DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for 9/11/21

We’ve got a large Premier League slate with six games on it, including some big teams. Here are the games, with odds from EPL odds:

Forwards to Target

Cristiano Ronaldo ($9,200): Ronaldo has made his return to Manchester United, and he could make his season debut on Saturday against Newcastle. Adding a 36-year-old doesn’t often change a team's dynamic too much, but Ronaldo is no average 36-year-old. He led Serie A with 29 goals last season. We saw Edinson Cavani be productive starting up front for United last season, and Ronaldo can play the same role, just in a more ruthless and efficient way.

The sportsbooks are certainly expecting big things for Ronaldo in this match. His anytime goal-scoring odds are -200 -- by far the best on the slate. Michail Antonio carries the highest salary at forward, and yet his goal-scoring odds are +145.

Ronaldo is a good value for $9,200 because of his chances of scoring and how frequently he shoots. In his first game back as a Manchester United player, he will likely be looking to shoot often, making him a superb in play in all formats.

Jarrod Bowen ($7,700): Bowen's salary was a bit frothy early in the season, but it's come down to something much more palatable. The salary has fallen despite some reasonable performances, as Bowen has recorded no fewer than 8.9 DraftKings points in his three games this season. He's been one of the most consistent crossers in the league thus far, with his 21 crosses in three matches being tied for eighth in the league. He'll get a share of set pieces for West Ham, giving him a solid floor.

West Ham are off to a good start, especially on the attacking side. They are one of only two teams that have scored multiple goals in all three league games. Southampton haven't shown themselves to be much more than an average Premier League side, and West Ham should be able to attack them. Bowen is a forward with a reliable floor and a good ceiling if he can contribute to a goal in this match.

Bukayo Saka ($6,700): It's been a rough start to the season for Arsenal. They've lost all of their three games and haven't scored a goal. Bukayo Saka was fit enough to play more than a half in just one of those games, and that's important because he was one of their best players last season. He was also one of their best players from a DFS perspective.

Saka averaged 5.20 crosses per 90 minutes last season in the Premier League. That was when he had to share corner kicks with Willian, who is no longer at the club. He could be the main man on set pieces, which would give him enormous value. We saw his salary reach more than $10,000 last season, so $6,700 is a massive bargain.

Arsenal get a much easier matchup at home to Norwich compared to their last two matches against Chelsea and Man City. This is a perfect get-right spot for the Gunners, and Saka is a player who can take advantage of this spot.

Also consider: Ferran Torres ($9,000), Alexandre Lacazette ($7,500), Milot Rashica ($5,000)

Midfielders to Target

James Ward-Prowse ($8,000): Another week in the Premier League, another week where James Ward-Prowse is one of the best plays on the slate. We know the deal with JWP -- he's going to take most (if not all) set pieces for Southampton, as he's one of the best players over a dead ball in the league. He has 25 crosses in the first three games of the season, the third-most in the league.

We also learned that Ward-Prowse will be the penalty taker with Danny Ings no longer at the club. This obviously adds upside to his profile, making him more than just a good floor play. We also know that he never leaves the pitch, as he has played every minute of every league game for Southampton since the start of the 2019-20 season. This is just another factor that makes him a reliable play nearly every time he is on the slate.

İlkay Gündoğan: ($7,500): Gündoğan has been the creative force in the midfield with Kevin De Bruyne out for the opening three games. If KDB is out again, we can go back to the German and feel pretty good about it. In Man City's last match against Arsenal, Gündoğan had a goal and nine crosses while taking all eight of City's corners. We saw him start getting further forward and become much more of a goal threat last season, and he's continued to play that way early this year.

When he got on his goal-scoring run, Gündoğan's salary soared up to the $9,000-$10,000 range. Here, he is only $7,500, and this time he has the set pieces, too. It's not the easiest matchup that Man City will face this season, but Leicester have allowed the second-most crosses per game so far this season, according to WhoScored.com. Gündoğan is probably the best option for the Citizens this week.

Trincão ($6,000): Trincão has been impressive for Wolves since coming from Barcelona, but it hasn't led to any results for his club just yet. He has been able to produce decently well in fantasy, averaging 10 DraftKings points per game so far. He's taken over some set pieces, which aids his floor. Wolves have yet to score a goal in the league this season but are still favorites in this match away from home. They should be able to at least get on the board, and if they do, it wouldn't be surprising to see Trincão contribute to the goal given his position in the front three.

Billy Gilmour ($3,000): Gilmour is a solid punt play at midfield if you need it. He's done a decent job of navigating through Norwich's hellish opening schedule to score right around 5.3 DK points in all three games. It's another tough matchup -- away to Arsenal -- but with everything going on with Arsenal, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Norwich compete in this game. If that's the case, Gilmour could get his standard five points, which is enough at the minimum salary.

Also consider: Bruno Fernandes ($10,200), Martin Ødegaard ($6,400), Tom Cleverly $5,200

Defenders to Target

Luke Shaw ($6,200): With no Liverpool, Chelsea or Everton on this slate, the real high-end full-backs aren't options for us. We can look to Luke Shaw for the highest-salaried option on the slate, and he is in a good situation this week. He has taken a majority of the corner kicks for Manchester United so far this season, usurping Bruno Fernandes as the main set-piece taker. Shaw had the ninth-most crosses in the league last season, finishing with 189.

Manchester United are by far the biggest favorite on the slate at home against Newcastle. This should allow Shaw to get forward and play in and around the penalty area, as he is wont to do. The addition of Ronaldo to the squad gives Shaw a nice target on crosses, as well, because of Ronaldo's aerial prowess. Shaw is certainly the top play if you're spending up at defender.

Kieran Tierney ($5,700): Tierney had a great fantasy performance to start the season against Brentford, with 11 crosses and 6 shot assists. Then he struggled to produce in tough matchups against Chelsea and Manchester City. He's another Arsenal player who should be able to bounce back against Norwich, a game in which he is much more likely to get forward than the previous two. We know that he likes to cross, as he averaged nearly five crosses per 90 minutes last season. This is the perfect game for him to get back on track, making him a great play at the position.

Adam Masina ($4,000): Masina is a decent value option for Watford at defender. He took some corner kicks in the last match against Tottenham and ended up with four crosses. If he gets to take more corners this week, he can easily pay off this low salary.

Also consider: Aaron Cresswell ($5,800), Valentino Livramento ($4,200), Kyle Walker ($3,900)

Goalkeepers to Target

David de Gea ($5,900): Rumors of David de Gea's demise have been greatly exaggerated. He saved a win for Manchester United last time out against Wolves with a fantastic double save off a corner kick, and he was able to get the win and keep a clean sheet. He's got a good chance to do both of these things this week, with United -550 favorites and -108 to keep a clean sheet. If you have the salary to use at goalkeeper, de Gea is a solid bet.

Daniel Bachmann ($4,400): Bachmann had a good game for Watford in their last outing, making seven saves and conceding just one goal. Now he'll face a Wolves team that has yet to score in the league. While we can expect Wolves to play better, it's unlikely they will explode for a lot of goals in this match away from home. Bachmann is a decent play in the midrange of keepers, and doesn't fall into the completely gross range of big underdog keepers just below him.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.