We now move to look at the Gameweek 3 picks for our partner game Yahoo and bring you news of a Saturday contest offering £10,000 in prizes.
The Premier League £10k Saturday game is just £5 to enter and guaranteed to run – it consists of the five fixtures that take place from 3pm onwards that day.
There’s a healthy £2,000 on offer for the winner and £1,000 for the runner-up, with the top 100 Yahoo managers earning a win-back of at least £20.
Driven by Opta data, the Yahoo game’s scoring system seems tailor-made for members of our community looking for a Daily Fantasy Sports offering.
To get started, you can sign up and claim a free £50 in credit to your account when you deposit just £5.
To guide your first selection, we recommend reading our Strategy Guide, which assesses both the mechanics of the Yahoo game and the type of players who tend to profit.
Taking in all 10 fixtures, Gameweek 3 gets underway with Bournemouth vs Manchester City at 12.30pm on Saturday. It ends on Sunday afternoon, when Liverpool host Arsenal and Spurs entertain Burnley at 4pm.
My Strongest XI
Hugo Lloris – £16m
Marcos Alonso – £18m
Patrick Van Aanholt – £15m
Laurent Koscielny – £10m
Michail Antonio – £20m
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £17m
Steven Davis – £13m
Nathaniel Chalobah – £11m
Romelu Lukaku – £28m
Harry Kane – £27m
Mo Salah – £25m
As Yahoo allows late swaps up until each kick-off, our listed line-up could be subject to change.
The Key Picks
Hugo Lloris is our preferred goalkeeper for Spurs’ clash with the Burnley. Yahoo’s scoring system is key to our decision – keepers earn six points for a clean sheet compared with a defender’s three, while they also profit from wins and draws. Mauricio Pochettino’s men conceded just nine goals at home in 2016/17 and their visitors netted only 13 times on their travels.
We’re backing Chelsea’s two-goal Marcos Alonso to get amongst the points once again as Everton roll up to Stamford Bridge. The wing-back’s average of 16.6 Yahoo points per match (ppm) is top among defenders and ranks fifth overall this season. He is also number one defender for shots (seven) and efforts on target (four), and netted in the corresponding fixture last season.
Crystal Palace’s Patrick Van Aanholt boasts some strong underlying stats for the visit of Swansea. Unleashed as a wing-back by new manager Frank De Boer, the Dutchman has produced seven interceptions and six successful tackles in his first two outings. Van Aanholt – who scored all five of his goals at home last term – has also impressed going forward, with three shots and four successful crosses down the left.
Back from suspension, Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny looks a very handy budget enabler at a cost of just £10.0m. A trip to Anfield may be unlikely to harvest a clean sheet, but we expect the centre-half to be kept busy and thus benefit from his defensive contribution. He was ranked first for blocks (22) and interceptions (90) for the Gunners in 2016/17.
With a trio of in-form big-hitters leading the line, we’re looking for more value in our four-man midfield. West Ham’s Michail Antonio, away to struggling Newcastle United, is our priciest pick in the centre of the park. More budget-friendly than team-mate Javier Hernandez (£20.0m to £25.m), he registered more efforts (four to three) than the Mexican in last week’s loss at Southampton. Six of Antonio’s nine goals in 2016/17 were scored away from home.
A wing-back berth for Arsenal has boosted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s all-round prospects in the Yahoo game. Averaging 12.1 ppm, he’s the number one midfielder for shots (nine) and blocks (two), and takes second spot for interceptions (six). Like Koscielny, he’s set for a busy day at Anfield, although Liverpool’s dodgy defence suggests he’ll also be granted leeway to raid forward down the flank.
Cut-price midfielders Southampton’s Steven Davis and Watford’s Nathaniel Chalobah also boast the type of game that can profit from the Yahoo scoring system.
An unfashionable pick, perhaps, Davis has won more tackles (six) than any team-mate ahead of their trip to Huddersfield. The Irishman started in a central support role against West Ham last weekend and has fired three efforts on goal so far.
Six attempts on goal and as many successful tackles look very promising for Chalobah ahead of a home clash with Brighton. He was rested from midweek cup duties and is expected to return to the Watford XI as Marco Silva’s side seek to hand their visitors a third straight loss.
Three goals in his first two outings for Manchester United ensures that Romelu Lukaku is among the first names on our teamsheet. The Belgian’s average of 18.6 ppm is top in the Yahoo game after the first two rounds of fixtures and he hosts a Leicester outfit that shipped four goals to Arsenal in their opening road trip.
We’re backing Harry Kane to finally bury his August hoodoo in Spurs’ home encounter with the Clarets. Yes, he’s failed to find the net in the first two Gameweeks, but Kane’s goal threat has been peerless, with more attempts on goal (14) and shots inside the box (11) than any player so far.
Liverpool’s Mo Salah earns the final spot in our starting XI for a home encounter with Arsenal. He was utilised as a sub in last week’s win over Palace as Jurgen Klopp had one eye on the midweek Champions’ League clash with Hoffenheim. But the Egyptian looks set to be unleashed from the get-go against the Gunners on Sunday. Salah has scored in two of his three appearances in the Reds’ starting line-up in all competitions, and his Premier League average of 16.4 minutes per shot on goal is better than any team-mate.
This Week’s Contests
As mentioned above, the biggest pay-out this weekend is the Premier League £10k Saturday game, which takes in the five Saturday matches from 3pm onwards.
It’s £5 to enter and is a multi-entry offering, allowing you to select up to 10 teams. The top 450 places pay out, with a minimum win back of £10.
There are plenty of other contests to enter the upcoming round of fixtures.
You can select the ten-match option, which takes in the entire Gameweek 3 schedule and gets underway at 12.30pm on Saturday.
There’s also another five-fixture option for Saturday that consists of the matches from 3pm onwards, while a third contest incorporates the four Sunday fixtures.
Among the big pay-outs, the Premier League £5k Saturday costs £10 to enter a team, with the top 125 in the money. Guaranteed to run, this one offers at least £100 to the top ten.
The Premier League £2.5k Sunday costs £5 to enter a team and is also guaranteed to go ahead. The top 125 all pick up at least £10 cash, with the winner earning £250.
And a reminder that Yahoo have launched their Premier League £1,000,000 Perfect Lineup Cup, which takes place over Gameweek 1-19.
There’s £40k in prizes on offer, with £30k shared among the top 5,000 and £10k going to the winner. The Yahoo Cup also has a “£1,000,000 challenge”, which gives away £1m to any user who selects the perfect line-up in any given Gameweek to score maximum possible points.
You can open an account and get started immediately.
If you register and deposit £5 or more, Yahoo will also give you a £50 bonus to be used as cash to enter paid contests.
Register here to claim the bonus.
You must be over 18 years of age, resident in the UK, and of legal capacity to register with Yahoo Daily Sports and open an Account. If you sign up, please always play responsibly.
