FantasyLabs now has soccer projections for the Premier League!
The English Premier League is winding down with just a few matches left before the season wraps up. Matchweek 35 gets underway this Saturday with four games that kick off at 10 a.m. ET making up the main Saturday slate on DraftKings.
A quick reminder for those new to the Premier League: the season consists of 38 Matchweeks and runs through May 28. Each team will play a total of 38 matches. At this point, teams have four to six matches sprinkled over the next few weeks before everyone concludes with a match on Sunday, May 28. After that game, the top five finishers qualify for European competitions, and the bottom three teams are “relegated” to the Championship League, which is the next league below the Premier League.
Manchester City has claimed the top spot in the table behind a historic season from Erling Haaland (discussed below). They’ll host Leeds United on Saturday morning. Leeds has been a mess lately and are tied for 17th place with four games left. They’re even with Nottingham Forest for third-to-last, while Everton and Southampton have even higher mountains to climb to avoid relegation. Leeds could really use the points, but they’re in a David vs. Goliath matchup against City’s in-form machine.
There are also important matchups in the other three games as Tottenham hosts Crystal Palace, Chelsea hosts Bournemouth and Aston Villa visits the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Bournemouth, and Wolverhampton are 11 through 14 in the standings and should be safe from relegation barring anything unusual. Bournemouth has been in great form lately to climb out of the relegation zone and will look to continue their strong showings. Tottenham and Villa are both just outside European competitions slots at the top of the table but could move up with strong finishes from their seventh and eighth spots in the table.
Inside our soccer Player Models, you’ll find median and value projections, along with our Lineup Builder and Lineup Optimizer. The Lineup Builder is great for those of you that like to hand-build your teams — or you can utilize the Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups.
Now, let’s get into the slate!
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Premier League Forward DFS Picks
Top Play: Erling Haaland vs. Leeds United, $11,300
It’s not surprising at all that Haaland has the highest projection on the slate by a wide margin or that he’s the most expensive player. Haaland has had a historic season, and he broke the single-season record for most goals in the Premier League on Wednesday when he hammered home his 35th goal of the year. He broke the record with five games remaining on his schedule and increased his total goals across all competitions in his first season at Man City to a jaw-dropping 51.
He has already shattered the record for most goals scored in all competitions by a Premier League player and could even approach the all-time record for the most goals scored in England’s top division (prior to the Premier League) set by the legendary Dixie Dean all the way back in 1927-28. Whenever you have to dig that far back into the history books, you know something truly special is happening.
Haaland is still just 22 years old, but the Norweigan has already made a name for himself and locked himself in as one of the top strikers in the world. He has led City to the precipice of their fifth title in the past six seasons, and he should be able to help them move four clear with a win over struggling Leeds on Saturday.
He comes into the favorable matchup with Leeds on a six-match scoring streak. He has found the back of the net eight times during that stretch, with two assists and a total of 23 shots on goal. He has averaged an impressive 22.9 DraftKings points per game over that span, with a high point of 38.3 DraftKings points against Arsenal two weeks ago.
Top Value: Noni Madueke 16 Bournemouth, $5,600
Madueke joined Chelsea in January on a transfer from PSV Eindhoven in January, and the 21-year-old has been growing into a larger role for Chelsea as the season winds down. With his salary under $6K, he is projected for 2.3 Pts/Sal, the highest mark of any forward by a significant margin. He’s one of the few low-cost forwards projected to start, making him a strong option as a cost-saver if your roster construction calls for going cheap either instead of or alongside Haaland.
He made his third Premier League start of the season last Tuesday and scored Chelsea’s only goal of their 3-1 loss against Arsenal. His 15.5 DraftKings points was a new career high in the Premier League, although he has posted over 7.0 DraftKings points in each of his two most recent appearances in which he played over 30 minutes.
Other value plays at forward who rate highly in our model include Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara and Crystal Palace’s Wilifried Zaha, if he’s able to play through his groin injury.
