SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Matchweek 5

Christian Eriksen could go off in a home matchup with Crystal Palace. Who else should you plug in your lineups on Saturday?

Matchweek 5 in the Premier League is finally here after the international break.

DraftKings has put out a five-game slate, with all games kicking off at 10 a.m. EST. The slate is headlined by Tottenham at home against Crystal Palace, with Spurs coming in as a -280 favorite, according to Soccer odd. There are a few interesting players we could target on Spurs as well as many others across the slate.

Let's check it out.

Forwards to Target

Harry Kane ($10,500): Kane is the most expensive player on the slate and with good reason. He is a -190 favorite to score at anytime on Saturday, per FanDuel Sportsbook, the best odds on the slate. Tottenham have the third-best possession rate in the Premier League so far this season and have seen a whopping 67% of the ball in the two home matches they have played. This pattern should continue against Crystal Palace, who are 17th in possession and have allowed 18.5 shots in their two away games. Kane is the spearhead of a dangerous Tottenham attack and would take all penalties while he is on the pitch. He is viable in all formats due to his likelihood to rack up shots and the potential to score multiple goals.

Marcus Rashford ($9,900): Rashford would mainly be used as a pivot off of Kane in tournaments. His floor is solid, scoring at least 11.75 DraftKings points in every game this season despite scoring goals in only the season opener. His matchup isn't nearly as good as Kane's, facing Leicester City at home as -125 favorites, but Rashford should see a lot less ownership.

Dwight McNeil ($6,600): McNeil should be fit to suit up for Burnley away to Brighton. He ranks tied for fifth in the league in crosses this season and could receive a higher percentage of the set pieces if Johann Gudmundsson were to miss the game through injury. It's rare to find a forward for this price who provides a floor with crosses, which are worth 0.7 points on DraftKings for those who might not know.

Pascal Gross ($5,900): Gross is in a similar situation to McNeil, as a forward-eligible player who will send in crosses. He also gets a boost to his corner-kick share with Leandro Trossard set to miss the game.

Midfielders to Target

Christian Eriksen ($9,600): Eriksen tops the midfield prices after a 24-point outing against Arsenal. After not starting a few games amid rumors that he could leave, the Dane is a full go now with the window closed. He will score fantasy points through crossing and shooting, and he benefits more than most players from DraftKings adding shot assists to their classic scoring system this season. As discussed above, this is a great spot for Tottenham, and Eriksen has a safe floor and a high ceiling with upside for both goals and assists.

Mason Mount ($7,900): Mount has taken the Premier League by storm over his first four games with Chelsea. Stepping up from the Championship, he has taken over as the corner kick taker, taking 18 of the 20 for the Blues so far. Overall, he has 21 crosses and 14 shots, which give him a nice baseline to get points if he doesn't score a goal or provide an assist. The matchup away to Wolves isn't the easiest one, but a Chelsea win is still the most likely result, according to the oddsmakers.

Daniel James ($7,700): James has also made a huge impact on his new team, scoring three goals for Manchester United. His dynamic talent to run with the ball has led to him drawing 11 fouls, which are good for a point per foul on DraftKings. In the three games he has started, James has at least five crosses in each. Manchester United rank second in possession behind Manchester City, and if they have a lot of the ball against Leicester, it will allow James to continue to draw fouls and cross and, hopefully, score another goal or two.

Oliver Norwood ($6,000): I recommended Norwood in his last match away to Chelsea, so now being home against Southampton means he is in play again. Norwood is someone to plug in your lineups who you can count on for close to nine points, but you can also question how much upside he will actually give you. He only has three shots total this season, so a goal may be unlikely. However, he does give you safety that you will struggle to find elsewhere in this price range.

Solly March ($5,500): March will see a split of the corner kicks for Brighton (along with Pascal Gross). March has more crosses than Gross this season and comes at a $400 discount, but he is only midfield eligible.

Ashley Westwood ($4,300): Westwood is the cheapest midfielder with any kind of floor given that he gets corner kicks along with Dwight McNeil. You could do worse than playing Westwood for this cheap. He isn't sexy at all, but he had six points in each of his last three games and has some assist potential with his six shot assists so far this season.

Defenders to Target

Danny Rose ($5,500): Yet another Tottenham player near the top of his position, Rose has the fifth-most crosses among defenders with 20. He could connect with Harry Kane with one of those crosses to get you the points for the goal and the assist. Rose also has a 50% chance of getting a clean sheet, according to betting odds, which would give him three bonus points on DraftKings.

Ashley Young ($5,400): Young comes in just under Rose, but he has one advantage over him -- Young took all three corner kicks for Man United against Southampton in Matchweek 4, the first match Young started this season. He had the fourth-most crosses among defenders last season and also has upside of being able to score from direct free kicks like we have seen him do in the past.

George Baldock ($4,100): Baldock has impressed for Sheffield United as a wing-back. Wing-backs help us in fantasy because they play further forward than a traditional defender. Baldock has used this position to put in crosses, 17 of them in fact. Fourteen of those came in his two home games, and the good news is that he is playing at home again this week against Southampton.

Cedric Soares ($3,700): Soares is perhaps the best value play on the slate. A few seasons ago, he was consistently a high-priced defender and for good reason. In 2016-17, he was second among defenders in crosses, and he was fifth in the following campaign. He returned from a loan spell at Inter Milan last season and went back into the starting XI against Manchester United last match, recording five crosses. If he starts again, he is the salary relief you need to fit in some of the higher priced Tottenham players we want to roster.


Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.