Daily Fantasy Premier League 2015: EPL Week 31 DraftKings Matchups to Exploit
The international break couldn't end soon enough, as the Premier League returns for the home stretch beginning in April with a mouth-watering Week 31 slate filled with daily fantasy matchups worth exploiting.
As clubs atop the table position themselves for strong finishes and others look to avoid the line of relegation, action on the pitch is guaranteed to intensify. With that said, let's take a look at players worth targeting for Week 31 on DraftKings.
Saido Berahino, F, West Brom: $8,200 (vs. QPR)
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West Brom's star striker has been out of the fold recently with a foot injury, but his club feel confident he'll be returning for their clash with Queens Park Rangers, per Ben Dinnery of PremierInjuries.com:
His return to the starting lineup should bring a return to form for West Brom's attack. Not only have QPR lost their last five league matches, but their opponents this season also average 15.7 shots per game—second-most in the league. Berahino hasn't scored in his last three outings but preceded that with four goals and an assist in five matches' time.
Oscar, M, Chelsea: $6,600 (vs. Stoke City)
Chelsea midfielder Oscar struggled heading into the international break with no goals in his last eight DK outings, but he returned to form with a goal against France for Brazil in an international friendly before valuable rest in his national team's second and final friendly.
After ending his break with the rest many Blues players didn't get, Oscar will come out determined to give Chelsea a title buffer with three points against Stoke City. Stoke dropped their last two league outings, and Oscar scored in his last start against them back in 2014.
Ahmed Elmohamady, M, Hull City: $6,400 (at Swansea City)
| 3/22: Chelsea | 20 |
| 3/14: at Leicester City | 3 |
| 3/3: Sunderland | 11 |
| 2/28: at Stoke City | 4 |
| 2/21: QPR | 11 |
Although he hails from the midfield, Ahmed Elmohamady arguably has been Hull's most prolific attacking weapon to up his fantasy value. He has double-digit DK fantasy totals in three of his last five outings, including a goal on 20 points last matchday versus Chelsea.
Swansea City's only league win in March came in a 1-0 decision against lowly Aston Villa, while Hull have scored multiple goals in three of their last six despite failing to win any of their last four games. Leading striker Dame N'Doye is goalless in his last two starts, so expect Elmohamady to be searching for his own shot again in this one.
Carl Jenkinson, D, West Ham: $4,800 (at Leicester City)
There's no better perk among fantasy defenders than the combination of a high volume of crosses and a favorable matchup, which makes Carl Jenkinson a must-have guy on the back line for Week 31.
Jenkinson's crossing numbers are eye-popping. He has 23 combined in his last three league games, which allowed him to average over 10 fantasy points per game in that span despite virtually no attacking chances. To add to his value for Week 31, West Ham face hapless Leicester City, who possess the ball just 43.2 percent of the time—third-worst in the EPL—and present very little attacking presence.
Tim Howard, GK, Everton: $4,900 (vs. Southampton)
Everton's disappointing season has taken interest away from goalkeeper Tim Howard, but he's making a return to form along with his club.
With two straight wins, Everton are one of just two clubs outside the top four coming in off multigame victory streaks. Howard conceded only one goal in that span, including three saves and a clean sheet on March 15 against Newcastle—a 16-point DK performance.
Another clean sheet should be expected, with Southampton scoring multiple goals in just one of their last six games—a 2-0 win over Burnley.
Advanced stats courtesy of WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.
Steven Cook covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow and interact with him on Twitter.
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