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
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Dean HendersonMUNAVL54009.851215.80
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 PickfordEVEWHU45007.64911.90
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
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Said BenrahmaWHUEVE61005.56137.22
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 GhaziAVLMUN740011.021714.73
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 GreenwoodMUNAVL82007.29199.24
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
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Gylfi SigurdssonEVEWHU63008.851512.03
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 MartinelliARSWBA76005.61149.37
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.
RicharlisonEVEWHU650010.371814.21
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 OdegaardARSWBA72006.65138.12
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 FernandesMUNAVL9700202228.45
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.
MidfieldersTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
John McGinnAVLMUN52008.821111.52
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 LingardWHUEVE860017.672025.49
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
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Aaron CresswellWHUEVE460010.091114.03
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 SoaresARSWBA52006.8989.05
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 TargettAVLMUN45007.64913.47
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 MaguireMUNAVL38005.981014.13
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 AjayiWBAARS25002.42811.37
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.
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Tyrone MingsAVLMUN28004.921315.27
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.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
FRicharlisonEVEWHU10.37$6,500  FAnwar El GhaziAVLMU11.02$7,400
FSaid BenrahmaWHUEVE5.56$6,100  FMarcus RashfordMUAVL11.04$7,500
MGylfi SigurdssonEVEWHU8.85$6,300  MRicharlisonEVEWHU10.37$6,500
MGabriel MartinelliARSWBA5.61$7,600  MJohn McGinnAVLMU8.82$5,200
DAaron CresswellWHUEVE10.09$4,600  DAaron CresswellWHUEVE10.09$4,600
DMatt TargettAVLMU7.64$4,500  DCedric SoaresARSWBA6.89$5,200
GKDean HendersonMUAVL9.85$5,400  GKDean HendersonMUAVL9.85$5,400
UtilJesse LingardWHUEVE17.67$8,600  UtilMichail AntonioWHUEVE12.19$8,100
    Total$49,600      Total$49,900
              
DK Pivot Cash  DK Pivot GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F     1 FOllie WatkinsAVLMU11.6$7,100
F     1 FMason Greenwood    
M     1 M     
MMartin OdegaardARSWBA6.65$7,2001 M     
D     1 D     
D     1 DHector BellerinARSWBA6.54$4,900
GK     1 GK     
UtilBukayo SakaARSWBA12.78$8,8001 Util     
    Total$16,000      Total$12,000
              
FD Cash  FD GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/MRicharlisonEVEWHU14.21$18  F/MAnwar El GhaziAVLMUN14.73$17
F/MGabriel MartinelliARSWBA9.37$14  F/MGabriel MartinelliARSWBA9.37$14
F/MSaid BenrahmaWHUEVE7.22$13  F/MMason GreenwoodMUNAVL9.24$19
F/MBruno FernandesMUNAVL28.45$22  F/MDominic Calvert-LewinEVEWHU18.77$20
DTyrone MingsAVLMUN15.27$13  DHarry MaguireMUNAVL14.13$10
DSemi AjayiWBAARS11.37$8  DSemi AjayiWBAARS11.37$8
GKDean HendersonMUNAVL15.80$12  GKDean HendersonMUNAVL15.80$12
    Total$100      Total$100
              
FD Pivot Cash  FD Pivot GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/M     1 F/M     
F/MMartin OdegaardARSWBA8.12$131 F/MSaid BenrahmaWHUEVE7.22$13
F/MJohn McGinnAVLMUN11.52$111 F/M     
F/M     #REF! F/MPierre-Emerick AubameyangARSWBA14.27$21
D     1 D     
D     1 D     
GK     1 GK     
    Total$24      Total$34