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Week 17 Premier League Schedule
Saturday Slate
West Bromwich Albion v. AFC Bournemouth
Southampton v. Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United v. Norwich City
Sunday/Monday Slate
Swansea City v. West Ham United
Here are our picks for the upcoming weekend:
Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, $4,400) - Chelsea are on the cusp of relegation territory, but with Jose Mourinho gone and Guus Hiddink in place for the rest of the season, there is hope. Courtois and Chelsea have a great matchup at home against Sunderland given that Chelsea have won 9 of their last 11 matches against Sunderland in all competitions and Sunderland have lost 5 of their last 6 away matches.
Jack Butland (Stoke City, $3,500) - Butland has been in superb form of late to say the least. He has kept a clean sheet in 5 of Stoke's last 6 matches. Ever since the return of Shawcross to the back 4 Stoke has clamped down on the defense giving Butland a lot of help and reinforcement. Look for Butland to rack up a lot of saves as Palace will be on the charge looking to ruin the CS streak.
David De Gea (Manchester United, $4,500) - Although Van Gaal is on the hot seat and United's back line is decimated De Gea has kept a clean sheet in 6 of the last 7 home matches in the Premier League.
Other options to consider: Adrian (West Ham, $3,700), Rob Elliot (Newcastle, $4,200)
Defenders
Alberto Moreno (Liverpool, $4,700) - One of the most consistent left backs in the premier league this year in terms of swinging in crosses and consistently being in the offensive action. Moreno has been a lot more active since Klopp has taken over. Both Clyne and Moreno have seen a bigger role in the offensive half of the field. This should not slow down this week a Liverpool travel to Watford looking to slow down Mr. Ighalo and company.
Leighton Baines (Leicester City, $3,900) - Roberto Martinez and Everton have finally deemed Mr. Baines healthy to play. Baines was one of the most effective offensive left backs last season. He racked up a plethora of crosses and interceptions for Everton and the England National Squad. Having Coleman and Baines gives Lukaku even more looks at goals than he already needs. Baines will no disappoint if he starts.
Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle, $3,700) - We normally don't ever write about Newcastle players defenders, but Daryl Janmaat is an exception. Newcastle have a great matchup home against Aston Villa who are at the bottom of the table with 6 points. Janmaat is a very offensive left back who manages to find himself in the heart of the action constantly. Look for him to rack up interceptions, tackles, and an abundance of crosses.
Other options to consider: Glen Johnson (Stoke City, $3,600), Charlie Daniels (AFC Bournemouth, $2,600), Cedric Soares (Southampton, $4,000)
Midfielders
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City, $8,300) - In case you haven't caught on by now, this lad is a must-own until he gets injured or Leicester decides to stop scoring goals so often. Mahrez and Vardy captain the Leicester attack which is virtually unstoppable through the first half of this EPL season. Mahrez in his last two games has 4 goals and an assist. He's firing on all cylinders, every powerhouse club is after him and he doesn't have any sense of urgency to leave. So play him until he leaves England because he will rack up the stats.
Willian (Chelsea, $6,600) - Aside from KDB and Mahrez it is safe to say that Willian could be the third most productive midfielder from an offensive standpoint. He arguably has been the sole reason Chelsea have any hopes in Champions league. Now that DraftKings has game logs accessible on the player profile page take a look at Willian's Game log he has not had a single digit outing that's visible on the sheet. He takes all of Chelsea's free kicks and crosses given the matchup against s season and potentially Van Gaal's in Old Tratford. Sunderland at home consider him chalk in our lineups.
Juan Mata (Manchester United, $6,500) - I don't know what happened to Juan Mata last weekend but he was a non-factor in United's last outing. Mata has a great matchup against Norwich who has conceded the most goals in the Prem this season. He usually takes all of United's crosses and free kicks. I'm feeling a strong bounce back performance for Mata at home to save both hi
Other options to consider: Dele Alli (Tottenham, $4,100), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke, $4,600), Junior Stanislas (AFC Bournemouth, $4,500)
Forwards
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City, $8,100) - (This is what we wrote last week and I don't think we have to edit it) Vardy refuses to stop scoring. His price tag is a good indicator of that, however I think Vardy or Mahrez if not both are must-owns this week making Vardy the preference based on price.
Romelu Lukaku (Everton, $7,800) - Lukaku and Vardy are battling it out for best striker in the Prem. Lukaku has scored 6 goals in his last 5 matches and the Leicester backline isn't necessarily the most frightening. I don't see any reason why Romelu won't stop this hot streak at home. If Baines is inserted back into the starting XI it increases Lukaku's value if that's even at all possible. It's safe to say i will be building around Romelu Lukaku this weekend.
Ayoze Perez (Newcastle, $5,400) - Ayoze is the best scoring threat for Newcastle. As stated earlier in the article they have an amazing matchup home against bottom of the table Villa. Perez came on as substitute in the 63' and scored the game winning goal in extra time. If he gets the start up front look for Ayoze to be very active looking to get Newcastle on a 3 game winning streak.
Other options to consider: Graziano Pelle (Southampton, $6,500), Diego Costa (Chelsea, $6,300), Sergio Aguero (If Healthy) (Manchester City, $7,700)
Utility
James McClean (West Brom, $4,000) - McClean is a versatile midfielder who finds himself moving forward a bunch. Before his last outing against Liverpool he has posted lines of 26,17, and 10. He has a great matchup against Bournemouth where West Brom and Pulis will be looking to capitalize on last week's result.
Gerard Deulofeu (Everton, $5,000) - We mention this man's name every week i know but his price never justifies his ceiling. He is planted on the right wing side for Everton and is always involved in the action. He has two assists and a goal in their last 5 games. Until he comes up in price a little more he will find a spot in some of my lineups.
Sample Lineup
GK: Butland
DF: Baines, Daniels, Janmaat
MF: Willian, Mata, Ramires
FW: Lukaku, Perez
UT: McClean, Shawcross
That's it for this week's DraftKings DFS EPL preview, don't forget to check out our website to purchase our premium EPL packages and reach out to us on twitter @2DFSGods. As always, good luck!