The 2026-27 English Premier League season is only one week old, with Matchweek 2 kicking off Friday when Manchester City dispatched Crystal Palace. The action continues on Saturday with four more matches on the board. For DraftKings DFS fantasy soccer contests, the early and late games are again omitted from the main slate, leaving two games that kick off at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 29.
Each game features one team that won and one that lost to start the season. Everton won its opener and heads to Bournemouth, who hung right with Man City in their opener. Hull City is the other 1-0-0 team on the board as they travel to take on Coventry City, who went down to Arsenal last week in their opener. Let’s dive into this two-match slate and highlight some strong EPL DFS picks for your fantasy soccer lineups.
Of the four teams in action, Coventry is the heaviest favorite at -125, while Bournemouth (+105) is also favored at home to level their record after last week’s loss. The Bournemouth-Everton match is also slightly more likely to have more goals scored based on the current odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Last season, Coventry City went 28-11-7 to finish first in the English League Championship and earn promotion to the Premier League. Hull City finished sixth but qualified for promotion through the playoff. AFC Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League Table last year, while Everton finished 13th but looked strong in their campaign-opening win.
This article was written before starting lineups were announced, so check back once lineups are set and adjust your squad as needed. With plenty of high-priced superstar options and some great value plays, it should be a great Saturday morning start to the season for these top EPL Cup DFS picks this Saturday.
Make your DraftKings World Cup DFS picks here: EPL $30K Chip Pass [$10K to 1st]
Forward
Stud
Iliman Ndiaye, Everton, $7,400 — Ndiaye was in my EPL DFS Picks from last week for the Toffees, and he helped his team to a big victory with 17.2 FPTS. The 26-year-old from Senegal had an assist and two shots (two on goal) along with two crosses. He was the primary creative force for Everton, and he looks in a prime spot to build on his success in the World Cup and have a stronger season.
He showed off his ceiling last week and is the highest-scoring forward available for this week’s main slate, edging out his teammate Thierno Barry ($6,500), who was on the other end of his assist. Barry and Ndiaye are both strong plays again this week since Christian Norgaard (undisclosed) and Tim Iroegbunam (groin) are both still sidelined. Ndiaye has a little more creative responsibility and also a high probability of scoring, so he makes sense as a pay-up play at either forward or midfielder in this matchup.
Value
Ephron Mason-Clark, Coventry City, $4,400 — Due to a hamstring injury, Mason-Clark didn’t play in Coventry City’s opener against an Arsenal squad that looked to be in a different class. The Sky Blues will look to bounce back against a much more favorable opponent in Hull City. Last season, they played Hull City to a pair of 0-0 draws, but they’ll look to claim the full three points with a win in Matchweek 2. Mason-Clark could be a part of that after he was able to come off the bench in Tuesday’s EFL Cup win.
Mason-Clark only needed five minutes to score a goal in a 4-2 win over Plymouth Argyle. He entered with the game tied 2-2 and scored a right-footed shot from very close range on an assist from Victor Torp.
Last year, the Jamaican had 10 goals and six assists for Coventry while making 36 starts. If he’s ready to return to the lineup on Saturday, he’ll be a great value play with serious upside at a bargain salary.
Midfielder
Stud
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Everton, $9,200 — Dewsbury-Hall worked very well with Ndiaye, and the tandem will have to carry the load again this week without Norgaard and Iroegbunam. Additionally, Hayden Hackney (ankle) will likely miss the match after leaving early last week after a strong showing. With so few other options in the midfield, Dewsbury-Hall will carry the load again, and he showed last week that he can deliver big fantasy games in multiple ways.
Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring with an impressive goal from the edge of the area and finished with three shots (one on goal) to go with six crosses and two chances created on his way to 23.8 FPTS. Bournemouth will be a tough test this week, but his heavy workload gives him a high floor, with a high ceiling in his scoring and creating responsibilities.
Everton’s encouraging offense in the opener flowed through Dewsbury-Hall along with Harrison Armstrong ($4,100), who can be a key part of another Everton stack on this week’s slate. Building around Everton is a strong strategy in this week’s EPL DFS Picks.
Value
Regan Slater, Hull City, $3,200 — Slater started and played the full game last week for Hull City in their impressive 2-0 win over Manchester United. Slater assisted the first goal of the game off a set piece and also took the team’s only corner kick of the match. The 26-year-old from Sheffield had two goals and two assists in his 42 league games last season, but if he’s in a more key creative role, he could be in for a more productive fantasy season.
Slater is a bargain option who can be a good fantasy play since he’s always in the mix for Hull City, and they looked ready to compete at the highest level despite some doubters coming into the season. If he comes close to matching last week’s 8.8 FPTS, he’ll be a steal at this price.
Defender
Stud
Vitalii Mykolenko, Everton, $4,900 — Mykolenko is a key part of Everton’s defense who presses forward and gets involved in the offense as well when possible. He contributes on set pieces with long throw-ins and crosses, and he brings lots of upside due to that involvement. Even with an assist or a goal, he had a solid 6.7 FPTS in Everton’s shutout win in the opener.
He and Everton will have a tougher task keeping Bournemouth in check, but the Ukrainian left back has shown enough upside by proving a key part of both defense and attack. He is a fixture in David Moyes’ system and his role makes him worth paying up for if you think Everton can build on last week’s nice showing.
Value
Bobby Thomas, Coventry City, $3,400 — Thomas was the best fantasy option from Coventry’s back line in the opener against Arsenal. He registered one shot (zero on goal) and one chance created for 3.7 FPTS. He’s fairly involved in the offense for the players in this price range, and he should be in a much better spot against Hull City.
Thomas is a bargain play with upside if he’s back in the starting XI again this week. Even though he doesn’t offer much scoring potential, he could deliver the clean sheet bonus if this match is played like the recent matchups between these two recently promoted squads.
Goalkeeper
Stud
Jordan Pickford, Everton, $4,300 — Everton is on the road on Saturday morning, but they still can be a solid stack for the second week in a row. Pickford had the highest salary among EPL DFS picks last Saturday morning, but his salary has dropped since Everton is the underdog against Bournemouth this week. After keeping 11 clean sheets on his way to 6.4 FPTS per game last season, Pickford made all four saves in the season opener.
He finished with an impressive 18.4 FPTS and looked to be in top form coming off a strong World Cup for England. Everton looked strong last week, and Pickford can help them keep the momentum going with another strong game this Saturday. With Coventry as the heavy favorite, Carl Rushworth ($5,400) is the keeper with the highest salary, but Pickford is a much more proven option.
Value
Konstantinos Tzolakis, Hull City, $4,200 — Tzolakis was impressive in his Premier League debut last week, keeping Manchester United off the scoreboard. The 23-year-old plays for the Greece National Team and just joined Hull on loan from Olympiacos, where he performed well in European play.
The 23-year-old signed a five-year contract for a club-record £20 million, and he lived up to the hype with five saves and a pair of fouls drawn for 22.3 FPTS. He’ll need to be ready to go once again as his team visits Coventry, but if he can build on last week’s huge game, he could quickly become one of the breakout star keepers of the early part of the season. If you save some salary in your EPL DFS Picks with Tzokalis, you can select plenty of offense while still getting a solid keeper in what is expected to be a lower-scoring game.
