RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! The English Premier League is continuing their run of mid-week games right now in order to fit a full season in a shortened time frame due to COVID-19. While some clubs are unhappy with this, it makes for extra excitement for us soccer fans. We have a nice four-game main slate on Tuesday. I have another full breakdown for you all. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Tuesday'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 2/2/21 for the slate that locks at 1:00 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
Sheffield United vs West Brom
Sheffield (-115) just pulled off one of the better wins of this PL season by any team coming out ahead over Manchester United 2-1, then they lost to Manchester City 1-0 over the weekend. The win was just Sheffield's second win of the season, and it allowed Manchester City to leapfrog their crosstown rivals for the top spot in the league. They are favored for the first time in a long, long time at home against West Brom in this team. This is a massive relegation battle between the two worst teams in the league. The goal total over/under is only 2.0.
Wolverhampton vs Arsenal
Wolverhampton continue their recent struggles with a draw against Chelsea and a 1-0 loss to Palace this past week. Now, they travel to an Arsenal (+115) side that is playing much better than earlier in the season. Both teams are not scoring many goals, but Arsenal should have the advantage at home. Vegas is expecting another low-scoring game with a goal total over/under of 2.5 with the under at -150.
Manchester United vs Southampton
Manchester United (-200) suffered an embarrassing loss to Sheffield United which dropped them from first place and then followed it up with a 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Saturday. They host a Southampton side that has now lost three straight league games. This will not be an easy place for them to end that streak. The goal total over/under is a slate-high 3.0.
Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace
Newcastle just got their first win of any kind since 12/12 with a good 2-0 result over Everton. Palace is coming off a good 1-0 win over Wolves as well. Vegas has set the odds for this game very close with Palace (+160) the slight road favorites. This is another game that is not expected to be very high-scoring with a goal total over/under of 2.5 with the under at -145.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
The four most expensive attackers on this slate are fairly lackluster on this slate. Both Bruno Fernandes ($21) and Marcus Rashford ($20) are out of form, and there is no reason to attack a Southampton defense that has been pretty respectable even on the road. I understand the Fernandes play as he has a high floor in home games this year, but I will not be paying $20+ for Rashford who is goalless in 2021 in the EPL in this matchup.
Callum Wilson ($19) got back in the goals over the weekend as he bagged two against Everton. Wilson will get a good matchup here Tuesday to start a goal streak. He faces a Palace defense who have been poor on the road this year with 1.8 goals allowed per game (3rd worst in the league). Wilson is a bona fide goal scorer in the Premier League, and has the talent to take advantage of a matchup like this. Miguel Almiron ($16) has been playing well for Newcastle lately and is a good GPP pivot off Wilson. Jonjo Shelvey ($11) is great attacking value on this slate given this matchup.
Sheffield might be the lowest-scoring team in the league with only 12 goals in 21 games, but their attackers have some value on this slate. They have an elite matchup against a horrid West Brom defense that is allowing the most goals in the league at 2.4 per game. Sheffield won the first meeting on the road 1-0 and created 21 shots in the game. They should be able to do even better than that in this game, which is why guys like David McGoldrick ($17), Oliver McBurnie ($13), and John Fleck ($10) are getting mentioned. McGoldrick leads the team in goals with five and has the best anytime scoring odds among starters. His price is a little high for his goal rate and his floor which is essentially zero. McBurnie is a decent GPP pick for a goal and some chances created, but Fleck provides the most value in this attacking unit.
I'm also interested in two Arsenal guys named Bukayo Saka ($16) - who is on an awesome run right now - and Emile Smith Rowe ($13). Wolves defense is nothing to be afraid of and Arsenal have been far better recently.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Of course on a slate where there are some decent mid-tier and value attackers, there are not elite attacking defenders to pay up for. There are no strong deep value plays either, so I'm going to live in the $8-12 range on this slate.
Cedric Soares ($12) is a nice mid-tier option on this slate. He collects a good number of defensive stats and has some upside with his ability to create some chances as well. He should be able to get his normal defensive stats here and some chances created against a defensive Wolves side. A clean sheet bonus is a solid possibility here too with Wolves not scoring much without Raul Jimenez.
Jan Bednarek ($12) can 20+ point upside solely off defensive stats. Traditionally, Manchester United don't force a ton of defensive action, but I think Bednarek can have a nice fantasy game here with a game that could be fairly open. Teammate Ryan Bertrand ($10) is a decent play here too in this matchup for a few bucks less.
Luke Shaw ($10) is too cheap here for his upside as defender that can do some attacking. He is creating 2.44 chances per game over his last nine games. He should be able to create this 2-3 chances and add in his normal defensive stats. He is averaging 13.3 fantasy points in that nine games stretch as well, which is comfortably above his price tag.
Kieran Gibbs ($9) has been cranking out double-digit games for West Brom with six straight. He is one of the better value defenders on this slate in a game where there should be some nice peripherals available.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers are all over the place on this slate. David de Gea ($14) has some merit as the slate's largest favorite at home. However, paying this much can get risky given Southampton are a competent attacking team.
Aaron Ramsdale ($11) is viable as well. Sheffield's defense is not too terrible at home, they're favored, and they're taking on a poor West Brom attack that is only scoring 1.0 goals per game on the road this year.
There are several other viable GK plays on this slate that you can make an argument for, and a lot of the decision depends on your specific lineup build.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
