RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! International break 3/4 is complete now, so get ready for the soccer schedule to come in hot as we enter the holiday period. The domestic leagues will return first this weekend with EPL Matchday 9. Next week, the Champions League and Europa League will both return, so stay tuned for some UCL breakdowns too. I have another full breakdown for you all. It is a normal Saturday slate with three games spaced throughout the day. 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 11/21/20 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
Aston Villa vs Brighton
The early game on Saturday has Brighton traveling to take on Aston Villa (+115) who are small favorites. Both of these teams struggled to stay in the PL last season, but Villa was off to a superb start this year until they lost two of their last three. Brighton, however, are winless going back to September. This should be a hard-fought game on both ends, but Villa is the better team and should have the upper leg at home. The goal total over/under is a modest 2.5.
Tottenham vs Manchester City
All eyes will be on this one Saturday. Tottenham are off to a very nice start this season, and they have four wins in their last five EPL games. On the other end, Manchester City are still trying to find themselves in the league this year. They only have two wins in their last five EPL games. Despite recent form and current standings, City (-125) are still favored even on the road. This is going to be the most action-filled game on the slate since it is most likely to be the highest-scoring game and it is a good game environment for peripherals. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
Manchester United vs West Brom
This is the most lopsided game of the day. Manchester United (-315) are significant home favorites against a lowly West Brom side. They are not playing their best soccer right now, but they can still control this game regardless. West Brom currently sit in the relegation zone and are winless this season. The goal total over/under here is also 3.0.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
There is one obvious team of attackers we should target on Saturday based on matchup. Manchester United draws an incredible matchup at home against West Brom's poor defense. They have allowed the most goals in the EPL this season (2.1 per game). The most obvious pick here is Bruno Fernandes ($22). He's been of the best and most consistent fantasy producers in the league for nearly a year now. He has five goals and three assists in the league so far to go along with 2.86 chances created per game and other peripheral stats. He has a strong floor and high ceiling on Saturday.
Vegas has Anthony Martial ($17) as the most likely to score in this game at -111. That seems odd considering Martial has yet to register even a shot on goal in the league this season, and he is not in form with France.
Marcus Rashford ($20) is a far better play even considering the price difference with good scoring odds at +110 and better recent goal scoring form. I don't normally find much value in cheap United attackers, but Scott McTominay ($11) for this price is nice. His goal upside is minimal, but he should be able to create some chances against this weak defensive team.
Aside from United, there is no great reason to stack any other team, but there are several other good plays I would like to address starting with some Villa exposure. FanDuel finally priced Fernandes up to an appropriate price, but holy cow, what are they doing with Jack Grealish ($17) here? His four goals, five assists, and 2.7 chances created per game are nearly as good as Fernandes' but for $5 less. He too has a great home matchup against a Brighton defense that are conceding plenty of goals (1.75/game) and shots (7/game). Ollie Watkins ($18) has been a scoring machine this season with six goals. This duo is a great way to get exposure to a good matchup and avoid chalkier City/Tottenham attackers. Finally, Ross Barkley ($15) has been awesome for Villa since Chelsea loaned him out. Four of his five games have been 20+ point performances. He is creating a ton of chances, and his goal/assist upside is real too.
For the most part, I'm not too interested in many studs from Manchester City or Tottenham. There are a lot of out of form/injured City guys who are a little too expensive. City hasn't been pounding teams like past seasons either. I just don't think their ceilings are as high as some of the previously mentioned guys. However, I'd take a shot with Harry Kane ($20). He's been great this year with seven goals and eight assists in eight games, and this is as cheap as he'll be for weeks.
Value attackers on this slate are hard to come by aside from the aforementioned McTominay and Douglas Luiz ($10).
FanDuel DFS Defenders
With only two attackers worth rostering under $15 on Saturday, the value on this slate will largely come from defenders. It is unfortunate that the value plays aren't great at this position either. Eric Dier ($8) deserves a look though. He has outscored his price tag in six of his seven games with some upside into the mid-teens. He has a good matchup in this game against City who concede plenty of defensive stats to opposing teams. He is by no means my top defender on Saturday, but he is a good place to start to save some salary.
Toby Alderweireld ($11) will have the same plus matchup as Dier, but he has a higher floor and ceiling than Dier. However, as you can see, he'll cost you a few more bucks. If you have the money, Alderweireld is a better play. Perhaps the best Tottenham defender to target on Saturday is Sergio Reguilon ($12). He gets solid defensive stats and has some attacking upside as well.
Victor Lindelof ($8) might be held out of this game with a back issue. But, if he does start, I'm very interested in him as a value play. His floor is riskier than Dier's for this price, but his upside is higher. I also think his floor is boosted on Saturday with a like clean sheet bonus coming.
If you can find the money, there are two high-priced defenders on Saturday to consider. Alex Telles ($13) looks like he should enter Manchester United's starting XI in the EPL for the first time. If you're not familiar, he transferred over from Porto recently but his start with United got derailed by COVID-19. He's back and ready to bring some attacking life to United's backline. Telles is one of the better attacking wingbacks in Europe and has a great matchup to do damage on Saturday.
The final defender in my player pool on this slate is Joao Cancelo ($14). Half of his league starts for City have been 20+ point games with a couple more in UCL play. Cancelo collects steady defensive stats, and this is a good matchup for him to do that which strengthens his floor. He is also creating almost three chances per game and is always an assist threat.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
David de Gea ($14) looks like a nice play on Saturday, but you'll have to spend up to get him. He faces a very low-scoring WBA team who have only six goals in eight games. United also looks like a lock to win at home and a clean sheet bonus is likely as well. David de Gea's floor is strong but his ceiling is not much more than the low 20's.
Emiliano Martinez ($12) is a strong play as well. Villa are favored at home, and their defense has been good enough this year to keep Brighton out of the net. He should make more saves than DDG too which raises his ceiling.
I don't mind taking a shot at Hugo Lloris ($10) on Saturday. Like I have alluded to, Manchester City's attacking unit has not been running on all cylinders in the league yet this year. They have 10 goals in their seven games played and have not scored more than one goal in a league game since September. On the other hand, Tottenham's defense has been strong with only nine goals allowed. Plus, Lloris will likely be asked to make many saves on Saturday. He has the highest floor out of any GK on Saturday.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
