RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! Matchday 5 continues Sunday as teams return from international break #1 last week. Games remain more spread out than they have been in the past, which leaves us with some smaller slates where games all kickoff at different times. Sunday's main slate is three games, but you can get up early for the all-day slate if you want a fourth game available. Let's take a look at the main EPL slate this Sunday. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Sunday's slate.
The very large majority of my DFS content will be EPL-related, however, there is more soccer than just what is being played in England. If you want to chop it up with myself and other RotoBaller writers about non-EPL leagues or other sports, consider becoming a premium member and joining our ever-growing community of DFS and fantasy sports enthusiasts! In this article, I will be providing you with my English Premier League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/18/20 for the slate that locks at 9:00 am ET. Be sure to also check out our other DFS lineup picks for other active sports. You can always find me on Twitter @vdray5 if you have any questions. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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EPL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Crystal Palace vs Brighton
The early game on Sunday morning is one of the most evenly matched games according to Vegas that I've seen. Crystal Palace plays host for Brighton on Sunday, and the spread of this one is 0.0. Also, each team has the exact same odds (+170) on the money line as I write this. This should be a hard-fought game between two teams trying to grind out a mid-table finish. Vegas does not expect scoring to come often in this one with a goal total of only 2.0. However, overs continue to smash in this young EPL season. There will not be a heavy focus on this game, but like Saturday, it's hard to completely cross one game off of a small slate like this.
Tottenham vs West Ham
Tottenham (-1.0) is the heaviest favorite on Sunday's slate. They've been scoring a ton of goals so far with 3.0 per game. However, they take on a surprisingly sturdy West Ham defense that has only allowed four goals in four games this year. That's good enough for second best in the league behind Aston Villa (weird, right?). Tottenham just unloaded six goals on Manchester United in their last game, and they also scored five against Southampton earlier this year. It's apparent that this attacking group is firing on all cylinders to start the year and can pop at any time. There's going to be an emphasis on this game with Tottenham's attackers as well as some West Ham value plays. The goal total over/under in this match is a slate-high 3.0.
Leicester City vs Aston Villa
Through four matches, these two sides sit second (Villa) and third (Leicester, -0.5) on the table. One you might expect - but the other - not so much. Despite a 3-0-0 record, Aston Villa will be small underdogs on Sunday away to Leicester, but this should be a competitive back-and-forth game. Even with a goal total over/under of only 2.o,2.5, this game will still feature a good amount of fantasy action.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
There are a lot of viable plays at this position on Sunday, but there are two ways to go about building a lineup. Either you pay up for 2-3 top guys and go value hunting, or you fade some of the high-end chalk and live in the mid-range. Commit to one strategy.
Son Heung-Min ($22) has firmly been at or near the top of the fantasy attackers list for a while now. You shouldn't need much convincing to play him. He's tied for first in goals so far with six, he has a good home matchup, and can collect some peripherals better than most guys at this price. He has two 60+ point games already this year, and he has that kind of upside in most games like this. Harry Kane ($23) is another elite play on Sunday. He has good odds to find the back of the net against West Ham, and his shots on goal have been up compared to last season which adds to his fantasy appeal.
Jamie Vardy ($19) is dealing with a lower body injury right now and should be considered questionable. His status will be updated as we move towards lock Sunday morning, so be sure to give me a follow on Twitter (@vdray5) where I will have updates. If he does play, you can get last year's league scoring champion for a slight discount compared to Son or Kane. If this was last year, Vardy would be a near-lock with a home matchup against Aston Villa's defense. However, they have been far more respectable so far this season than their horrid defensive stats last season. In fact, they have allowed the fewest goals in the league so far (0.5 per game). However, three of the teams they kept scoreless were Manchester United, Sheffield, and Fulham who are all struggling to score early this season. It's unlikely they keep Leicester out of the net on the road, so I'm definitely going to have some Vardy on Sunday. Not to mention he's in good form too with five goals in four games already.
On a small slate, finding the value to get at least two of these three attacking studs is a smart strategy. If you're going with that strategy you'll need some deep value so consider guys like Tomas Soucek ($10) and Declan Rice ($12) who should prosper with defensive stats in this matchup. Giovani Lo Celso ($10) and Youri Tielemans ($12) can provide some more attacking upside for cheap but have a lower floor.
If you decide to completely fade Son/Kane/Vardy or only play one of them, take a look at these guys in the mid-tier instead.
Start with Jack Grealish ($18). He can stuff the stat box better than almost any player in the league with attacking and defensive stats. This is not an ideal matchup for him, but he's reasonably priced for that. He also just put up an 80-burger against Liverpool last game, so he has the ability to torch any defense. John McGinn ($14) is another great mid-tier option to look at. He missed the large majority of last season for Villa with a knee injury, but he has started off on the right foot this year with 27.7 fantasy points per game. He is a key player in Villa's attack and should be involved regularly in this game. Leicester's defense has been penetrable this year with seven goals allowed, and I'm not afraid of attacking them.
Neal Maupay ($17) is another mid-tier guy to look at. This one is the definition of riding the hot hand. He has four goals in his last three games. This has traditionally been a difficult matchup for opposing goalscorers, which should keep his ownership low.
Harvey Barnes ($13) has some decent goal upside if you're looking to really attack Villa's defense in a duo with Vardy. He is 3/3 for double digit games so far this year. He should do enough to continue that streak on Sunday.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Finding the money to pay up for defenders on this slate could prove difficult. However, if you do, Aaron Cresswell ($15) is a nice place to start. He's been great as a wingback for West Ham to start the season with 10 chances created and plenty of defensive peripherals. The latter will come early and often against Tottenham, and his attacking upside won't go away either. Ryan Fredericks ($12) is the cheaper version of Cresswell who has shown some ability to create chances so far this year as well. Fabian Balbuena ($11) is back to health and both of his starts this year have ended with 16+ point games solely on defensive stats. Like I mentioned above, WHU defensemen should feast on defensive stats in this game.
Matthew Cash ($13) is a new addition to Villa's backline this season. He has been strong fantasy-wise to start the year with three straight 14+ point games. He should accumulate enough defensive peripherals in this game to extend that streak.
Sergio Reguilon ($12) is one of my favorite affordable upside plays at defender on Sunday. He created four chances against Manchester United. This game should be a nice environment for him to repeat that performance.
Leicester's backline is beaten up right now. Caglar Soyuncu ($11) is out for an extended period of time, and so is Daniel Amartey ($7). Wesley Fofana ($7) might be forced into the starting XI Sunday, especially if Jonny Evans ($8) - who is questionable - cannot play. He'll provide some much-needed value on this slate. Also, keep this situation in mind when choosing some Aston Villa attackers.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
The choice of GK on this slate is going to rely on which strategy you take for rostering your attackers. Vicente Guiata ($10) will make sense in a lot of builds. He's affordable enough to pair with top attackers and has a solid matchup at home against Brighton. Guiata & Co. have been strong defensively at home dating back to last season, and Brighton are not really a high octane attacking team. He has had a few tough games in a row which lowered his price, but he has 30+ potential almost any time Palace is at home.
Hugo Lloris ($14) should be in for a win bonus and has a solid shot at a clean sheet too. The risk with him comes with paying $14 if he busts. His opponent, West Ham, just put up three on Leicester and four on Wolves. Tottenham's defense has been sturdy, but he's definitely no lock for a clean sheet.
Mat Ryan ($8) is a final viable GK. Crystal Palace scored three goals against Manchester United, however, they have only two goals in their other three games. Palace attackers are easily fade-able which will help Ryan fit well as a salary-saver.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
