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Welcome back, RotoBallers! The European soccer schedule is nonstop right now. After Champions League and Europa League this week, EPL Matchday 8 comes right at us on Friday! I have another full breakdown for you all. It is a normal Friday two-gamer to get our weekend started. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Friday'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 11/6/20 for the slate that locks at 12:30 pm 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
Brighton vs Burnley
Two bottom-five teams take the pitch Friday afternoon in the early match. Burnley sit dead last in the league with 0 wins, one tie, and five losses already. They are having major struggles on both ends of the field. That is why Brighton (-120) - who only have one win themselves - are a decent favorite at home on Friday. Brighton's defense has been just as bad as Burnley's, but at least they are capable of scoring goals this season. Brighton should have the upper-hand in this game and will be a good place to find some priority DFS plays. The goal total over/under in this game is an average 2.5.
Southampton vs Newcastle
The home team, Southampton (-115), are also half-goal favorites in the late game on Friday. Southampton have been strong recently with no losses in their last five games - four of those beings wins. They currently sit in 5th place in the league. Newcastle, on the other hand, have had one of the more up-and-down campaigns in the whole league so far. They have some really nice results and some really poor results. Southampton, the more consistent team and being at home, will likely have the advantage here. However, it should be a pretty evenly played game with good spots to target on both ends. The goal total over/under is the same in this game as it was in the early game at 2.5.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Neal Maupay ($20) is one of the top plays on Friday. He has four goals this season, the best anytime scoring odds on the slate at +110, and a profitable home matchup against a weak Burnley defense. On a small slate, he will be high-owned. However, he's in a prime position to get back on the scoresheet. I would like to target a secondary Brighton attacker as well in this matchup, so let's see who we have. Leandro Trossard ($18) is not off to a great start this season. To pay $18 for a guy who only has one goal, one assist, and less than two chances created per game is a rip-off. Solly March ($16) is questionable too, which leaves me hoping one of Aaron Connolly ($15) or Alexis Mac Allister ($11) make the starting lineup here. Both youngsters will provide some good goal upside for cheap in this matchup.
The big news on this slate is the absence of Danny Ings ($16) who has undergone a knee surgery this week and will miss the next several matches for Southampton. He would have been a top-tier play. Instead, we have another one of Southampton's better attackers, James Ward-Prowse ($21), priced up to a sickening level. Sure, he is in form with three goals in two games. But, JWP is not a prolific scorer as you can see by his game log where he only had one 20+ point game prior to his recent surge. He also only has +225 anytime scoring odds.
Now to finally get to the viable Southampton plays. Shane Long ($17) will be the one actually taking Ings' spot in the starting XI on Friday, but he has been used almost exclusively as a substitute this season. It makes more sense to target Che Adams ($18) and Stuart Armstrong ($15) on this slate because they have proven that they can actually produce this season. Che Adams is right at the top of the anytime scoring odds list in this game at +130 with Armstrong at +225. They have a nice matchup at home, but Newcastle's defense has only allowed more than one goal in a game twice this season, so there is no need to start Southampton here.
Burnley attackers are essentially unplayable right now. Their normal starters have only combined for two goals in six games this year. I would take a GPP shot at Callum Wilson ($19) though. Southampton's defense is allowing 1.71 goals per game this year, and Wilson is by far the most likely scorer for Newcastle at +130. Wilson has six goals too already this year including two against a strong Everton team last week.
Value attackers on this slate are not recommended. It will be much easier to save some money on defenders on Friday.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Many people will be searching for value here at the defender position. It's a good thing there are no true stud attacking defenders to pay up for on Friday. The top three defenders are all very strong at getting defensive stats, but there's no real reason to prioritize them here. Their matchups are good, but you can get exposure to the same matchups with some of their cheaper teammates.
Ben Mee ($10) is the place to start on this slate. He will be making his first appearance of the season, so he remains very cheap. He finished with 19/32 games with 12+ FDP last year. Brighton have been giving up plenty of defensive action this season which Mee should feast on. He has been a regular in the squad over the last few years and should be good to go for a full match. Phil Bardsley ($10) should get back into the starting lineup on Friday as well. He's a strong play for $10. You can do both Burnley defenders just fine on this slate.
Tariq Lamptey ($13) is a nice play Friday too. Burnley have allowed opposing defenders to collect many defensive stats for several seasons now, which should strengthen Lamptey's floor. He also comes with some more attacking upside than most defenders on this slate with a goal, an assist, and six chances created this year.
Jamal Lewis ($9) is the last defender in my player pool. If you look at his actual starts, he is averaging 10.8 fantasy points per game instead of the 7.7 listed on FanDuel. Southampton give up plenty of tackles which seem to be Lewis' best defensive stat.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
None of these defenses have been very good this year, which makes trusting one of these GKs a little unsettling. I like Mat Ryan ($12) some on Friday. I feel comfortable with his floor as he should get a win bonus at home here, and even if he allows a goal, a few saves should get him into double digits. He's also facing the lowest-scoring team in the league with Burnley only averaging 0.5 goals per game.
Karl Darlow ($8) is a great way to save a few extra bucks and spend on a top attacker. Newcastle's defense has been steady this year. They don't really get blown out. Plus, Southampton has just lost their top goal scorer for several weeks, and we do not know yet how they will respond to that. Newcastle have not kept a clean sheet since Matchday 1, but Darlow is still averaging 11.5 fantasy points since then based on save points. Since none of the GKs look great, taking the cheapest to get your studs in is a solid strategy.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
