SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for 9/19/20

Bruno Fernandes closed last season on a high note and should be able to do damage against Crystal Palace. Who else should you look to roster in Matchweek 2?

Another three-game slate in the early stages of the Premier League season awaits daily fantasy soccer players on Saturday. This slate features some teams we are familiar with as well as some we are learning more about as they play more games in the league.

Let's take a look at the odds for these three games courtesy of Soccer odd:

HomeDrawAway
Leeds -160+290Fulham +470
Manchester United -350+470Crystal Palace +900
Arsenal -200+350West Ham +500


Forwards to Target

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($10,300): Aubameyang already opened his goal-scoring account for the season in his first game last week against Fulham. Aubameyang has scored 22 league goals in each of his first two seasons, which tied for first in the league 2018-19 and was second in 2019-20. This week PEA and Arsenal will play at home against West Ham. West Ham got off to a rough start to the season with a 2-0 home loss to Newcastle. Now the Hammers are -200 underdogs to Arsenal, which sets up nicely for Aubameyang. He's an odds-on favorite to score at any time, and his -180 goal odds are the best on the slate. Those odds are good enough to consider playing him in any lineup you make.

Patrick Bamford ($7,400): Bamford starter his season off the right way by scoring a goal at the home of the defending champions, Liverpool. He led Leeds United in goals last season in the Championship with 16. Now Leeds get a matchup against a fellow newly promoted side, Fulham. Leeds finished 12 points ahead of Fulham last season and are a significant favorite here. He has been a proven goalscorer in the second tier for a few years now, and in this game, he is essentially facing that level of competition. Bamford is -110 to score at any time and may go overlooked by fantasy players who are unaware of his goal-scoring prowess in a different division.

Michy Batshuayi ($5,300): Batshuayi is a punt play at forward who could score a goal. He's re-joined Crystal Palace on loan after previously spending time at the club in 2018-19. He scored five goals in 11 league appearances during that loan stint. It's not the best matchup away to Manchester United, but that's why the salary is so low. If Batshuayi were to bag a goal, he would easily hit value, and his salary goes a long way toward helping you jam in the studs.

Midfielders to Target

Bruno Fernandes ($11,000): Fernandes transformed Manchester United when he joined the club in January. He scored eight goals and had seven assists in 14 appearances in the league. He staked his claim to key roles, as well, taking most of the set pieces when he arrived. Bruno ended up leading Manchester United in corner kicks despite playing just 14 games. He played against Crystal Palace just over two months ago at the tail end of last season and had six shots and eight crosses. Palace were a giving team last campaign to players who like to cross, allowing the fourth-most per game, according to WhoScored.com. Manchester United are the biggest favorite this week, and Fernandes is easily the highest-floor play on the slate. He also has solid goal-scoring upside, especially as he is Man United's penalty taker. He's taken eight penalties in all competitions with United and has scored all eight. He's easily the top play at midfield this week and needs to be a priority in most lineup builds.

Dani Ceballos ($5,300): If Dani Ceballos gets the start, he would be a good play in midfield for Arsenal. Granit Xhaka is a doubt for this game after picking up an ankle injury last week, which would allow Ceballos to slot into his position. Ceballos should have a share of the set pieces, as he was second on the team last season in corners taken. He added more than one chance created, one tackle won, one interception and one foul drawn per 90 minutes, according to Rotowire. He's a solid floor play at a cheap salary and has some upside as Arsenal should be able to put a few goals past West Ham in this game.

Tom Cairney ($4,000): Cairney is a good value play at midfield for Fulham. He is a corner taker for the Cottagers. He is more than that, though, as he was able to chip in with eight goals in the Championship last season. He had three crosses last week in a tougher matchup against Arsenal. Now, against a fellow promoted squad, the game should be easier for him and his side. He'll be one of the higher-floor plays around this salary range, and it isn't crazy to think that he could score, which we can't say for other $4,000 and below midfielders.

Defenders to Target

Joe Bryan ($4,900): With none of the really top EPL DFS defenders playing on this slate, you can pay down at the position and feel comfortable. Joe Bryan is one of the few at the position -- if any -- who will have a role on set pieces. He shares corner duties with Cairney for Fulham and also takes some free kicks. He scored a memorable free-kick goal in the playoff final last season that got Fulham back in the Premier League, which was his second goal of that game. With the lack of high-upside defenders available to us, Bryan's set-piece prowess might be our best shot at a goal or an assist at the position.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles ($4,000): Maitland-Niles is a converted midfielder who is now playing as a left wing-back for Arsenal. He played the position last week against Fulham, and while he didn't have a great game, he should be able to contribute offensively in this one. Arsenal face West Ham, who were in the bottom five in terms of possession rate last season. This should allow Maitland-Niles to push forward. He's a player who maybe we wouldn't consider on other slates, but with the lack of options at the position, he makes for a fine salary saver on this slate.

Goalkeepers to Target

David De Gea ($5,900): De Gea had his critics last season, but he still had a solid year. He was able to pick up 13 clean sheets and conceded 36 goals in 38 league appearances. What's most appealing about him Saturday is the matchup. Crystal Palace scored the second-fewest goals in the league last season and scored just one at home to Southampton last week. Manchester United are -350 to win, and, even better for De Gea, they are -116 favorites to keep a clean sheet. If you have the salary, De Gea is worth getting over the other goalkeeper options.

Marek Rodák ($4,000): There's a massive chasm of salary between the keepers on the favored teams and the ones on the underdogs. Marek Rodák tops the underdog tier and is probably the best option as he isn't going up against a proven Premier League powerhouse. Leeds were able to score three goals against Liverpool last week but had just six shots and didn't create many chances. Rodák is a decent play if you want to spend down at keeper and cross your fingers that things don't go as badly for him as they could for the other underdog keepers who are facing United and Arsenal.



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.