RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! After taking last week off, I'm excited to be back writing for some more EPL DFS this weekend. 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. Saturday'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 Saturday. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Saturday'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 10/3/20 for the slate that locks at 10:00 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
Everton vs Brighton
The earliest game on the main slate has a white-hot Everton (-0.5,-1) side at home against Brighton. Everton have started the season taking three points from all three of their opponents in the league so far. They are also cruising in the EFL Cup with three blowout wins. Everton will get an advantageous home matchup this weekend against Brighton - who have not had the best start to their season. With the public focused on a team-to-be-named-later, Everton attackers could provide some nice relief to chalk. The goal total over/under in this game is 2.5.
Leeds vs Manchester City
Cue the Manchester City (-1.5) chalk. Leeds have opened up some eyes so far this season, but with their scoring not with their defense. Leeds have already allowed 3+ goals twice this season (to Liverpool and Fulham). That is not a good sign headed into this fixture against a City team just waiting to unload. With City's road defense, Leeds' ability to score, and a slate-high over/under of 3.5, this game has game-stack possibilities. City also allow plenty of peripherals to opposing teams, so there should be plenty of fantasy goodness in this one.
Newcastle vs Burnley
In the late game on Saturday, we have two of the lowest scoring teams so far in this young season. Newcastle (0,-0.5) gets a slight betting advantage at home. The over/under between these two teams is only 2.0, and there likely will not be many peripherals to go around. With three other good teams to target, you can keep your exposure to this game at a minimum.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Manchester City attackers will be chalky on Saturday. They are heavy favorites against a team that has struggled defensively this year with seven goals allowed in three games. Raheem Sterling ($20) is the slate's most likely scorer, but he has started this year just as inconsistent as last season. I would much rather have Kevin de Bruyne ($23) and/or Riyad Mahrez ($22) for a few dollars more. Phil Foden ($16) is a great way to maximize your City exposure for that price.
Another place I am looking for top-tier attackers is Everton. Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($20) has been electric dating back to last winter. He has started this season with five goals in three league games plus a handful more goals in EFL Cup ties. At home against a weaker defense like Brighton, DCL is a great play on Saturday. James Rodriguez ($17) is my next favorite Everton play. He's been solid since joining the Premier League with three straight 15+ point games. He has a strong floor for his price plus a nice ceiling with goal and assist upside.
I'm not too much into the Newcastle vs. Burnley game, but Callum Wilson ($18) is a nice GPP play. He struggled for Bournemouth last year but has two goals since joining Newcastle for the beginning of this season. At home against Burnley is a plus matchup for him, and he should be low-owned in this price range. Jeff Hendrick ($11) and Jonjo Shelvey ($9) will both provide nice attacking value on this slate in a good matchup as well.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Lucas Digne ($15) is at the top of my defender list on Saturday. He has scored 14+ points in each of his three EPL appearances this season so far. He has historically shown most of his attacking upside at home, and that trend seems to be continuing this season with five of his seven chances created this season coming at home against West Brom. He will be in position for another similar performance on Saturday against Brighton. He has one of the best floors for any defender and a high ceiling too. Digne is a nice way to add to a stack of Everton attackers, and he is an elite one-off if you go that route. Seamus Coleman ($10) is too cheap for what he has done so far this season. An Everton duo at defense could pay off after the whistle too if they can keep a clean sheet.
The obvious place to find good plays at this position on this slate is with Leeds. There are only three to choose from, and I'll air on the side of the value plays here. Robin Koch ($10) has been steady with three straight double-digit games to open the season. He has a great matchup here and remains one of the better cheap plays on any slate. Liam Cooper ($7) is a fair play as well if you really want to save some cash. The Fulham game is more than likely going to be an outlier with Fulham not forcing many opposing defenders to make plays. Cooper should easily outscore his price tag and can easily score into double digits on Saturday.
The Burnley backline is usually a reliable place to find fantasy pays. Kevin Long ($10) is off to a very nice start with two 13+ point games. He should continue this kind of play as long as Burnley keeps struggling on the attack. Look to get him before his price rises. Phil Bardsley ($12) is as steady as it gets for defensive peripherals if you have $2 more to get him.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
The goalkeeper position on Saturday is less than ideal. There are no good pay-down options on this slate, and the three most expensive GKs all have risks. Ederson ($13) looks great for a win bonus and should make a few saves as well. However, playing on the road against a team that has proven they can score in England's top flight isn't the best matchup in which to pay up for the most expensive keeper on the slate. However, with the win bonus extremely likely, he has the lowest possibility of busting on this slate.
Jordan Pickford ($12) is hated by a significant portion of the soccer DFS community, but he's worth consideration here. Like Ederson, he looks like a strong candidate for a win bonus and he'll make a few saves too. His floor is sturdy, and I don't necessarily trust Brighton to score on the road even though they have started the season scoring 2.0 goals per game. He and Ederson have a similar floor. Leeds is more likely to bust Ederson's clean sheet at home than Brighton is to bust Pickford's on the road.
Your last option is Karl Darlow ($11). Darlow also gets the advantage of playing at home, and he faces a Burnley team that has only two goals in two games this young EPL season. Darlow has two 25+ point games so far this year. He has that kind of upside again Saturday if Newcastle keep Burnley from scoring on the road which does not seem like a super difficult task.
The choice of who to play at GK on this slate will come down to roster build and salary constraints.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
