Daily Fantasy Premier League 2015: Best EPL Lineup Picks Week 26
After a nightmare of a weekend that didn't include Premier League action, England's top-flight league is back in full force this weekend for a Matchday 26 heavy on enticing matchup plays.
When it comes to daily fantasy for Week 26, seven of the 10 matches taking place Saturday afternoon (morning for those in the U.S.) make that the ideal time slot for the best buys. Tottenham's early Sunday fixture with West Ham was the only match not to crack the DraftKings contests, but there are still options available amid Everton-Leicester City and Southampton-Liverpool.
Here are the best lineup picks for Week 26, followed by some suggestions for Sunday.
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| GK | Asmir Begovic (Stoke City) | Aston Villa | 5.5 | $4,400 |
| D | Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) | Stoke | 8.0 | $3,700 |
| D | Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea) | Burnley | 5.7 | $4,400 |
| M | Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) | Manchester United | 10.6 | $7,100 |
| M | Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) | Crystal Palace | 10.9 | $8,600 |
| F | Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) | West Brom | 9.1 | $6,000 |
| F | Wilfried Bony (Manchester City) | Newcastle | 11.3 | $7,900 |
| Flex | Oscar (Chelsea) | Burnley | 9.8 | $7,400 |
Forwards: Wilfried Bony ($7,900) and Jermain Defoe ($6,000)
Wilfried Bony's anticipated Manchester City debut looks destined to come Saturday against Newcastle, which happens to be one of the former Swansea attacker's favorite opponents. He has three goals in two career outings against Newcastle, and City will turn to him as they look to bounce back from a rough couple of weeks.
Bony will only have had a few days of training before the clash, but his nine goals in 16 starts for Swansea before the midseason move speak for themselves.
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe—another recent addition with EPL experience—has netted goals in two of his first four league appearances with his new club. Against a West Brom squad that ranks 18th defensively and 15th in tackles per game, Defoe should have more opportunities.
Midfielders: Gylfi Sigurdsson ($7,100) and Santi Cazorla ($8,600)
Gylfi Sigurdsson's three-match suspension couldn't end soon enough for Swansea, who get the league's second-leading assist creator back for a crucial tie with Manchester United. While his eight helpers on the season say it all, EPL Stat Man uncovered that he creates chances with the best in the EPL:
Louis van Gaal has done a decent job piecing together United's midfield without the right parts, but the Red Devils struggle with midfielders of Sigurdsson's ability.
Conservative pickups elsewhere allow for Santi Cazorla to be the cash cow in the midfield. Cazorla has overwhelmingly been named Arsenal's Player of the Month by fans for two months running, and he should be on the creating end of a few chances against a Crystal Palace squad that has conceded 35 goals.
Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta ($4,400) and Alan Hutton ($3,700)
Chelsea's trio of defenders—John Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic—combined for a dream-like goal in Tuesday's Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain, but one talented defender was lost in the madness, as Peter Crouch aptly noted:
While Cesar Azpilicueta wasn't involved in that score, he's been very much a part of Chelsea's attack in recent fixtures. With an assist and nine crosses over the last two matches, he's on a two-game streak of double-digit fantasy totals and should help the cause Saturday against relegation candidates Burnley.
When it comes to attacking contributors on the back line, few make more of an impact than Aston Villa's Alan Hutton, who flies under the radar due to his struggling club. An eye-popping 25 crosses in his last five matches make Hutton a high-value buy at $3,700.
Goalkeeper: Asmir Begovic, Stoke City ($4,400)
Aston Villa's offense is struggling to the point where picking the opposing goalkeeper is almost a sure bet for cash. But Asmir Begovic has more than that going for him entering Saturday's affair.
He did concede four goals the last time out, but that was to Manchester City. He preceded that with four wins in his previous seven outings, averaging 16.5 fantasy points per match in those four victories.
Despite all of that, he's just the 12th-most expensive keeper on the slate for Saturday.
| D | Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton) | 8.5 | $4,500 |
| M | Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) | 11 | $5,700 |
| F | Steven Naismith (Everton) | 7.2 | $6,000 |
| F | Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) | 11.1 | $7,800 |
Yet to play a full 90 minutes in three EPL matches since his return, Daniel Sturridge has still eclipsed 15 fantasy points in two of those matches. Assuming he's not overworked in Thursday's Europa League fixture, Sturridge should be in line to score against Southampton like he did back in their Aug. 17 win over the Saints.
Opportunities should come much more often for Everton's Steven Naismith—without a goal or assist in his last four—Sunday than they have in recent outings against Chelsea and Liverpool. His squad faces slumping Leicester, and Naismith has been the focal point of the attack lately with Romelu Lukaku's form dropping.
| 7 | 33 | 11 | 79 (7.9/match) |
Southampton defender Nathaniel Clyne's offensive presence makes him a sure buy. He has 18 crosses in his last four matches, and his average points per game of 8.5 ranks atop Sunday's available options.
Riyad Mahrez has dazzled in Leicester's midfield since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, averaging an insane 16.6 fantasy point per match in his last five outings. Everton ranks second to last in interceptions (11.6) per game, which should open up some chances for Mahrez.
Club and player rankings are courtesy of WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.
Steven Cook covers Daily Fantasy world football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his weekly rankings on Week 26 defenders and goalkeepers provided by PlayTogga.com.
