RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! It was fun to have some mid-week EPL back in our lives to tide us over to the weekend. After Friday without any fixtures, the Premier League returns with another full Matchday this weekend. We have a four game main slate on FanDuel, but you can make it a five-gamer if you wake up early for what should be an exciting match between Chelsea and West Ham. 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 12/4/21 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
Newcastle vs Burnley
Both of these teams are currently in the relegation zone. Newcastle (+130) are still without a win in the league so far this season but are technically favored at home against Burnley. They have been pretty poor this year as well, but they haven't lost any of their last five Premier League games. This is not going to be a great matchup fantasy-wise, and we can focus most of our attention elsewhere. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Wolverhampton vs Liverpool
Liverpool (-235) have been on quite the roll since the international break. They have won all four of their games scoring 14 and only allowing one. They're pretty large favorites on road here against a solid Wolves team. Wolves has a decent defense - but with the way Liverpool have been scoring - their attackers are firmly in play. The goal total over/under is 2.5, 3.
Southampton vs Brighton
Southampton (+145) are going to need to keep finding good results if they want to stay safe from a late season relegation battle. They have a big opportunity at home this weekend to do just that against a Brighton side that has been fading recently. They have not won a Premier League game since mid-September, but they're still surviving in 7th place with a lot of draws. Vegas actually has a draw as a pretty likely result in this game at +215. The goal total over/under is 2, 2.5 with the over at -120.
Watford vs Manchester City
Manchester City (-500) are sticking with Chelsea near the top of the table just one point behind. They are massive two-goal favorites on Saturday in the late game on the road against a bad Watford team. Watford's defense has been worse than advertised, so we can load up on Manchester City Saturday. The goal total is a slate-high 3, 3.5.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Mo Salah ($22) just scored two more goals this week against Everton. He leads the league in both goals and assists and will be the top play on almost any slate going forward until he cools off. Liverpool's matchup on the road against Wolves is far from ideal as they have one of the better defenses in the league. They're allowing less than one goal per game at home this year. It's not necessary to fully stack Liverpool, but they an absolute attacking monster. Diogo Jota ($20) is on fire right now with four goals in three games and can be used as a second Liverpool attacker or a fade off Salah if you still want a top Liverpool guy.
Another team of attackers I am pretty high on for Saturday is Manchester City. They are the largest favorite on the slate against a Watford defense that has been bad. They are giving up 1.86 goals per game this year which is third most in the Premier League. City just netted twice against Aston Villa, and I'm expecting another multiple-goal game from them Saturday. Paying for Gabriel Jesus ($20) is a tough ask right now as he continues to struggle in front of the net, and Kevin de Bruyne ($19) is still out. Bernardo Silva ($19) has been in great form recently with goals in three of his last four league games. He's also averaging 22.1 FanDuel points over his last seven EPL games which is nice consistency. He's a strong play especially in this matchup, but I think you can get a little more bang for your buck with either Riyad Mahrez ($17) or Raheem Sterling ($17).
Back to Maxwel Cornet ($18) in this matchup against the league's worst defense. Newcastle is allowing over two goals per game, and they have not even been respectable defensively at home. Cornet has been great since getting into the starting lineup for Burnley with five goals in eight games. Burnley has not seen that kind of goal production in a long time. I'm mostly going to avoid this game, but Cornet is a good pivot in the expensive range with +205 anytime goal odds and a prime matchup. Dwight McNeil ($15) is a second Burnley attacker who will be in my player pool on this slate. Not only do Newcastle allow the most goals - they also allow the most chances created in the league - which should be nice for McNeil's fantasy game.
Fabinho ($10) is the only true value attacker I will be looking at on this slate for now. He's a nice and cheap way to get exposure to Liverpool's attack. He doesn't have a ton of goal upside, but he can find the back of the net here and there.
With all the teams having played last weekend and earlier this week - plus the UCL teams having a game coming up Tuesday or Wednesday - we could get some unexpected starters this Matchday. Watch for some additional value to potentially open up as lineups come out before lock on Saturday.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Joao Cancelo ($14) is one of my top defenders on this slate. His attacking prowess should be showcased in this game against a porous Watford defense. Manchester City should control the large majority of ball possession in this game which will give Cancelo a lot of time and opportunity to pick up meaningful attacking peripherals. He's +500 to score which are some of the best odds for defenders on the slate, and City defenders have a strong chance at a clean sheet bonus.
Liverpool allow the most combined defensive action on the slate, so let's take a look at Wolves defenders who will enjoy that nice matchup on Saturday. Conor Coady ($10) generally does not get many defensive stats, but he's on a nice run lately with four straight 11+ point games. He now gets the best matchup in the league for collecting defensive peripherals, so he's in a great spot to continue his double digit streak at a cheap price tag. Romain Saiss ($13) costs a few dollars more but has a higher floor and ceiling with his ability to get defensive stats all over the field. He'll be busy in this game, and I love his floor on Saturday.
Mohammed Salisu ($13) is averaging 17.4 FanDuel points in a seven game stretch right now. He faces a Brighton team that doesn't allow a ton of one single stat, but they give up an average amount of all four of the stats that count. He should be in for another game around that 17 point average which could even be more with a decent shot at clean sheet against a low-scoring Brighton squad.
Nathan Collins ($12), Charlie Taylor ($10), Tariq Lamptey ($9), and potentially others will also be in my player pool on Saturday depending on how starting lineups look Saturday. Follow my Twitter (@vdray5) for news before lock.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Manchester City's defense has again been one of the best in the league with eight goals allowed in 14 games. They have an average matchup on the road against Watford. Watford have been decent attacking - especially lately - but City should control a lot of the possession in this game and limit the opportunities Watford has to score. Ederson ($14) is the normal starter, but Zack Steffen ($14) could get a start with a packed stretch of games coming up. Either way, the City keeper will be in a nice position on this slate.
The same goes for Alisson ($13) or Caoimhin Kelleher ($13). Whoever gets the start for Liverpool will have a nice matchup against a low-scoring Wolves team. They have just five goals scored in seven home games and 12 in 14 combined this season. Liverpool's defense has been strong as well, and their GK also looks good for a win bonus with the way they have been playing over the last month.
I'll take a chance with Alex McCarthy ($10) on this slate as well. Southampton's defense has been nice at home this year with 0.86 goals allowed per game. They host a Brighton side that are scoring less than one goal per game this season. Brighton also have just two goals in their last four games which is why McCarthy has a solid shot at a clean sheet bonus. He can have a nice fantasy game if he keeps a clean sheet and his team can get him a win.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
