DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football – Tips for the EPL Golazo and Golden Boot (Gameweek 4)

DraftKings are daily fantasy sports giants in the US and they’ve now launched in the UK for the new Premier League season!

For those who don’t know how the DraftKings fantasy format works, find out all you need to know by following the link below:

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football Explained

$28,000 Premier League Golazo and $16,000 Premier League Golden Boot!

Gameweek 4 of the Premier League is fast approaching and DraftKings have plenty of competitions for those who like a quick return on investment in a 1-day fantasy format. DraftKings “Premier League Golazo” gives you seven fixtures to select your eight man fantasy team from, with an entry fee of just $3 (deposits and withdrawals will be converted at a competitive rate). $3 entry can potentially scoop you a huge chunk of the $28,000 prize pool, which has a $5,000 top prize. DraftKings Premier League Golden Boot follows exactly the same format, just at a higher buy in. $27 is the entry for that competition, which has a $16,000 prize pool and a $2000 top prize. We have put together the following article to help give you an edge over the rest of the field when deciding who should make the cut in your team. See our lineup and read more below!

Who to Buy

1. Jamie Vardy or Riyad Mahrez (Leicester)

   Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were Leicester City’s dynamic duo last season. They not only gave Leicester City faith, but propelled them to their unbelievable 2015/2016 Premier League title win thanks to an outstanding combined 41 goals and 19 assists between them. Though it took Vardy 212 minutes to start his party, scoring his first of the season in Leicester’s 2-1 win over Swansea last time out, he has still averaged 9 points per match thanks to the DraftKings scoring system which also rewards additional points for shots, crosses, or drawing fouls. We feel the reigning champions will be full of confidence against an inconsistent Liverpool back four and either of these players are worth a thought for your lineup. Who remembers Vardy’s screamer against Liverpool last season?

2. Sadio Mane or Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

   Jurgen Klopp is spoiled for choice when it comes to attacking midfielders at Liverpool. Roberto Firminho, Coutinho, Mane, Wijnaldum, and Lallana are all decent selections for the DraftKings format, though Coutinho’s time on the field is often cut short with a 70th minute substitution. Adam Lallana is somewhat of a dark horse for the DraftKings format – of all the Liverpool midfielders, he has the highest average points per match under the DraftKings scoring, which rewards not just goals and assists. Sadio Mane, meanwhile, has not only shown promising signs of fitting into the Liverpool lineup since his transfer from Southampton, notably scoring that screamer against Arsenal in their opening match of the season, but has been averaging 13.9 points per game – an equally respectable haul.

3. Santi Cazorla or Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

   Cazorla failed to make the starting eleven for Arsenal in their opener against Liverpool. After being substituted on with thirty minutes left against the Reds, however, he revitalized Arsenal’s creativity in the final third, assisting two goals and racking up even more points simply by creating chances. With Ramsey sidelined for the time being, we expect Cazorla has done more than enough to keep his position in the starting lineup. Alexis Sanchez is another who plays a very creative role in Arsene Wenger’s system – something that is rewarded heavily in the DraftKings format. Sanchez scored one and assisted two in Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Watford, and we can see more of the same against the uninspiring Southampton this weekend.

4. Dimitri Payet (West Ham)

   While there was speculation about a late transfer for Dimitri Payet, stemming from his notable absence from the West Ham line up over the last two fixtures, he will remain with the Hammers, until Christmas at least, now the transfer window is closed. Payet featured off the bench for France in the World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Tuesday and so should likely start for West Ham against the out-of-form Watford on Saturday. Payet was one of the most valuable assets to any fantasy team last season, tallying 9 goals and 13 assists, and should more than be worth his $9400 price tag considering he has been somewhat “under the radar” in recent weeks.

   Eldin Jakupovic or Curtis Davis (Hull City)

   Hull City came into the Premier League as one of the firm favourites for relegation – how they’ve turned the general opinion around in the first three matches. Though they have kept just one clean sheet, goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic and defender Curtis Davis have more than earnt their paychecks. Hull City held their own in a valiant defensive performance against Manchester United last time out, with Jakupovic pulling off some spectacular saves which saw him earn 14 points despite a late winner from Marcus Rashford costing him the clean sheet. Curtis Davis, meanwhile, constantly got himself in front of the ball, blocking shots and making class tackles. Not only is his defensive prowess remarkable, but he’s also averaged a respectable 9.3 points per match. Hull should be confident on their chances to keep a clean sheet against Burnley, who have failed to score in two of their three matches so far.

Who to Avoid

1. Stoke City Players

   Simply put, the Potters are in awful form at the moment. Without goalkeeper Jack Butland, they’ve been forced to play veteran Shay Given. Though Given hasn’t been awful, he is yet to keep a clean sheet this season and was very lucky to be the highest scoring goalkeeper last weekend. His penalty save, which rebounded off the post onto him resulting in an own goal, earnt him more bonus points than he lost for conceding. Stoke are also suffering without Glen Johnson and Xherdan Shaqiri, who remain doubtful for Saturday, consequently lacking creativity down the right hand side. Striker Mame Biram Diouf, who has seemed uninterested so far this season, is also doubtful and will likely be replaced by new signing Wilfried Bony. While this is certainly a decent signing for the Potters, he’ll likely take some time to acclimatise himself to their style of football. Not to mention Stoke have a difficult fixture against Tottenham on Saturday.
   

2. Southampton Players

   Southampton have had an equally disappointing start to the season considering their fixtures so far. The Saints have taken just two points, with 1-1 draws at home to Watford and Sunderland and a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United. Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond are the main beneficiaries of the DraftKings scoring system, which generously awards points for shots on goal, crosses, key passes, and drawing a foul, but even with these extras the duo have averaged under 10 points per match. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster is also doubtful for their next match against Arsenal and considering that Southampton are yet to keep a clean sheet, this doesn’t help their cause.

3. Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney (Watford)

   Watford’s Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney were some of the best “unknown” investments for forwards in DraftKings fantasy early on last season. Twenty-nine of Watford’s fourty goals in their 2015/2016 campaign were scored by the duo, but their performances so far this season have lacked inspiration. Both players cost about 7% of the allocated budget and they earnt a lacklustre 6 points between them in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend. With Watford travelling to London to face West Ham this weekend, we’d even recommend using your budget on more “riskier” choice forwards such as the Hammer’s newly signed Simone Zaza, who costs just $100 more of your budget, than them.

4. Simon Mignolet and Liverpool Defenders

   Alberto Moreno was the man at the heart of Liverpool’s defense criticism in their opening 4-3 win at Arsenal. While Jurgen Klopp has defended the full-back, but nonetheless removed him from the starting eleven over the next two fixtures, not much has changed for the Liverpool back four. The Reds have failed to keep a clean sheet so far this season – clean sheets are the biggest point earners for goalkeepers and defenders in the DraftKings format -and with a difficult fixture against reigning champions Leicester City this weekend, we expect their defensive misery to continue.

5. Defensive Midfielders

   Defensive midfielders are simply the lowest point earners in DraftKings fantasy. Though their cheaper price tag may be tempting, players who’s sole responsibility is to reclaim possession and pass it onwards will earn you very few points. Any winger from a weaker side, such as Robert Snodgrass from Hull who has averaged 12.3 points per game so far, will often earn more points than the best central midfielders, such as N’golo Kante, who not only costs more of your budget, but also collects fewer points.