SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Matchweek 9

Callum Wilson is in an amazing spot versus Norwich City's struggling defense. Who else should you consider?

The international break is over and club football returns. Matchweek 9 in the Premier League brings us a six game slate on DraftKings with all the games kicking off at 10:00 am eastern. Taking a look at the odds from Soccer odd, Chelsea are the biggest favorite on the slate at home against Newcastle, followed by Tottenham hosting Watford. Which players should we build our lineups around on this slate?

Forwards to Target

Harry Kane ($10,700): Tottenham have not be the same team we have seen over the past few years. This game against Watford is a potential get-right spot for Spurs. Watford still sits dead last in the table and have allowed the second most goals in the Premier League with 20. Despite their own struggles, Spurs are a big favorite at -250. Kane is also a huge favorite to score as his -195 odds imply a 66% chance of scoring. Kane is worthy of being the most expensive forward and worth rostering in the matchup, despite him and his club not exactly setting the world on fire lately.

Callum Wilson ($7,000): Bournemouth host the league's most fantasy-friendly team for opposing attacks in Norwich City. The Canaries have conceded the most goals in the league with 21, and they also allow the most shots per game with 17.9, according to WhoScored.com. We targeted Norwich in the last matchweek by using Aston Villa players, and they went off for five goals. Wilson has had a good start to the season, including a stretch in which he had five goals in four games before failing to score against Arsenal. The $7,000 price does not reflect the -115 goal scoring odds Wilson has for this game, making him a value play on this slate.

Pascal Gross ($6,200): Gross is the type of mid-tier forward that we like to target on DraftKings because of his crossing. He had six crosses in the last game against Spurs, bringing his total up to 36 this season. He leads Brighton in corners taken with 16. Now, in this match against Aston Villa, Gross could get many cross as Villa's 22 crosses per game allowed are the second most in the Premier League. Gross provides a nice floor and should rack up crosses for our lineups.

Midfielders to Target

James Maddison ($8,800): Maddison is listed as questionable, but he should be good to go, according to reports. Leicester take on Burnley and are -185 favorites after an impressive run to start the season has them in fourth place. Maddison has one of the highest floors of any player on DraftKings because of his crossing and shooting. His only games below three shots were at Chelsea and at Liverpool. His 55 crosses are third in the league, and he leads the league in corner kicks taken. His lowest output of the season was 12.2 fantasy points, so he has yet to put up a total dud that sinks your lineups. Maddison is as safe of a play as you will find on the slate is worth considering in all formats.

Emiliano Buendía ($6,700): Buendía had a great game in Matchweek 8, getting 11 crosses and slightly more than 19 fantasy points. For some reason, his price came down by $900 after that good performance. It's time to pounce on the discount on a player who is as good as accumulating points as Buendía is. He is fourth in corner kicks taken in the Premier League, having taken every one that Norwich have earned this season. He will have opportunities to cross against Bournemouth in this match as the Cherries have allowed 20 crosses per game this season. Buendía is like discount version of Maddison, and both are worth their salary on this slate.

Defenders to Target

Diego Rico ($5,600): Rico had a breakout fantasy game last time out against Arsenal with 12 crosses. He took four of the five corner kicks for Bournemouth in that game. We don't have the usual high-priced defenders like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lucas Digne on this slate, so Rico might be the best option as someone getting corner kicks. We talked about how the matchup against Norwich is likely to lead to many fantasy points for players on Bournemouth. Rico can be paired with Callum Wilson for a stack that could connect on a goal and score big points.

Frederic Guilbert ($4,600): Guilbert has become a favorite to target early in the season after joining Aston Villa from France in the summer. He has been a consistent fantasy performer in his time in Premier League, and he likes to cross. He has at least five crosses in the last three games. Aston Villa are favored in this home game against Brighton, and Guilbert could see chances to get forward in this one.

Goalkeepers to Target

Paulo Gazzaniga ($5,700): Gazzaniga will likely be starting for Tottenham in place of the injured Hugo Lloris. Gazzaniga gets a favorable matchup to start the season. Watford are still fourth in the league in shots per game but can't put any in the back of the net as they have only scored four goals. If this is the bounce back game for Tottenham, Gazzaniga has a great shot at the win and clean sheet.

Angus Gunn ($4,100): Gunn is a punt play at a high-variance position where it makes sense to punt. Wolves haven't been great to start the season until they pulled the upset over Manchester City last match. They have scored just 11 goals in eight matches. We can save money by rostering Gunn and spend our salary elsewhere.


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.