DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Saturday 5/1/21

We finally have a Premier League slate with three games to make for something playable on DraftKings. Let's look at them, with odds from FanDuel Sportsbook:

Forwards to Target

Pascal Groß ($8,700): There aren't a ton of good forward plays on this slate, either from a floor perspective or as goal scorers. So we'll have to look at Groß, who provides a floor that the other forwards can't match. He has been a crossing machine this season, and especially of late. In his last 10 games, he has at least five crosses in all of them, and he got into the double-digits in seven of them. Brighton is a better team than their 17th place in the table suggests, as they are around the middle of the pack in possession and shot metrics. They should be able to play well against Leeds, who tend to play up-tempo games, which could see Groß get a lot of chances to cross. He's one of the few forwards that will have a majority of set pieces for his team, making him a clear player to target.

Bertrand Traoré ($6,600): Traoré has been one player that Aston Villa has needed to step up in the absence of Jack Grealish. He has done a decent job of that, with five goals and four assists in the Premier League this season. He has also taken over the role on set pieces for Grealish, and he now has taken the most set pieces on Villa. They are underdogs in this game against Everton, but it's not too scary of a matchup. Villa have a higher possession rate than Everton and also put in the second-most crosses per game in the league, according to WhoScored.com. For just $6,600, Traoré offers upside for goal contributions as well as a pretty nice floor from set pieces, making him a good value for this salary.

Patrick Bamford ($6,200): It's a bit strange to see someone of Bamford's goal-scoring record down at this salary. The only players who have more goals than him in the Premier League are Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, and Son Heung-Min. Those are four star players, who usually carry salaries that are $9,500 or higher. Bamford also has seven assists this season, so he hasn't been just a goal scorer. For this low of a salary, he's worth taking a shot on in tournaments.

Also consider: Anwar El Ghazi ($9,200), Ademola Lookman ($7,400), Helder Costa ($3,800)

Midfielders to Target

Mason Mount ($10,000): It's somewhat surprising to see Mason Mount as the player with the highest salary on a slate, but you can't say it isn't warranted. He has been a big part of Chelsea's resurgence under new manager Thomas Tuchel. Since Tuchel took over on January 26th, Mount has had double-digit DraftKings points in 12 of his 15 starts in all competitions, via Rotowire. Whereas Chelsea's set pieces were a mess at the start of the season, he's cemented himself as the main taker, which has led to him putting up a lot of fantasy points. Mount has also scored five goals since Tuchel took over, which is an added element to his game that we didn't see much under Frank Lampard.

Chelsea will face West London rivals Fulham on Saturday. Fulham's hopes for survival are hanging on by a thread, as they are seven points from getting out of the relegation zone. With how good Chelsea's form has been of late, they should be able to control this match, and that should mean Mount can contribute in different ways that will lead to fantasy points.

Jack Harrison ($7,500): Fans of MLS might not be able to believe that Jack Harrison is making such a large contribution to a mid-table Premier League team. He has been great for Leeds this season, with seven goals and six assists. He has also been a prolific crosser, as he is second on the team with 134 crosses this season. In this game, he will step into more crosses, as Raphina will likely remain out of the lineup due to injury. This will mean more corner kicks for Harrison, as we saw him take seven in a match against Liverpool two weeks ago. He totaled 11 crosses and an assist in that game and finished with 23.1 DraftKings points. That's what we can hope for if rostering him, so he stands out above the rest of the midfielders in this salary range.

Kai Havertz ($5,800): Havertz is only listed as a midfielder but has been playing more like a forward under Tuchel. It hasn't resulted in many goal involvements, as he has just two goals and three assists in the league. However, he has shown that it can work, like in a game a few weeks ago against Crystal Palace in which he had a goal and an assist. Havertz has anytime goal-scoring odds of +140, which you won't find for this salary at any position. This makes him an interesting tournament play.

Also consider: Gylfi Sigurdsson ($7,800), John McGinn ($5,900), Kalvin Phillips ($4,500)

Defenders to Target

Lucas Digne ($6,300): Digne has a salary lower than three Chelsea defenders but has a few things going in his favor over them. He is Everton's main set-piece taker from his left back position. He is also a more consistent crosser than those Chelsea full backs. Digne is ninth in the league in crosses despite missing eight matches earlier in the season. He has games where he is just pumping balls into the box, such as his 14-cross performance against Burnley in March. Most other full backs on this slate won't be able to reach that number of crosses, making Digne a defender to prioritize in lineups.

Matt Targett ($5,300): A full back that is capable of reaching 14 crosses would be Matt Targett of Aston Villa. He hit that mark last time out, but it was against lowly West Brom. He is still a good play though because he hasn't just racked up crosses against West Brom -- it's been against most teams in the league of late. Since the beginning of March, he's averaged 6.875 crosses per game, and that includes two games against Manchester City and Liverpool in which he totaled five crosses. Targett has raised his game to the upper tier of fantasy defenders, putting him firmly in play on this slate.

Ezgjan Alioski ($3,900): Alioski is one of the lowest-salaried full backs on the slate, so he's there if you need a punt. He has shown very little floor, but he does have attacking upside. He shoots more than most full backs, so for this salary, he's worth taking a shot on.

Also consider: Ben Chilwell ($7,100), Dan Burn ($4,600)

Goalkeepers to Target

Édouard Mendy ($5,800): Mendy has been the answer to Chelsea's problem between the sticks this season. He has 15 clean sheets in 27 league appearances this season. He's set up nicely for this game on Saturday given the matchup. Chelsea have conceded the second-fewest goals in the league, and Fulham have scored the second-fewest. He's a safe play to make at keeper if you have the salary to spend at the position.

Illan Meslier ($4,500): Keepers against Brighton are always in play. The Seagulls lack finishing ability, but they are able to get shots off. They are seventh in the league in shots per game, more than the likes of Leicester, Arsenal, and Tottenham. However, they have scored the sixth-fewest goals in the league. This would give Meslier a chance to make a lot of saves in this game, and he could be the highest scoring keeper on the slate if he gets either the win or the clean sheet.

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.