SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Matchweek 17

Dean Henderson is priced modestly as a home favorite versus Aston Villa. Who else should you use on Saturday?

Matchweek 17 has a five-game slate on Draftkings with four of the games starting at 10 a.m. EST and the late kickoff at 12:30 p.m. with Southampton versus West Ham. Leicester City and Chelsea stand out above the rest on this slate, both having better than -400 odds to win, according to Soccer odd, so we likely will want some players from those teams.

Who else is looking good for Saturday?

Forwards to Target

Jamie Vardy ($10,700): Vardy has been too good to ignore, even at his expensive price tag. He has scored in eight straight games after his two-goal performance against Aston Villa. Now, his Leicester team get to face Norwich City at home, a team that has allowed the second most goals in the Premier League this season. Vardy is a huge odds-on favorite to score at anytime, listed at -250. With the price being so expensive, he is tough to roster in cash, but he offers great upside for tournaments.

Willian ($9,500): Willian is Chelsea's main corner taker and is second on the team in crosses. Chelsea are at home against a Bournemouth side that have lost four matches in a row and sit in 16th in the table. Chelsea are the second best possession team in the league, per WhoScored.com. They should see the ball a lot and give Willian a lot of opportunity to cross. While he has scored only two goals this season, his goal scoring odds of +125 suggest that he has some goal equity. Willian is the forward that you want to spend on in cash games.

Dwight McNeil ($7,300): McNeil is a go-to play for us this season on DraftKings. His high floor and middle-tier price put him on the radar every week. He is fifth in the Premier League in crosses, and the players above him are studs such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kevin De Bruyne, guys we are always going to have to pay exorbitant prices to roster. Even in a tough match last week away to Tottenham, McNeil was still able to put up 10 crosses. This week, Burnley are a home favorite against Newcastle, the team with the lowest possession rate in the league.

Midfielders to Target

James Maddison ($10,300): Maddison is one of those players who has more crosses than McNeil. We know what we are getting with Maddison, a very high-floor player who accumulates points through crosses, fouls drawn and shot assists. In this match against Norwich at home, Maddison should be able to get his fair share of crosses. Norwich allow the third most crosses per game in the Premier League this season. Maddison is a near lock for cash games, and he's a difficult fade in tournaments given the matchup.

James Ward-Prowse ($8,000): Ward-Prowse has gone under the radar because he plays for a struggling Southampton team, albeit a team that has somewhat righted the ship in recent games. That's why the books have the Saints as slight favorites to beat West Ham on Saturday. Ward-Prowse has been a reliable fantasy option, with at least seven crosses in his last five games. He has taken 74 of Southampton's 80 corner kicks this season and is sixth in the league with 99 crosses. Since he plays in the late game, make sure to check an hour before kickoff that he's in the lineup.

Oliver Norwood ($5,600): Norwood is a value play at midfield for Sheffield United. They are home favorites against Aston Villa, a team that allows the second most crosses in the league. Norwood is Sheffield United's leader in crosses and in corner kicks this season. He does share corner duties with John Fleck, but Norwood is $900 less and offers a similar floor.

Defenders to Target

Emerson ($5,500): With no Trent Alexander-Arnold or Lucas Digne on this slate, Emerson is the best high-priced option at defender. He had nine crosses in his last Premier League game against West Ham. In this week's Champions League fixture against Lille, Emerson took four corner kicks and got an assist. With Chelsea in all likelihood dominating the ball, there should be more opportunities for Emerson to get forward. Chelsea have clean sheet odds of +105, so there is a decent chance for Emerson to get the three-point bonus.

Frederic Guilbert ($4,500): Guilbert is a reliable option at the mid-range of defense. He has 15 tackles in his last three starts and leads Aston Villa with 55 crosses this season. Villa have allowed a lot of crosses themselves, but so have their opponents, Sheffield United. The Blades have allowed 21 crosses per game, the sixth most in the Premier League.

Cédric Soares ($4,100): With Yan Valery out this week with a virus, Cédric should take over the right-back position for Southampton. He has shown the ability to get forward and cross throughout his career, including this season. He is third on the team in crosses with 27 and has made only eight appearances this season. Since those reliable expensive defenders are not on the slate, saving at the position makes sense. Cédric is a good option to save with this week.

Goalkeepers to Target

Dean Henderson ($5,300): Henderson plays for a solid defensive team in Sheffield United. He has conceded just 13 goals in his 15 league games and has kept five clean sheets. At $5,300 and favored to win, the price is nice for a keeper who can be relied upon.

Martin Dúbravka ($4,400): Dúbravka and Newcastle have turned things around after they looked doomed for relegation early on. They have won two games in a row and now travel to Burnley. Newcastle still are allowing a lot of shots, the third most in the league. This hasn't been a bad thing for Dúbravka as he has made at least three saves in nine straight games. If he makes at least three saves in this game, it's highly unlikely that he will give you negative points against low-scoring Burnley.



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.