Premier League Midfielder DFS Picks
Top Play: Riyad Mahrez vs. Leeds United, $9,700
Mahrez offers the top projection from the midfield in City’s matchup against Leeds, but you’ll want to be careful that he’s in the starting XI since manager Pep Guardiola continues to cycle through players in the front line. Especially against a weaker opponent with the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Mahrez will probably end up filling in, and he has made the most of his chances over the past several games.
Since the start of April, he has started six of City’s seven EPL contests while appearing in the other as a sub. He has three assists in those six starts and has over 12 DraftKings points in his three most recent starts. He also has the ability to score goals in bunches, as he showed with his hat trick in the FA Cup semifinals against Sheffield United.
He makes a strong stack with Haaland if you can make the two City stars’ salaries work under the salary cap.
Top Value: N’Golo Kanté at Bournemouth, $3,900
Like Madeuke did at forward, Kanté brings solid upside from a very cheap salary as Chelsea takes on Bournemouth. He has the most projected Points per Salary of all the midfielders on the slate. He did get some rest earlier this month in Premier League matches while Chelsea tried to also focus on the Champions League, but he should be back in the mix for his match against Bournemouth.
The French midfielder is being pressed into a more offensive role since manager Frank Lampard took over. He hasn’t found a ton of success in that role just yet, but the opportunities are there for him. His contract is up at the end of the season, but he has said he hopes to stay at Stamford Bridge even though the team has been struggling. Hopefully, he and the Blues can break through vs. Bournemouth, but even if not, his involvement should be enough for him to return food fantasy value from under $4K.
Other value options to consider in the midfield include Kanté’s teammates Mateo Kovacic and Enzo Fernandez, Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie, and Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski.
Premier League Defender DFS Picks
Top Play: Ben Chillwell at Bournemouth, $6,300
The highest projection of all defenders by a wide margin belongs to Chillwell, who always gets involved as a wing-back. He has the highest Points per Salary projection as well and the third-highest of all players across the board, out-pacing some big and more expensive names at forward and in the midfield.
Chillwell has at least 8.0 DraftKings points in three straight Premier League matches and 10 of his last 11, with the only exception being when he came off the bench. Chillwell is a safe pick with a high upside if you have over $6K to spend on a top-shelf fantasy defender.
Top Value: Eric Dier vs. Crystal Palace, $2,900
Chillwell is joined at the top of the Points per $1,000 of salary ranks by his teammates Cesar Azpilicueta and Wesley Fofana since the projections are so strongly in favor of a return to form for Chelsea.
If you want to diversify your squad a bit, though, Dier is in the top five in Points per Salary and comes at a bargain rate under $3K. Dier has been a solid center-back for the Spurs and a regular fixture in their lineup. He doesn’t get as involved in the offense as Chillwell but does have two goals and an assist on the season. As a play under $3K on a favored side, he’s a solid value consideration.
Premier League Goalie DFS Picks
Top Play: Ederson vs. Leeds United, $5,900
Man City is in such outstanding form and in such a favorable spot. That it isn’t surprising at all that Ederson has the top goalkeeper projection by a long way. He should be able to get a win fairly easily and has a good shot at a clean sheet as well. He has picked up the win bonus in eight straight EPL games dating back to Feb. 25 but has not actually posted a clean sheet in any of his five most recent games, allowing exactly one goal in each contest.
He has averaged 5.3 DraftKings points over those five games but has the potential to reach double digits if he can keep a shutout against Leeds, who have scored five goals over their five most recent Premier League matches.
Top Value: Neto vs. Chelsea, $4,400
Neto has the highest Pts/Sal of the goalkeepers on the slate and has been helping the Cherries climb the table with some outstanding work. He has won four of his past five games with a total of 23 saves during that span for an impressive average of 12.7 DraftKings points per game.
Ederson has a limited ceiling if he doesn’t keep a clean sheet since he is unlikely to face enough shots to pile up saves. Neto will almost certainly be tested, but he has a higher ceiling if he continues to rise to the challenge. The Brazilian will be busy again Saturday, meaning he has a wide range of outcomes.
If he delivers again, though, he’ll be a great value at this salary.
