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

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After some enthralling Champions League and Europa League fixtures in midweek, the Premier League returns and there are some excellent games taking place during Saturday’s slate. The most meaningful match takes place at St.James’ Park, where Newcastle United host Swansea and should Newcastle fail to win, they will almost certainly be playing in the Championship next season. Another notable game taking place on Saturday features Manchester City and Chelsea and this fixture should be a superb match between two sides who have underperformed this campaign. Anyway, enough rambling and onto my recommendations for Saturday’s slate.

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Goalkeepers

David De Gea – DK $4,500
Opponent – Aston Villa
In all of my articles so far, I’ve highlighted the importance of a good goalkeeper and once again I’m sticking with this strategy. Manchester United host Aston Villa on Saturday and you couldn’t ask for a better fixture for David De Gea. First of all, United are very good defensively, they’ve only conceded 30 goals all season, only Tottenham have conceded fewer. Manchester United’s opponents, Aston Villa are the worst side in the Premier League, they’ve only scored 23 goals all season, that’s considerably fewer than any other team. This is significant, because goalkeepers received five points if their side keeps a clean sheet. Also, keepers receive five points if their side wins the match and United are the most likely winners of all the Premier League sides playing this weekend by some distance.

Lukasz Fabianski – DK $3,400
Opponent – Newcastle
A cheaper alternative to David De Gea is Swansea goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski who is generously priced at $3,400. Swansea’s issue this season has been going forward, rather than defensively, they’ve only conceded 42 goals this season which is good for a side of their standard. Fabianksi faces a poor Newcastle side who have struggled to score goals all season and there’s every chance that Swansea will be able to keep a clean sheet, despite playing at St.James’ Park. Newcastle have only scored 32 goals in 32 matches this campaign and they haven’t improved much since the introduction of Rafa Benetiz as manager.

Defenders

Marcos Rojo – DK 3,500
Opponent – Aston Villa
As you can probably guess, I’m quite keen to oppose Aston Villa in this slate and at a price tag of $3,500, Marcos Rojo offers good value. After a lengthy injury, Rojo has forced his way back in to the Man United starting eleven and he’s more than likely to receive three points for keeping a clean sheet. The Argentine has averaged 7.8 points per game this season, which is very impressive for a player valued at $3,500 when playing the worst team in the League at home. Man United will inevitably have the majority of the ball in this game and this will allow Rojo to get forward and for this reason, I fully expect him to outscore his average.

Jose Holebas – DK 2,900
Opponent – West Brom
At $2,900, Holebas is one of the cheapest available defenders that is likely to start in this slate. He started Watford’s most recent match against Everton and put in a superb performance, therefore I suspect he’ll retain his place in the starting eleven. In the games Holebas has featured in this campaign, he’s averaged 8.5 points per game and scored 18 points against Everton last weekend. Holebas has a slightly easier fixture versus West Brom on Saturday who are far from prolific goalscorers and as a result has a good chance of receiving three points for keeping a clean sheet. Watford are a very good side defensively, they’ve only conceded 37 goals all season, that’s fewer than any other side in the bottom half of the table.

Midfielders

Andros Townsend – DK 4,800
Opponent – Swansea City
Andros Townsend has been an excellent pointscorer since signing for Newcastle and he’s an excellent addition to your side at $4,800. The Englishman has averaged 10.5 points per game this season, which can only be better by a few players and all priced much higher. Townsend’s high point scoring is down to his ability to run down the wing and cross the ball into the box and his willingness to take a shot. Last weekend against Southampton, Townsend scored and this resulted in him scoring a very impressive 28 points. Finally, Townsend faces Swansea City who are one of the worse sides in the Premier League and as a result, he’ll get numerous opportunities to get forward.

Kevin De Bruyne – DK 7,500
Opponent – Chelsea
Manchester City are yet to secure their place in the top 4, therefore I suspect they’ll field a strong side versus Chelsea, that includes, Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne has been excellent when he’s been fit this campaign and I suspect he’ll play a big role under Pep Guardiola next season. He’s averaged 15.3 points per game and this is largely due to his ability to score and create goals. In the Premier League, the Belgian international has scored six goals and assisted nine in 21 appearances and thus making him an attractive proposition once again, despite facing a reasonably tough opponent.

Forwards

Aleksander Mitrovic – DK 5,000
Opponent – Swansea City
Admittedly, Aleksander Mitrovic is a bit hit and miss, although he’s a good option in this slate. Newcastle face Swansea, who are a pretty poor side as I’ve already alluded to above and given Newcastle’s position, they need to win this match and as a result, I suspect they’ll play in an attacking fashion. This should result in Mitrovic being heavily involved and adding to his goalscoring tally. The Newcastle forward has scored eight goals this season and has scored three in his last three and there’s every chance he’ll score against poor opposition in Saturday’s slate.

Marcus Rashford – DK 5,600
Opponent – Aston Villa
First of all, I’d ensure that Marcus Rashford is starting before fielding him on Saturday, due to the possible return of Wayne Rooney. It was the injury of Rooney that has allowed Rashford to breakthrough into the Manchester United starting eleven and he’s impressed on each occasion. The 18 year old has scored six goals in his 11 appearances this season and has averaged 11.4 DraftKing points per game which is a good return for a player valued at $5,600. Finally, as I’ve already mentioned numerous time, Manchester United face the worst Premier League side in the League Aston Villa. They’ve conceded more goals than any other Premier League and subsequently, Rashford should have numerous opportunities to score.

Utilities

Jefferson Montero – DK 3,200
Opponent – Newcastle United
Swansea City winger, Jefferson Montero offers excellent value at $3,200. Admittedly, he hasn’t featured much for Swansea in recent weeks however he impressed in Swansea’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend, therefore he’s bound to remain in the starting eleven. In the games Montero has featured in this campaign, he’s averaged 8.5 points per game, despite featuring numerous times from the bench. 8.5 points per game is an excellent return for a player valued at $3,200 and I’m confident he can outscore his average against a very poor Newcastle United side.

Craig Dawson – DK 3,900
Opponent – Watford
Last but not least is West Brom right back, Craig Dawson who I was slightly surprised to see priced at $3,900. West Brom play at home against Watford who are far from prolific in front of goal. They’ve only scored 31 goals all season and only Aston Villa have scored fewer. This is significant because defenders receive three points if their side keeps a clean sheet. West Brom are a good team defensively, therefore a clean sheet isn’t out of the question and even without clean sheets, Dawson has performed brilliantly in terms of DraftKings points this season. He’s averaged 8.7 points per game and this is down to his willingness to get down the wing and cross the ball into Rondon and Berahino.

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