Daily Fantasy Premier League 2015: EPL Week 29 DraftKings Matchups to Exploit
The Premier League returns following a one-weekend absence for Week 29, and many footballers and clubs alike across England's top division are peaking as the season enters the final stretch.
The weekend slate trickles over into Monday with Swansea City hosting Liverpool in Wales for a prime-time affair, but the rest of the action falls on Saturday and Sunday. DFS advice for Saturday's five-game DraftKings slate dropped earlier on B/R's Daily Fantasy blog, so here are some pointers for the Sunday-Monday contests featuring the Reds' visit to Swansea and three others.
Everton F Romelu Lukaku: $8,800 (vs. Newcastle)
To say the EPL hasn't been kind to Everton this season would be a striking understatement, but a come-from-behind Europa League win in the midweek could be just what they need for a late revival to avoid relegation. They have a good chance to do so against slumping Newcastle, losers of two of their last three and 11th in the Premier League form guide.
Lukaku was all over the place against Dynamo Kyiv with a goal and assist in a 2-1 win, which should give him the confidence to break a five-match goal drought in EPL play. Even if the former Chelsea man fails to score, he'll be busy enough in front of net to justify his selection.
Liverpool F Daniel Sturridge: $7,500 (at Swansea City)
Daniel Sturridge has two things going for him entering Monday's match against Swansea City—he's coming off a dominant performance in league play on March 4 against Burnley, and he's an absolute killer of Swansea.
Dating back to the 2012-13 season, Sturridge's last three performances against Swansea have all produced a goal—in fact, he has four goals and two assists combined in the trio of meetings. Swansea have allowed multiple goals in three of their last four league games, and Sturridge is bound to make it four of five.
Tottenham M Nacer Chadli: $5,600 (vs. Manchester United)
Midfielder Nacer Chadli is due to get some more run in Tottenham's starting lineup after scoring a goal in a 3-2 win over Swansea on March 4. His previous four DK performances yielded less than 30 minutes of play each, but he has a combined 64 fantasy points in the last four matches that he's started.
It would be wise to wait until the lineups are released Sunday before plugging in Chadli but pencil him in for a strong performance should he start. Spurs host Manchester United, who rank just 14th in tackles per game and have holes in the midfield Chadli is capable of exploiting.
Southampton D Ryan Bertrand: $4,500 (at Chelsea)
Few defenders have been able to remain fantasy relevant without many goals or assists, but Southampton's Ryan Bertrand is one of the exceptions. His high cross rate has helped to result in an average output of 9.3 fantasy points in his last three outings.
His Saints travel to Stamford Bridge for a tough match with the league-leading Blues, who just suffered an emotional elimination from the Champions League. Chelsea have drawn following two of their last three UCL appearances, so there's always the off-chance that Bertrand could luck out with some extra points for a clean sheet or only one goal allowed.
Liverpool GK Simon Mignolet: $4,900 (at Swansea)
Few things in the EPL have been a safer bet than Simon Mignolet logging either a win or a clean sheet in net for Liverpool—at least since the calendar has turned over to 2015. Not counting a New Year's Day game against Leicester City, Mignolet has six clean sheets and seven wins out of eight starts.
Monday's opponents Swansea have seen an uptick in goals in their recent performances, but the Reds' strong trio of centre-backs and Mignolet's sweeping presence all but guarantee another clean sheet for Liverpool—or at the very least, a win along with some key saves.
Advanced stats courtesy of WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.
Steven Cook covers Daily Fantasy world football for B/R. Follow and interact with him on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Chiefs Giants Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Browns GM Speaks on Trade Buzz")
