RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! It has been a long while since I have had the opportunity to share some DFS soccer advice with you all. I'm stoked for the return of the English Premier League this weekend! If you don't know me, I'm Vince. I began writing for RotoBaller in May when Bundesliga resumed, and I covered the finish of the 2019-20 EPL season as well. I had played plenty of DFS in my life - both soccer and other sports - and I have written for a handful of sites in the past. I'm glad to have the EPL back and interact with the DFS soccer community again. Let's take a look at Saturday's slate!
There are normally around six games on FanDuel's main Saturday EPL slate. However, both games featuring a side from Manchester this weekend have been postponed. Don't worry, though, this is not a COVID-19 postponement. Both teams have been given an extra break due to their involvement in European competitions late in the summer. This slate still has three matches on it which is plenty to work with. 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 9/12/20 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
Crystal Palace vs Southampton
The first game on this slate features two bottom-half teams from last season. Neither side has improved much on paper since the end of the last season. This game is expected to be very close with Southampton slightly favored on the money line (+140) on the road. This game will not be much of a target fantasy-wise aside from a one-off or two. Games played at Palace's home stadium, Selhurst Park, are often low-scoring. They only conceded 1.05 goals per game there last season, and we will likely see something in a similar range this year. Palace were also the league's lowest-scoring team (by four goals!) last year, and they have not added much as far as attacking goes for this season. That combination could lead to a very low-scoring game, which Vegas has already predicted with a goal total of only 2.0. It will be best to limit your exposure to this game.
Liverpool vs Leeds United
Last year's runaway champions take on a freshly-promoted Leeds side. Liverpool (-1.5) is by far the slate's largest favorite at home. They also have some of the most recognizable names in the league. They will be uber-chalk here on Saturday. Leeds won the Championship last season behind the league's best defense. They'll get a massive first test in this match on the road in their first EPL game after 16 years of no top flight football. The goal total over/under here is a slate-high 3.0. Get most of your exposure from this game on Saturday.
West Ham vs Newcastle
The late game on Saturday should be another evenly-contested affair. The spread is 0.0, but West Ham is favored on the money line (+110) at home. Newcastle ended last season in horrid form, but they did not have a ton to play for being stuck in the middle of the table. They did make some significant additions to their squad though. This game should be largely back-and-forth. There will be good cash and GPP plays from this game. The goal total over/under is a modest 2.5.
A quick note: EPL scoring on FanDuel has stayed the same as it was pre-COVID.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
For the sake of keeping things short and sweet, Mo Salah ($23) and Sadio Mane ($21) should be at the top of your attackers list on Saturday. Salah leads the slate in anytime scoring odds at -164 with Mane not far behind at -111. They're both in a profitable matchup at home against a newly-relegated Leeds side. There is no reason to fade either here, and there will be many DFS lineups containing both.
Roberto Firmino ($18) is viable if you want a second Liverpool scorer but don't want to force both Salah and Mane in. James Milner ($9) can provide some value here as well with Fabinho ($13) and Naby Keita ($11) both a little overpriced.
The expensive GPP goalscorers on this slate are Michail Antonio ($20) and Danny Ings ($19). Antonio ended last season as hot as he ever has been with eight goals in his last seven matches. Last year, Newcastle's defense was terrible on the road, and they have not really made many new signings. Antonio is undeniably in a good spot, however, he is overpriced as well which turns my preference to Ings. Ings was superb last season game in and game out finishing second in the league with 22 goals scored. He draws a difficult matchup here, however, but he did score against Palace last season. With many people focused on Salah and Mane, Ings could come at some decreased ownership on Saturday.
The mid-tier attacking section is full of a lot of no-go's for me. It would be cool if Callum Wilson ($16) returned to form with a new team this year, but that is a wait-and-see situation before I go out there paying for him. James Ward-Prowse ($16) not worth that price in this matchup. I was looking into attacking Newcastle's defense with some cheaper West Ham exposure, however, Tomas Soucek ($15) and Jarrod Bowen ($14) are pricey. I'd rather take my chances on a guy with a safer floor like Declan Rice ($14). In my opinion, you can make a better lineup by completely fading this price range.
There are some solid value attackers on this slate starting with Jonjo Shelvey ($12). He showed us a pretty strong floor in most games last year off of chances created and a few defensive peripherals. He even showed us multiple 30+ point games. He's a strong high-end value play on Saturday.
Two cheap Palace midfielders spark my interest on this slate. First is Eberechi Eze ($11). Eze is coming over from QPR where he scored 14 goals in all competitions last season. He should play an attacking midfield role for Palace against a Southampton defense that can be leaky at times. He's virtually unknown by casual DFS soccer players, so he will likely be low-owned, but he has a decent shot at a goal if you're looking for a GPP play to separate yourself. The second is Chiekhou Kouyate ($7). Kouyate is not normally on my radar, but, for only $7 he deserves a look. This degree of salary-relief allows you to jam in three attacking studs or some more expensive defenders. If he scores in double digits, that's about all you can ask.
I'm not really looking at any Leeds attackers right now with a tough matchup away to Liverpool. However, once their starting lineup is known there could be a cheap midfielder worth looking at for peripherals in this matchup. Stay tuned for that information on my Twitter (@vdray5).
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Speaking of Leeds players looking for a good amount of peripherals, that is exactly what their defense is for on this slate. Robin Koch ($7) is a good cheap defender to target. The new signing from Freiburg will be playing center back for Leeds and should accumulate plenty of defensive stats in this match.
Trent Alexander-Arnold ($16) is generally the premier defender to pay up for. That is not going to change this season. TAA is often a target of mine for matchups like this where Liverpool will control possession. Additionally, TAA has historically been better fantasy-wise at Anfield which is another reason to go after him on Saturday. Andrew Robertson ($14) has good upside here as well and finished last season playing well. He is usually less owned than TAA.
None of the other games have especially intriguing matchups and some of the pricing is a little wonky. However, Aaron Cresswell ($11) has some nice upside here. Joe Gomez ($10) has a good floor with a nice shot at a clean sheet bonus for a decent price. Matt Ritchie ($9) is an incredible value if he plays. His upside and floor are both worth far more than the $9 it takes to roster him. Jamal Lascelles ($7) is another name to consider.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Alisson ($14) fits the bill here as the safe goalkeeper option. Liverpool's home defense that year was historically good. Alisson is in pole position on this slate to finish with both the win and the clean sheet bonuses. The biggest problem is paying that much for him and having him take up one of your Liverpool roster spots.
For me, the other choices come down to how you build the rest of your lineup. If you fade Southampton attackers thinking they won't score, Vicente Guaita ($11) is a good option. Like I mentioned above, Palace's home defense is good. He usually makes a few saves and a clean sheet bonus is definitely possible. The biggest question mark here is the win bonus. If he can keep both bonuses, Guaita will boom on Saturday.
Lukasz Fabianski ($12) is the other GK I would take a shot at on this slate. Some things like playing home, solid matchup, favored team all add up on Saturday. However, he was not that useful of a fantasy GK last year and $12 is a little much.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
