DraftKings Soccer: EPL DFS Helper for 2/26/22

It's a four-game EPL slate on Saturday, with lots of interesting options. Here are the games, with odds provided by EPL odds:

Forwards to Target

Cristiano Ronaldo ($9,100): It hasn't been a completely happy reunion for Ronaldo back at Manchester United. While he is tied for the team lead in goals, he has games where he isn't involved in the attack and doesn't look like a threat. Luckily for him, he'll get a great matchup this Saturday. Manchester United are at home against Watford. Watford are in the relegation zone and are on their third manager of the season. They've also conceded the third-most goals per game in the league.

Ronaldo is still shooting at a decent rate this season, nearly four times per 90 minutes. His anytime goal-scoring odds of -165 are the best on this slate. He still likely has the most upside of any forward on the slate, but the recent public sentiment about him and Manchester United may keep his popularity from being sky-high. His salary is $500 less than Wilfried Zaha, so even though it's up there, it's still pretty reasonable.

Odsonne Édouard ($7,100): It's tough to get behind Zaha at his aforementioned salary, but we can look at another Crystal Palace forward. Édouard comes in at a discounted salary and has much better goal-scoring odds than his teammate. Palace are home favorites against Burnley, who are still in the relegation zone despite decent form of late. Burnley allow the most shots per game in the league, and that number is significantly higher when they play away from home. With the forward position lacking a lot of clear options, Édouard is a good tournament play on this slate.

Wout Weghorst ($6,100): Wout Weghorst's signing was a bit of a coup for Burnley. They netted a profit after swapping him for Chris Wood and got a better player. During Weghorst's time in the Bundesliga, only Robert Lewandowski scored more goals than he did. It will be tough for Weghorst Saturday as a road underdog, but we saw him deliver last week against Brighton in a similar situation. For $6,100, you can certainly take a shot on him in tournaments.

Others to Consider: Philippe Coutinho ($8,100), Jadon Sancho ($7,500), Danny Welbeck ($5,500)

Midfielders to Target

Connor Gallagher ($8,400): Gallagher has arguably been the best player on loan in the Premier League this season. The Chelsea loanee has been a driving force for Crystal Palace. He's scored eight goals and chipped in with three assists. Gallagher contributes in fantasy with goal involvements and through set-pieces. He leads Palace with 91 crosses this season. Burnley are the worst possession team in the league, so he should be able to get forward and attack. He's a fine option as one of the higher-salaried midfielders on the slate.

Alexis Mac Allister ($7,500): Mac Allister was a letdown last week, but he should be able to bounce back here. Brighton have been giving him starts since they know he's one of their young talents who they need to develop. He's rewarded them with good play, and he's rewarded fantasy managers with points of late.

Mac Allister really started to get his chance beginning on Boxing Day. Since then, he's made eight Premier League starts and averaged 15.1 DraftKings points in those games. He's taken over as the majority set-piece taker for the Seagulls, as Pascal Groß seems to be getting fazed out of the team. Mac Allister has shown upside and a floor, putting him in play in all formats.

Josh Brownhill ($3,600): In the last two matches, Brownhill flashed upside that he hadn't shown much of previously. He scored a goal against Brighton and racked up stats against Tottenham. He had an assist, four shots, five shot assists and four crosses.

The concern for Brownhill is Ashley Westwood coming back into the side and taking away his set-pieces. However, Sean Dyche is an old-school manager who may not want to change a winning team. Burnley had won just one time before last Saturday, and now they've won twice in a row with Brownhill taking on a bigger role sans Westwood. If Brownhill plays without Westwood, he's a great value pick.

Others to Consider: Bruno Fernandes ($10,000), Michael Olise ($7,900), John McGinn ($5,600), Mathias Jensen ($4,400)

Defenders to Target

Luke Shaw ($6,400): Shaw is the second-best target on Manchester United, who are the biggest favorites on the slate. He has taken more corner kicks than Bruno Fernandes this season despite playing fewer games. When you consider the salary gap between the two and the fact that Shaw fills a defender spot, it makes him a bigger priority than Fernandes in my eyes.

Shaw should be able to bomb down the left wing in this match. Watford hasn't made many improvements under new manager Roy Hodgson, losing 4-1 to Crystal Palace on Wednesday. They've allowed the fourth-most crosses per game in the league. This salary is a fair clip for Shaw, and I wouldn't hesitate to use him at $6,400 if he was a midfielder.

Matt Targett ($5,700): One of Newcastle's newcomers, Targett established himself as a great option with his performance last week. He had 12 crosses and three shot assists against West Ham. With Kieran Trippier out of the lineup due injury, it looks as if Targett will get a lot of the corner kicks. This gives him great value at just $5,700. Newcastle may be underdogs away, but the matchup against Brentford isn't anything to be scared of.

Nathaniel Clyne ($3,600): Clyne is a full-back with a low salary on a favored team. He won't exactly light the world on fire with attacking play, but he's certainly a value defender who can be rostered with a decent amount of confidence.

Others to Consider: Ryan Fraser ($6,000), Diogo Dalot ($5,500), Sergi Canos ($4,500)

Goalkeepers to Target

David de Gea ($5,800): With Manchester United being a significantly larger favorite than any other team on the slate, de Gea makes sense if you have the salary. Watford have scored the fourth-fewest goals in the league and also take the fourth-fewest shots. Manchester United have clean sheet odds of -102, giving De Gea a good chance at scoring at least 10 points.

Emiliano Martínez ($4,500): Martínez is a capable goalkeeper who had 15 clean sheets last season. However, this play is mostly about the matchup. Brighton are tied with Watford for scoring the fourth-fewest goals in the league, but Brighton are 10th in shots per game. At times, they dominate play without getting goals. This has the potential to lead to a lot of saves for Martínez. If he is able to get a win and/or a clean sheet, he could be the highest scorer at the position.

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.