DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football – Tips for the EPL Striker & Golden Boot (Week 24)

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 1-day fantasy format works, find out all you need to know by following the link below:

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football Explained

$15,000 Premier League Striker and $20,000 Premier League Golden Boot!

Gameweek 24 of the Premier League is almost upon us and DraftKings have plenty of competitions for those who like a quick return on investment through a 1-day fantasy format.

DraftKings “Premier League Striker” gives you seven fixtures to select your eight man fantasy team from, all for 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 $15,000 prize pool, which has a $700 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 $20,000 prize pool and a $1,500 top prize!

We’ve 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. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) – Price: $9,900

   Christian Eriksen is a player who’s presence and orchestration of the offense in the attacking third and from set pieces has earned him a tonne of points under the DraftKings format. Eriksen has been outstanding this season from a fantasy perspective, averaging nearly six crosses and four shots per match. When added to his five goals and eleven assists, he sits on an impressive 15.4 FPPG (Fantasy Points Per Game) average. Eriksen’s consistency is what sets him apart, though, having matched or bettered his average in eight of his last ten outings for Spurs (a personal high of 37 points against Hull City). Though Spurs drew 0-0 at home to Sunderland last time out, he took away a massive 17 points from shots (3), shots on goal (2) and crosses (15) and a favourable match at home to Middlesborough on Saturday puts him in a decent position to continue his fantasy form.

2. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) – Price: $8,000

   Romelu Lukaku’s decline in DraftKings popularity sees him available for the very modest sum of $8,000 (down $700 on his $8,700 peak). Lukaku finished with zero shots on target for the second straight match against Stoke as the Toffees’ attack looked stagnant. However, we should see more from Lukaku on Saturday as Everton face Bournemouth, who have conceded 2 or more goals in six of their last seven Premier League matches. Everton thrive at Goodison Park, scoring an average of almost 2 goals per game, so also consider midfielders Kevin Mirallas ($6,500), Ross Barkley ($6,300) and Tom Davies ($3,700) viable options for similar reasons.

3. Troy Deeney (Watford) – Price: $5,200

   After taking forever to score his 100th goal for Watford, skipper Troy Deeney has found a rich run of form with two goals in his last two against Bournemouth and Arsenal. With former teammate Odion Ighalo shipping off to China, Deeney will be the main man up front for the Hornets, potentially backed up by the new signings from the January transfer window. Watford and Deeney should have some decent potential on Saturday, hosting a Burnley side that have taken just one point on the road this season (D1 L9).

4. Scott Dann (Crystal Palace) – Price: $3,400

   Scott Dann got the job done at both ends of the pitch in a 2-0 win away to Bournemouth last Tuesday. Dann helped the “new-look” Crystal Palace to keep their first clean sheet under manager Big Sam – just their second clean sheet of the season – with a dominant defensive performance and also got himself a goal (his 3rd of the season) to put Palace ahead. Dann’s most notable attribute as a defender is his 18 goal attempts produced inside the opposition’s box this season – the highest of any other Premier League defender. Palace have signed Liverpool’s Sakho on loan and Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt over the January window, so they’re clearly looking to improve defensive stability. Combine that with a favourable fixture at home to Sunderland this Saturday and Dann seems set up for another high scoring match. Not to mention his extremely reasonable price tag of just $3,400.

5. Eldin Jakupovic (Hull City) – Price: $3,700

   It’s important to spend your budget where it matters in the DraftKings format. Simply put, goalkeepers have the lowest potential of all player types to take away high points scores. Hence, you should be using less of your budget on them. Hull City’s Eldin Jakupovic is, for example, a huge $2,300 cheaper than Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris, but has a higher FPPG average for a reason. Difficult fixtures mean that Jakupovic will be forced to make more saves, and a match at home to Liverpool on Saturday should be no exception to this rule. With goalkeepers earning 2 points per save, Jakupovic should be on track to grind out a decent score even if Hull fail to keep a clean sheet.

Who to Avoid

1. Burnley Players

   As mentioned above, Burnley are in awful form in Premier League matches on the road. Not only have Burnley taken just one point from their ten away matches so far (D1 L9), but they’ve also failed to score in six of these (60%). When Burnley have hit the back of the net in an away match (4 goals total), it’s never been more than one goal, so there’s simply not much potential in the Clarets this Saturday.

2. Middlesborough Players

   Middlesborough have one of the trickier fixtures of the weekend away to Tottenham Hotspur. Boro are the lowest scoring side in the Premier League (19 goals), an obvious disadvantage for earning points in most forms of fantasy football, but, notably, they’re another side who have struggled to win on the road this season (W1 D6 L4). Considering Spurs’ home form and the fact that Boro have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League away matches, we’d steer clear of Aitor Karanka’s side.

3. Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

   Adam Lallana has undoubtedly had a blinding season so far – seven goals and six assists make him one of the most valuable midfielders of any Premier League side. However, Liverpool had an awful January and Lallana is now four matches without a goal or assist, scoring no more than 7 points in any of these, so there is some cause for concern. He’s not a high risk option at just $7,200, however, there are a few more inform alternatives available in the same price range that reduce his appeal.

4. Salomon Rondon (West Brom)

   Salomon Rondon’s price hasn’t dropped down to $6,300 ($1,200 from a peak of $7,500) without reason. He’s scored just three goals over his last ten Premier League outings, all of which came in a 3-1 win at home to Swansea in December. Due to this lack of goals, he’s earned no more than 7 points in nine of West Brom’s last ten matches. West Brom face Stoke City on Saturday, against whom it should be difficult to end a poor goal-less streak.

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, Adnan Januzaj ($4,100) from Sunderland, will often earn more points and be involved with more of the action than some of the best central midfielders, such as, Victor Wanyama ($4,100) from Spurs.