FanDuel EPL DFS Soccer Premier League Picks – March 18 2017
By David Gate
Another full slate for you this week with twelve Premier League teams going for it in FanDuel EPL action. Look no further for tips, picks and analysis for Saturday’s DFS!
We had a strong showing last with top picks Joshua King and Michail Antonio going off for over 100 FanDuel points between them. A nice bit of cash to start the weekend!
This week there are six match ups with Chelsea on the road to Stoke being the premier game on the slate. From a DFS perspective there are three games in particular I’m looking to hit. Bournemouth v Swansea, West Ham v Leicester and Everton v Hull are all at short odds to go over 2.5 goals in the game. The Bournemouth v Swansea match promises a shootout as two of the division’s worst two defenses match up.
Teams release their lineups an hour before kick off – which will be around 10am ET this week due to daylight savings. It is paramount you check these team sheets before you complete your lineup. The DFS sites won’t list designations as accurately as they do for NFL or NBA sports as a player could be on the bench. I will list changes to my DFS lineups on Twitter at @DavidGateSports and @FantasyCPR
The best EPL DFS lineups have 4x value to $1k of FanDuel budget. These lineups are designed for GPP play and not cash. Because of the scoring in soccer DFS that means chasing goals and assists wherever you can find them. It often means looking in places where others won’t rather than just load up with the highest priced strikers on the slate.
My picks are ranked out of three stars for each position to give you an idea of how confident I am in that pick.
* One Star = high floor players who will get adequate value
** Two Stars = players with a higher upside and fair match up
*** Three Stars = excellent option with a strong match up
FanDuel EPL Goalkeepers
If you’re looking for the clean sheet bonus this week then prime contenders are Everton’s Joel Robles (6700)*** and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois (6800)**. The Toffees are at home to low scoring Hull and Robles is in great DFS form hitting 18+ FanDuel points 6 times since Christmas and only missing double figures once.
Chelsea are away to Stoke and will be approaching their away games without abandon. They have a 10 point lead with 11 games left to play. They are the better team and don’t need to get into a shootout. Stoke rank 15th in goals scored at home and Chelsea rank 1st in goals conceded away. There is no great upside here, Chelsea give up so few chances.
If you’re looking for a busy keeper to rack up the saves then Lee Grant (6500)** who is facing Chelsea. My only concern here is that Chelsea often don’t give up saves as they are the most efficient shooting side in the EPL – scoring on over 20% of their shots on target.
The game I like for busy keepers is West Ham v Leicester. Both Randolph (6500)** and Schmeichel (6400)*** are in good form. I lean to the Leicester stopper playing on the road and coming off a draining Champion League game.
FanDuel EPL Defenders
The pricing of this position has really bunched up. With only $700 FanDuel dollars separating most of the starters. Near the top of the slate both Harry Maguire (6400)** and Alfie Mawson (6500)** are solid plays with good matchups. Mawson being more appealing in a likely more open game and carrying the greater possibility of him scoring.
I really like Leighton Baines (6200)*** this week against Hull. No team has given up more penalties this year than Hull and with Baines on penalty duty he is a great pick in GPP for a big score.
For most of my defensive picks this week I’ll be looking down the slate for some better value. Last week club captain Phil Jagielka (5300)*** returned to the starting lineup. He is at home to Hull who will likely end up playing long balls late in the game. At this price I love Jagielka if he starts.
One of my favorite DFS defenders is Jose Holebas (5600)*** at Watford. He often gets positioned in midfield and makes a ton of crosses. This week he is matching up against Crystal Palace who give up a huge percentage of their goals to left-sided players. I fancy Holebas to make the most of facing Zaha.
It is thought Stephen Kingsley (4200)** will come in for Swansea. At that low price against Bournemouth’s busy attack it will be hard to pass up on him.
FanDuel EPL Midfielders
In a very similar fashion to a few weeks ago the midfield slate is headed by Chelsea midfielders and Gylfii Sigurdsson (10500)**. The Icelander has a top matchup against Bournemouth but a combination of his high price, a big slate and likely high ownership means I’ll be fading him somewhat in GPP.
Chelsea’s midfield remains overpriced for my liking. The one exception is Cesc Fabregas (7800)*** who erupted on his last start for 57+ FanDuel points. When he plays he usually gets to the run show. If he starts I love his upside.
As usual I will be stacking my top midfielders with strikers hoping to pick up both the assist, chance created, goal and shot on goal points for a single goal – 30 points in total. With Lukaku being the leading striker this week I won’t ignore Ross Barkley (9200)** in a favorable matchup. Equally I’m big on his teammates Morgan Schneiderlin (6100)*** and Kevin Mirallas (6200)*** if they both start.
My favorite pick of the week is Michail Antonio (6700)*** who I picked last week and came good with 32 FanDuel points. His price has actually dropped $800 this week in another appealing matchup at home to Leicester.
Elsewhere in the midrange I like Leroy Fer (6200)** in an open game with Bournemouth and Yohan Cabaye (6200)** who has two assists in his past two games. Both are high ceiling players this week at low prices who can allow you to invest in the expensive forwards.
FanDuel EPL Forwards
Both Romelu Lukaku (12600)* and Diego Costa (11800)** have favorable matchups and will be highly rostered. It will be interesting to see how Lukaku fairs after announcing he won’t sign a new contract at Everton. Does it unsettle him and his teammates or does he put on a show to entice the big European clubs? I lean towards the former. He will either get you 5 or 50 points this week!
Last week’s pick Joshua King (8700)** blew up for three goals and 71+ FanDuel Points. His price has risen over $1k accordingly. He has an elite matchup this week so will be difficult to ignore. I foresee a lot of people being into him this week. His teammate is a Afiobe (7100)** is a sneakier alternative.
Even though he burned me last week with only 10 FanDuel points I like Andy Carroll (8200)**. Leicester have conceded 27 goals away from home this season and are coming off that draining win against Sevilla. There could be a significant hangover for them on a short week and West Ham take advantage. Carroll will be a beneficiary and I love him in a stack with Antonio.
FanDuel EPL Lineups
Lineup 1
FWD: Costa – Chelsea
FWD: Carroll – West Ham
MID: Antonio – West Ham
MlD: Fabregas – Chelsea
MID: Cabaye – Crystal Palace
DEF: Baines – Everton
DEF: Mawson – Swansea
GK: Robles – Everton
Lineup 2
FWD: Costa – Chelsea
FWD: King – Bournemouth
MID: Sigurdsson – Swansea
MlD: Antonio – West Ham
MID: Schneiderin – Everton
DEF: Holebas – Watford
DEF: Kingsley – Swansea
GK: Schmeichel – Leicester
Best of luck in your FanDuel EPL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter for all the late breaking lineup news and roster updates!