ||
M | Gabriel Martinelli | ARS | WBA | 5.61 | $7,600 | M | John McGinn | AVL | MU | 8.82 | $5,200 | ||
D | Aaron Cresswell | WHU | EVE | 10.09 | $4,600 | D | Aaron Cresswell | WHU | EVE | 10.09 | $4,600 | ||
D | Matt Targett | AVL | MU | 7.64 | $4,500 | D | Cedric Soares | ARS | WBA | 6.89 | $5,200 | ||
GK | Dean Henderson | MU | AVL | 9.85 | $5,400 | GK | Dean Henderson | MU | AVL | 9.85 | $5,400 | ||
Util | Jesse Lingard | WHU | EVE | 17.67 | $8,600 | Util | Michail Antonio | WHU | EVE | 12.19 | $8,100 | ||
Total | $49,600 | Total | $49,900 | ||||||||||
DK Pivot Cash | DK Pivot GPP | ||||||||||||
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | ||
F | 1 | F | Ollie Watkins | AVL | MU | 11.6 | $7,100 | ||||||
F | 1 | F | Mason Greenwood | ||||||||||
M | 1 | M | |||||||||||
M | Martin Odegaard | ARS | WBA | 6.65 | $7,200 | 1 | M | ||||||
D | 1 | D | |||||||||||
D | 1 | D | Hector Bellerin | ARS | WBA | 6.54 | $4,900 | ||||||
GK | 1 | GK | |||||||||||
Util | Bukayo Saka | ARS | WBA | 12.78 | $8,800 | 1 | Util | ||||||
Total | $16,000 | Total | $12,000 | ||||||||||
FD Cash | FD GPP | ||||||||||||
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | ||
F/M | Richarlison | EVE | WHU | 14.21 | $18 | F/M | Anwar El Ghazi | AVL | MUN | 14.73 | $17 | ||
F/M | Gabriel Martinelli | ARS | WBA | 9.37 | $14 | F/M | Gabriel Martinelli | ARS | WBA | 9.37 | $14 | ||
F/M | Said Benrahma | WHU | EVE | 7.22 | $13 | F/M | Mason Greenwood | MUN | AVL | 9.24 | $19 | ||
F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | AVL | 28.45 | $22 | F/M | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | EVE | WHU | 18.77 | $20 | ||
D | Tyrone Mings | AVL | MUN | 15.27 | $13 | D | Harry Maguire | MUN | AVL | 14.13 | $10 | ||
D | Semi Ajayi | WBA | ARS | 11.37 | $8 | D | Semi Ajayi | WBA | ARS | 11.37 | $8 | ||
GK | Dean Henderson | MUN | AVL | 15.80 | $12 | GK | Dean Henderson | MUN | AVL | 15.80 | $12 | ||
Total | $100 | Total | $100 | ||||||||||
FD Pivot Cash | FD Pivot GPP | ||||||||||||
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | ||
F/M | 1 | F/M | |||||||||||
F/M | Martin Odegaard | ARS | WBA | 8.12 | $13 | 1 | F/M | Said Benrahma | WHU | EVE | 7.22 | $13 | |
F/M | John McGinn | AVL | MUN | 11.52 | $11 | 1 | F/M | ||||||
F/M | #REF! | F/M | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | ARS | WBA | 14.27 | $21 | ||||||
D | 1 | D | |||||||||||
D | 1 | D | |||||||||||
GK | 1 | GK | |||||||||||
Total | $24 | Total | $34 |