DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Saturday 5/8/21

We've got a three-game slate in the Premier League on Saturday that features a preview of the Champions League final. Here are the games, with odds from Soccer odd:

Forwards to Target

Mohamed Salah ($9,700): This hasn't been a great season for Liverpool, and it hasn't been Salah's personal best season, either. Still, he has been one of the best goal scorers in the Premier League this season and has surpassed his league goal output from last season. He also has been in good form of late, as he has goals in three of his last four matches. Liverpool still have an outside chance of making the Champions League this season, so the incentive is still there for them to push hard to win this game. They get a good matchup against Southampton, who have been the worst team in the league since the calendar flipped to 2021. They've also conceded the third-most goals in the league. Salah has great anytime goal scoring odds of -250, so he clearly stands out above the rest of the forwards on this slate.

Eberechi Eze ($6,600): Eze is a good option in the mid-range for forwards. He has taken corner kicks for Palace, and he leads them in set pieces taken, according to Rotowire. Palace are rarely a team that plays on the front foot, but they can do so this week. They'll take on Sheffield United, who have already suffered relegation and have nothing left to play for in the Premier League. Sheffield United are the third-worst possession team in the league, according to WhoScored.com. This should allow Eze to push forward and get crosses into the box. He's a pretty solid floor play for this salary.

Rhian Brewster ($3,600): The salary for Brewster is enticing, as his goal scoring odds at +220 aren't too bad. Sheffield United are underdogs, of course, but Crystal Palace aren't exactly world-beaters. They allow more shots per game than even the Blades do, so there could be opportunities for Brewster. You can play him to fit in other pieces and not feel too bad about it.

Also Consider: Raheem Sterling ($8,100), Roberto Firmino ($6,700), Jordan Ayew ($4,900)

Midfielders to Target

Kevin De Bruyne ($10,000): It's rare that Manchester City aren't overwhelming favorites in a Premier League game. That isn't the case here, as they face potentially their toughest matchup considering how well Chelsea have played defensively under Thomas Tuchel. That may scare us off some other City players, but it shouldn't scare us off KDB. We've seen games where City have been mostly nullified, yet De Bruyne is still able to have a good game. An example would be the game against Manchester United in March, as City lost 2-0 but De Bruyne was still able to put up 20 DraftKings points. He has the highest floor of anyone in the league, averaging over three shots, three chances created, and six crosses per 90 minutes. This makes him a priority again, even in this tough matchup.

James Ward-Prowse ($7,200): Ward-Prowse continues to have an impressive season, even if Southampton have been in a long slump. He has taken the most corners in the league this season and is also fourth in crosses. The matchup against Liverpool may scare some people off, but Ward-Prowse has had games over 25 DraftKings points against Manchester City and Manchester United this season. He has the floor that we seek given all the corner kicks he gets, and this year he has added a ceiling. His eight goals and six assists are both career highs. We get a nice discount on Ward-Prowse considering his salary was in the $8000 range for a while, so let's take the savings and roster him this week.

Luka Milivojević ($4,100): Milivojević is a player to take a shot on for this salary. He occasionally takes free kicks and corner kicks for Crystal Palace, and more importantly takes their penalties. Palace's Wilfried Zaha is one of the players most capable of winning penalties in the league and should have chances to do so against a weak team like Sheffield United. If Milivojević is able to score from the spot, you're sitting pretty with a goal from a $4,100 midfielder

Also Consider: Mason Mount ($8,800), Kai Havertz ($6,800), John Fleck ($3,900)

Defenders to Target

Trent Alexander-Arnold ($7,000): Liverpool are an interesting team in terms of how they attack. Their main creativity comes from both full backs. The last two seasons, this worked like a charm. This season, however, their lack of creativity in the midfield has really burned them. It does help Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson in fantasy, though, so we can continue to roster them without much hesitation. This has led to these two full backs being first and second in crosses this season. Alexander-Arnold is the preferred option if you have the salary, as his play has been better of late. He has one single-digit DraftKings point performance in his last 10 games, whereas Robertson has four such performances. TAA also has 43 shots compared to just 17 for the Scotsman, giving him a better chance of scoring. Considering the matchup, Alexander-Arnold is one of the best plays at this salary range, regardless of position.

Tyrick Mitchell ($3,800): It's tough to love the second defender in your lineup unless you spend up. It's tough to spend up if you want to fit in the other good plays at other positions, so we'll look to Mitchell here for some salary relief. Mitchell is a young player who will be getting a chance to show what he can do at left back for Crystal Palace. He's had some decent performances in the league this season, including in the reverse fixture against Sheffield United in which he recorded 8.1 DraftKings points. If he can do something similar to that, you'll take it all day on this slate.

Also Consider: Andrew Robertson ($6,000), Reece James ($5,500), Rúben Dias ($4,100)

Goalkeepers to Target

Alisson ($5,900): Alisson is the option at keeper if you want to spend up. He gets a good matchup against Southampton, who are nothing to be afraid of given their recent form. Alisson has been called into action more this season, making multiple saves in nine straight matches. That increases his floor because even if he concedes a goal or two he probably won't get negative points. Liverpool are the biggest favorites on the slate and have decent clean sheet odds at +104, making Alisson a fine option for Saturday.

Édouard Mendy ($4,400): Mendy has been one of the best keepers in the league this season, with 16 clean sheets in 28 league appearances. His salary is low due to the matchup against Manchester City, obviously, but Mendy did keep a clean sheet against them less than a month ago in the FA Cup. Chelsea have kept in 18 of 24 matches under Tuchel, according to the BBC. I'd be willing to take a shot on Mendy for this salary given how well they've defended. It seems unlikely that Chelsea would get blown away, even by a strong opponent.

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.