SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for 2/27/21

We're all the way up to Gameweek 26 in the Premier League, so we're coming down the home stretch. Here are the games on Saturday's main slate on DraftKings, with odds via Soccer odd:

Home Draw Away
West Brom (+310) +240 Brighton (-110)
Leeds (+115) +260 Aston Villa (+220)
Newcastle (+250) +210 Wolves (+110)


Forwards to Target

Pascal Groß ($9,300): Groß has seen his salary rise through the month of February, but it has been warranted. He has recorded at least 9.2 DraftKings points in each of his seven league games in 2021 and has at least 15 in five of those games. Since Solly March came out of the lineup due to injury, Groß has been taking the majority of the set pieces for Brighton. The Seagulls may be in a fight to avoid relegation, but they are in the biggest favorite on the slate. Some of their metrics suggest that they are better than where they sit in the table, as they are in the top half of the league in shots per game and possession, according to WhoScored.com. The good news for them is that they will face West Brom, the team dead last in possession and the side that is allowing the most shots per game and the most crosses per game. Groß should have an even higher floor given the matchup, as it will allow him to get lots of crosses and shot assists. He's a forward to target who should be able to get points without a goal or assist.

Patrick Bamford ($8,800): Before this season, Bamford had the reputation of a player who was too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League. That should change now as he has 13 goals in the league, tied for the third most. He is getting plenty of opportunities from Leeds' attacking style, as he is tied for second in shots. Aston Villa allow the sixth most shots per game, so he should get chances to fire at the net. Bamford also has five assists, so he's not the type of striker who is completely goal or bust. His even-money goal scoring odds are actually the best on the slate, so he's definitely viable in all formats.

Willian José ($5,400): Willian José is a guy to take a shot on for this salary. He hasn't shown much yet in the Premier League in six games, but he scored double-digit goals in Spain in five straight seasons. On Saturday he'll play against a struggling Newcastle team, one that has conceded the second most goals in the league. He'll have a good chance of scoring his first goal in England in this one, and he has a low salary and will likely be overlooked by most fantasy players.

Also Consider: Bertrand Traoré ($7,200), Allan Saint-Maximin ($6,700), Danny Welbeck ($5,600)

Midfielders to Target

Matheus Pereira ($9,000): West Brom may be the worst team in the league, but it's not because of Matheus Pereira. He's really their only creative attacking player, and he is relied upon to do everything. He takes most of the team's set pieces and has taken their two penalties. West Brom being bad hasn't hurt Pereira's fantasy production, as he has at least 17 DraftKings points in four of his last seven games. This slate doesn't have the typical high-floor midfielders like Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne or James Maddison on it, so Pereira is probably the player with the highest floor who is listed at midfield only. He's not as good as those guys, but he shouldn't be dismissed just because he plays for West Brom.

Ross Barkley ($5,900): With Jack Grealish out again on Saturday, Barkley should get set pieces for Aston Villa. We've seen his salary dip after some bad performances, both in fantasy and in real life, but he did take five of their six corner kicks in the last game sans Grealish, so he deserves consideration. This game between Aston Villa and Leeds should be the most open game of the three by a decent margin, so it makes sense to target players in this fixture. The scouting report on Barkley for a long time has been that he loves to shoot, and that's held true this season as he averages 2.6 shots per 90 minutes, according to Rotowire. We can take the discount on him and play him in this game, which should be the best fantasy environment of the slate.

Jonjo Shelvey ($5,100): Shelvey has seen his salary fluctuate a ton in the past few months, but it seems to have settled into a range that is fair, at worst. At best, it's too low, especially if he is the only real set-piece taker on the pitch for Newcastle, as this projected lineup suggests. The matchup with Wolves is not a scary one. Wolves don't dominate the ball, and they allow crosses at an above average rate. So if Matt Ritchie or Ryan Fraser do not make the starting lineup, Shelvey becomes a great value for this salary and someone you can consider in all formats.

Also Consider: Jack Harrison ($7,000), Matt Phillips ($5,200), Trézéguet ($4,300)

Defenders to Target

Ahmed Elmohamady ($4,600): With no Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, or other teams from which we like to roster fullbacks on this slate, we get Tariq Lamptey as the defender with the highest salary. So the state of the defender position is not great. We can look to Ahmed Elmohamady, who should start for Aston Villa at right-back. Since this game is probably going to be open, that should allow Elmohamady more chances to get forward. He hasn't seen much game time this season, but he has 10 crosses in his two starts and has gone the full 90 minutes in both. That makes him an oasis in the desert that is the defender position on Saturday.

Jamal Lewis ($3,700): Lewis hasn't had any good games in the past three matches, but two of those were in difficult matchups against Manchester United and Chelsea. This has caused his salary to dip to $3,700 after he had put together a stretch of some good games. He had 18 crosses in four games between January 23rd and February 2nd. On this slate, where we are searching for any defender who could make sense to play, he is one of them, and he won't break the bank to get in your lineup.

Also Consider: Nélson Semedo ($4,900), Emil Krafth ($3,000), Ezri Konsa Ngoyo ($2,600)

Goalkeepers to Target

Rui Patrício ($5,200): Patrício kept a clean sheet in his last game, his seventh shutout of the season. On Saturday, he gets to face a Newcastle team that is tied for the fifth fewest goals in the league and takes the fifth fewest shots per game. Newcastle will also be without Callum Wilson, their leading scorer. This is a pretty good spot Patrício, and he shouldn't have a ton of downside in this match.

Sam Johnstone ($4,200): Johnstone is the keeper for the biggest underdogs on the slate, but he is still usable. That's because Brighton have just 26 goals in the league this season, tied with Newcastle. They aren't typically a team that scores multiple goals in a game, so Johnstone's risk of getting negative points should be fairly low. Goalkeeper is the highest variance position, so prioritizing other positions and using the least amount of salary on keeper is certainly a strategy that can work.


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.