SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for 9/26/20

The third week of the Premier League season is already here. We've got the three game slate at all different start times, which seems to be the norm these days. Be sure to check the lineups to make sure the players you select are actually starting. Here are the fixtures we have on this slate and the odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook:

HomeDrawAway
Crystal Palace +270+230Everton +110
West Brom +700+420Chelsea -270
Burnley +230+220Southampton +130


Forwards to Target

Timo Werner ($9,200): Werner made the move to Chelsea from RB Leipzig after a fantastic season. He scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga last campaign, which would have been the most in the Premier League last season despite the Bundesliga having four fewer games. He's still looking for his first goal for Chelsea and should have a great chance to get it on Saturday. Chelsea will play newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and are the biggest favorites on the slate. West Brom have not started life back in the Premier League well, losing both of their first two matches and conceding eight goals in the process. Werner would likely be more expensive if he had scored in one of the opening two games or had his previous goal-scoring feats come in England rather than in Germany. He's at -170 to score at any time, and at $9,200, he is viable in any format this week.

James Rodríguez ($8,400): James Rodríguez has finally come to the Premier League after years of rumors and speculation that he would. He is, of course, known for his spectacular performances in the 2014 World Cup, in which he won the Golden Boot as the leading goal scorer with six. Since then, he has scored more than 10 goals in a league campaign just once. However, he still has fantasy value with Everton because he has taken over a role as a corner taker. He took five in Everton's last match against West Brom, according to Rotowire. He also added a goal and an assist in that game. Everton are off to a good start this season and scored five goals in their last match. James could provide an assist if they were to have another offensive explosion, and Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti expects him to do just that. With that upside and the floor that Rodríguez has from corners, he's a good play in cash games this week.

Dwight McNeil ($7,200): With not many low-salary forward options this week that we can rely on, Dwight McNeil stands out for his salary. He had the fifth-most crosses in the Premier League last season. His Burnley side will face Southampton, who have not gotten off to a great start in the league this year. They fell 5-2 in a match against Tottenham after losing their first game to Crystal Palace. Even with Burnley being underdogs in this game, they should be able to compete, which will give McNeil chances to get crosses. McNeil was able to create 1.48 chances per 90 minutes a campaign ago, so if Burnley are able to score some goals, he'll have a decent chance to get an assist. He's a safe floor play at the forward position.

Midfielders to Target

James Ward-Prowse ($8,500): Ward-Prowse has done his thing in the first two games of the season. Without getting a goal or an assist, he has recorded more than 13 DraftKings points in both games. He has taken all six of Southampton's corners after leading the league in corners last season. Burnley allowed the fifth-most crosses in the league last season, according to WhoScored.com. Ward-Prowse will also get opportunities to get shots and score goals from direct free kicks. There isn't another midfielder on the slate who offers as safe of a floor as JWP does. With the context of this slate -- read: potentially not many goals scored -- his floor is something you can use in tournaments as well as in cash games.

Kai Havertz ($7,700): Listed as only a midfielder on DraftKings, Kai Havertz has really played more like a forward since joining Chelsea. He hasn't gotten off the mark yet in the Premier League, but he scored a hat trick in a league cup match earlier this week. Havertz was one of the most talented young players in Germany and scored 29 goals across the past two seasons in the Bundesliga. He could easily score here in a mismatch against West Brom. You can treat Havertz as more of a goal-dependent forward play instead of a midfielder with a great floor, but if there is a team you want to target for goals this week, it's Chelsea. Havertz is a great play for his upside, and he has the type of ceiling you likely won't be able to replicate at this salary range.

James McCarthy ($3,600): McCarthy is the preferred midfield punt play on this slate. He has taken the most corner kicks for Crystal Palace this season. It hasn't resulted in a good fantasy output yet this season, but McCarthy was able to pay off that cheap salary toward the back end of last season. He'll be the only viable option under $4,000 that we can expect to be in the starting lineup. He's not anything special, but you can use him to play the high-salary players you want to jam into your lineup. Just make sure you play McCarthy and not teammate James McArthur ($3,300).

Defenders to Target

Lucas Digne ($7,300): The Lucas Digne fantasy managers know and love is back for the 2020-21 season. After being third in the league in crosses last season, the French defender has 20 crosses over the first two matches of this season. He got an assist in Everton's first game and created five chances in the second. His upside to get an assist cannot be matched by any other defender on this slate. He'll share corner duties with James Rodríguez for Everton. Crystal Palace had under 30% possession in each of their first two games, so Everton should be able to push forward and have multiple players get lots of crosses. Digne is the top play at defender, as he often is throughout the season

Reece James ($6,300): Digne might be the best play at defender, but Reece James comes in as a close second. He has been taking corners for Chelsea with Willian now no longer on the team. He also scored a goal in the opening match against Brighton. James showed a lot of attacking intent last season, crossing at a rate of 6.48 per 90 minutes. With Chelsea being big favorites, James should be able to get forward and get balls into the box. It remains to be seen exactly what his role on set pieces will be, but so far he has taken every corner for Chelsea. He can be used with Digne in lineups or as a good pivot play in tournaments.

Charlie Taylor ($4,300): Taylor is a viable full-back option at lower salary than the other two top plays. He had a good season-opening game against Leicester City despite the Clarets' 4-2 defeat, totaling five crosses and scoring 9.9 DraftKings points. Taylor wasn't afraid to play crosses last season, recording slightly more than four per 90 minutes. He's a good value for his salary and can be paired with one of the two aforementioned high-salary options or played in the utility to get all three in your lineup.

Goalkeepers to Target

Kepa Arrizabalaga ($5,900): There have been criticisms of Kepa since he's arrived at Chelsea, but the situation for this match makes him a good play. Chelsea are the only odds-on favorite on the slate as they're up against a relegation candidate in West Brom. West Brom were blanked in their opening match at home against Leicester, and it could easily happen again. Chelsea have clean sheet odds of +102, just barely worse than even money. That's by far the best on the slate, and it gives Kepa the chance for 10-plus points in this game.

Nick Pope ($4,500): Pope was a solid keeper for Burnley last season, as he kept the second-most clean sheets in the league with 15. He is an underdog in this game versus Southampton, but they do play at home and aren't playing against a powerhouse club. Pope should be a reasonable play for a Burnley side that prefers to play tight, defensive games. He's the best option among the underdog goalkeepers.



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.