There are four games on the schedule for Saturday in La Liga but DraftKings will limit their competitions to the three early games in order to keep things simple. With only six rosters to choose from, we will narrow our selections in order to capitalize on what will clearly be the most favorable matchup on the board from a fantasy perspective. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Saturday’s DraftKings La Liga fantasy leagues.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona
Salary: $5,500
Barcelona bounced back from its shocking 4-3 loss to Celta Vigo with a nearly flawless 4-0 win over Deportivo last week and they will have an excellent opportunity to stay hot against Valencia this weekend. The clean sheet will definitely be in play for ter Stegen and it would be difficult to overlook him in this weekend’s La Liga fantasy competitions. On the season, Barcelona has been so-so at the back end as they’ve given up 10 goals in eight games. That’s not bad but Real Madrid has only given up eight, Villareal has allowed four and Atletico Madrid has only permitted three.
D: Gerard Pique, Barcelona
Salary: $4,000
While it might not seem obvious on the surface, Pique is actually the highest scoring defender in La Liga this season just barely ahead of Filipe Luis and Juanfran. Pique is still available at a very reasonable $4K so he should be an obvious pick in DraftKings competitions.
D: Jeremy Mathieu, Barcelona
Salary: $3,700
Mathieu hasn’t performed at nearly the level that Pique has but he is still Barcelona’s second-best fantasy option on the backend and he is available at a very reasonable price. We don’t expect him to put up the same score as Pique but he is still a strong second option.
M: Arda Turan, Barcelona
Salary: $7,700
While Barcelona’s attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez still gets the bulk of the attention, Turan has been an outstanding fantasy option in his own right as Barcelona’s top midfield option this season. The fact that he is available at under $8K makes him an absolute steal in DraftKings competitions so make sure you have him on your roster.
M: Rafinha, Barcelona
Salary: $6,600
Rafinha hasn’t been as good as Turan but he has been very consistent of late and he is available for more than $1K cheaper in DraftKings tournament. Every single player in our lineup is from the Barcelona roster so far but it isn’t without merit as we are going with the best players available for Saturday’s contests.
F: Luis Suarez, Barcelona
Salary: $8,700
Our final entrant from Barcelona is the most appropriately priced of the three options in their attacking trident. Suarez should be in line for a strong performance up front against Valencia and the fact that he is available at almost $1K less than Neymar makes him an obvious choice on DraftKings. Barcelona has been an offensive juggernaut this season. They have scored 26 goals in just eight games, which is quite impressive. That leads the Spanish Primera; only two other teams have scored more than 16.
F: Ezequiel Ponce, Granada
Salary: $7,300
Our first venture away from Barcelona’s roster is to lock in Ponce, who should have his fair share of opportunities to make his mark when Granada takes on Sporting Gijon this weekend. Ponce isn’t an elite option but he is the best attacking option available in the two matchups other than Barcelona’s contest for this weekend’s action. It might be surprising to see Granada on this list as they are in last place in the La Liga standings, but we’re going to give them a shot with Ponce in La Liga fantasy. Sporting Gijon has given up 18 goals in eight games this season, so there is an opportunity for him.
FLEX: David Zurutuza, Real Sociedad
Salary: $6,500
Zurutuza is another intriguing play as Real Sociedad clashes with an Alavas side that is currently tied with them for ninth place in the La Liga standings. Zurutuza has shown flashes of his skill set early on this season and he appears to be our best option with the remaining money that we have left over to spend on our final FLEX position in La Liga fantasy.
