Daily Fantasy Soccer Picks for the English Premier League - DraftKings 4/23/16

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Two FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend, and consequently only three Premier League matches feature in Saturday’s slate on DraftKings. Nevertheless, this slate should once again provide an opportunity to profit. Already relegated, Aston Villa host Southampton in a game where both sides have little to play for. Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea travel to Bournemouth and Newcastle face Liverpool at Anfield in a fixture where Liverpool are expected to rest players ahead of their Europa League semi final.

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Goalkeepers

Fraser Forster – DK $4,200
Opponent – Aston Villa
If you often read my recommendations, you’ll notice that I always select an expensive goalkeeper. This weekend, Fraser Forster is my preferred choice against the worst side in the Premier League, Aston Villa. Villa have lost 24 of their 34 League matches this season and a Southampton victory looks a certainty, thus would result in Forster receiving 5 points. Furthermore, the Premier League’s bottom club have scored just 23 goals this campaign, that’s considerably fewer than any other side and this is significant because goalkeepers receive 5 points if they keep a clean sheet. They also lose 2 points every time they concede a goal, however it is extremely unlikely that we’ll see Villa score a mass of goals against Southampton who are one of the best sides in the League defensively.

Danny Ward – DK $2,900
Opponent – Newcastle United
First of all, it’s important to note that Danny Ward is no guaranteed starter for Liverpool on Saturday, therefore you should ensure that Ward starts before fielding the Welshman. Personally, I think Ward may be in the starting eleven as Klopp looks to rest his first team ahead of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday. Should Ward start over Mignolet, there’s a good chance he’ll be a high point-scorer. Liverpool face Newcastle who sit 19th in the League table and they’ve scored just 36 goals all season. As a result, a Liverpool victory and clean sheet is very possible.

Defenders

Alan Hutton – DK 2,900
Opponent – Southampton
Yes Aston Villa are the worst side in the Premier League by some distance, but I believe their right back, Alan Hutton may offer some value at $2,900 in this slate. Hutton loves to bomb forward, he’s definitely an attacking full back and as a result he’s a good point scorer on DraftKings. The Scotsman has averaged 7.6 points per game this season, which is very respectable for a player valued at $2,900 when playing at home. Admittedly, Southampton are a good side, but Hutton should still have opportunities to get forward and score some valuable points in this slate.

Cuco Martina – DK 3,500
Opponent – Aston Villa
Onto another player likely to feature in the Villa v Southampton fixture, Cuco Martina. The Southampton full back has started five of Southampton’s most recent six fixtures and should he start again, he offers great value at $3,500. Martina has averaged 6.8 points per game he’s featured in this season, however this is slightly misleading, because he’s played in four matches where he’s played less than 70 minutes. I’d back Martina to outscore his average of 6.8, every day of the week against the woeful Aston Villa. There’s a great chance that he’ll receive three bonus points for keeping a clean sheet and as the better side, Martina should get numerous opportunities to get forward and deliver crosses into the box.

Midfielders

Sadio Mane – DK 5,800
Opponent – Aston Villa
It seems like I’m solely selecting Southampton players, but there’s good reason for that, they face Aston Villa, who as I’ve mentioned above on numerous occasions, are awful. Southampton’s attacking midfielder, Sadio Mane has the potential to score a lot of points against a very poor Aston Villa defence. He’s a capable goalscorer, he’s scored six goals and has assisted six this season and Aston Villa have conceded 65 goals this season, more than any other Premier League side. Therefore we can conclude that Mane, arguably Southampton’s best player going forward will have a host of opportunities to score points on Saturday.

Jordan Ibe – DK 3,100
Opponent – Newcastle
I suspect Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp will have one eye on Liverpool’s Europa League semi-final versus Villarreal on Thursday and as a result will field a number of fringe players and one of those could be Jordan Ibe. The youngster started his first game in some time against Bournemouth last week and scored a respectable 13 points. Ibe may well score another decent total against Newcastle who have conceded 62 goals in 34 games this season, only Villa have conceded more. The Englishman is a winger who will score the majority of his points through crosses, although he’s capable of scoring and assisting goals as he’s already proved this campaign.

Forwards

Diego Costa – DK 7,000
Opponent – Bournemouth
Chelsea forward, Diego Costa is the second most expensive player available in this slate, but he’s a worthy addition in your line up. Costa has averaged 10.1 points per game this season and he’s capable of outscoring this average against a poor Bournemouth defence. Bournemouth have conceded 57 goals this campaign, only the bottom two sides have conceded more. Chelsea’s top goalscorer this season is Diego Costa who has scored 11 goals in 25 Premier League appearances and he’s also assisted 5 goals. Finally, Costa notably performed even better last season scoring 20 goals in 26 appearances, thus proving that he’s a prolific goalscorer.

Roberto Firmino – DK 5,700
Opponent – Newcastle
Summer signing, Roberto Firmino has found his feet in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp and is a superb value play at $5,700. Firmino is likely to play up front on his own versus Newcastle with Sturridge likely to be rested and this is advantageous because the majority of opportunities will fall to Firmino. The Brazilian has averaged 9.7 points per game this season, despite making a number of appearances from the bench. Against one of the worse defences in the League, there’s every chance that Firmino will outscore his average. He’s scored 9 goals this campaign and has assisted 7, therefore he’s evidently a top point-scorer.

Utilities

Graziano Pelle – DK 6,100
Opponent – Aston Villa
Once again I’m looking to oppose Aston Villa and this time I’m selecting the inform Southampton striker Graziano Pelle. The Italian international has averaged 9.8 points per game this season and he’s scored very highly in recent weeks. In three of Pelle’s last five fixtures, he has scored 32, 32 and 28 points and in this run he’s scored four goals and has assisted three for teammates. This shows he has the ability to score highly and there’s every chance he will against the worst team defensively in the League, Aston Villa.

Nathaniel Clyne – DK 3,500
Opponent – Newcastle United
Finally, we have a cheap utility option to keep your squad in budget. Clyne may be cheap, but he’s a capable point scorer, he’s averaged 7.3 points per game this season. In Liverpool’s most recent game, Clyne scored 16 points and he generally scores the majority of his points through crosses into the box and winning tackles. Defenders also receive points if their side keeps a clean sheet and there’s a good chance of that happening against Newcastle who in all honest are poor going forward.

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