DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football – Tips for the EPL Striker & Golden Boot (Week 21)
A lifelong Birmingham City fan, Tom relocated to Germany for five years after graduating from university, where his interest in the Bundesliga developed. He began writing about and betting on German football for FST in 2016. He's also an avid fantasy football player and closely follows the Premier League and European competitions.
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
$20,000 Premier League Striker and $15,000 Premier League Golden Boot!
Gameweek 21 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 $4 (deposits and withdrawals will be converted at a competitive rate). $4 entry can potentially scoop you a huge chunk of the $20,000 prize pool, which has a $1,000 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 $15,000 prize pool and a $2,000 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
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Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) – Price: $8,000
Alexis Sanchez’s performances and popularity have seen his price soar to a season high $10,300. His recent switch back into a role on the wing, however, actually makes Olivier Giroud the more appealing Arsenal player to choose. Giroud has been in top form, scoring three, one of which is no doubt a goal of the season contender, and assisting two from his last three starts. With an FPPG (Fantasy Points Per Game) average of just under 20 points per game since being back in the starting 11, his $8,000 price tag and a fixture against struggling Swansea on Saturday make him an essential forward.
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Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) – Price: $7,000
Jermain Defoe is another forward in decent form and with an extremely reasonable price tag. He took a brace from two clinically finished penalties against Liverpool in Sunderland’s last Premier League outing and should fancy himself to extend this run against a Stoke side that have conceded 11 goals over their last three matches on the road. Defoe is up to 11 goals so far this season and more than on pace to better last season’s 15 goal mark.
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Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea) – Price: $4,500
Chelsea were on a thirteen match winning run – keeping a clean sheet in ten of these – before their 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham last time out. Antonio Conte’s decision to move to a back three supported by wing backs has produced unrivaled defensive stability and seen defensive trio Cesar Azpilicueta ($4,200), Gary Cahill ($3,600) and Marcos Alonso ($5,900) become three of the most consistent DraftKings earners as defenders. Alonso’s relentless forward raids offer attacking potential and he has only twice finished a match with neither a clean sheet or assist in his 14 starts for Chelsea. Azpilicueta is potentially the best value candidate, costing $1,700 less than Alonso, but holding the 2nd highest FPPG of the bunch.
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Junior Stanislas (Bournemouth) – Price: $6,400
For those looking for a mid-budget midfielder this weekend, look no further than Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas. Bournemouth have a very favorable fixture against bottom of the table Hull City on Saturday and were very impressive in their 3-3 draw at home to Arsenal last time out. Since returning to the starting 11 two matches back, Stanislas has averaged 15 points per game, assisting a goal in each. This marks his best Premier League season ever with three goals and six assists from his 12 appearances so far.
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Tom Heaton (Burnley) – Price: $4,400
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. Burnley’s Tom Heaton is, for example, a huge $1,200 cheaper than Arsenal’s Petr Cech, but has a higher FPPG average for a reason. Burnley haven’t been in the best form defensively, keeping just 1 clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League matches, however, a weaker defense means that a goalkeeper is forced to make more saves. With goalkeepers earning 2 points per save, Heaton has been able to consistently grind out decent scores week in week out.
Who to Avoid
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Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
Dimitri Payet has consistently been one of our weekly recommendations, despite failing to reach the same heights he did with the Hammers last season. However, manager Slaven Bilic has stated that Payet “no longer wants to play for the club”, but also says they will not sell him. Bilic claims he’ll be out of the team and out of training until the Frenchman’s attitude changes, so expect Payet to be absent from this weekend’s match at home to Crystal Palace.
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Nathan Ake (Chelsea)
Nathan Ake showed a lot of development at Bournemouth after working his way into the starting 11 in gameweek 12. For a budget defender, he’s been a must have in DraftKings fantasy thanks to his three goals and three clean sheets over his last eight appearances. However, the young Dutch defender will be illegible for points this weekend after after his immediate loan call back from Chelsea during the week, so will accrue exactly 0 points.
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Rihad Mahrez (Leicester City) and Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Reigning champions Leicester and star Rihad Mahrez have failed to maintain the same flare and momentum as in their title winning campaign last season. The Foxes will likely have even more trouble this weekend against league leaders Chelsea with the absence of Mahrez, who is attending the African Cup of Nations for Algeria over the coming weeks.
Wilfried Zaha is another who’s off to the African Cup of Nations, a huge blow for the struggling and injury riddled Crystal Palace. Zaha has represented England non-competitively in 2013, but will be representing Ivory Coast at the competitive level in the coming weeks.
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Swansea Defenders
Simply put, Swansea have struggled for defensive stability this season. Swansea have conceded a league high 45 goals, an average of over 2 goals per match, and the Swans have kept just one clean sheet over all of their last twelve Premier League matches. Last month’s 5-0 defeat to Spurs has been labelled the most “one-sided” Premier League match in recorded history by analysts and Swansea have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six Premier League matches. Based on form and FPPG averages, Swansea’s defenders don’t warrant attention.
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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, Wayne Routledge from Swansea, will often earn more points and be involved with more of the action than some of the best central midfielders, such as, N’golo Kante from Chelsea.