FanDuel EPL Daily Fantasy Picks – April 1 2017
By David Gate
The international break is over and we are back to Premier League action. FanDuel EPL has a 18 team slate for a fantastic weekend of DFS! We have picks, tips and lineups for you.
The big news this week is that FanDuel has changed their EPL contests to include late swap. This has a number of consequences. It allows them to put on a weekend slate including both Sunday games. The only game missing is the early Merseyside derby on Saturday. The late swap system takes the pressure from 10am ET start time but means you will need to pay attention over the rest of the weekend in case you need to swap players.
The huge plus is that this is the biggest EPL slate so far. There 18 players whose price is over $9k which is a huge change from 5 or 6 on previous slates. I am predicting the cash line will move down and the periphery stats (not goals, assists and clean sheets) will be more important.
Teams release their lineups an hour before kick off – which is at 9am ET. 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 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
With so many keepers available there are many ways to get the value you’re looking for. The safest route to take with goalkeepers is to chase the clean sheets. This week’s stoppers primed for clean sheets include Victor Valdes (6700)*, Lukasz Fabianski (6300)* and Hugo Lloris (6400)*. All of these are solid picks but I don’t see the upside I would like.
Thibaut Courtois (6700) missed Belgium’s last international with a hip injury. I expect Chelsea to keep a clean sheet this week against Palace so I am very high on Asmir Begovic (5700)*** if Courtois is not ready.
The busiest keeper this week will be Tom Heaton (7300)** at home to Spurs. He has been priced accordingly which takes a little shine off but he will have a high floor even with Harry Kane missing. In fact I like it even more with Kane missing; increases chance of clean sheet and reliance on Eriksen and Alli shooting from distance which will mean more saves.
My favorite goalkeeper this week is Heurelho Gomes (6700)***. Watford are a solid home team and Sunderland will be desperate late on in this game firing low percentage shots.
FanDuel EPL Defenders
One team I will be watching the team sheet for is Tottenham Hotspur. I expect Spurs will start on the front foot against Burnley and their fullbacks will be a big part of the attack. Ben Davies (5600)** is a great price this week but if Danny Rose (5600)*** is fit and replaces him I will have him everywhere. Rose is the better player in a perfect match up. The other Spurs defender I will be watching is Eric Dier (5500)***. If he plays in midfield this week he is a lock to make 4x value. If he plays in defense, as listed, I will avoid him.
I expect many people will be on Harry Maguire (6600) as he matches up with Andy Carroll. I am more interested in who partners him. If Curtis Davies (5900)*** is ready after his long injury then I love him at a cheaper price, same upside and smaller ownership.
Gael Clichy (5700)*** will be in at least one of my lineups. I love left backs against Arsenal as they face Bellerin who attacks all game giving the left back both good clearance and tackle stats plus lots of room to attack themselves. Arsenal look very suspect and are reeling from weeks of bad results. This is also a return game for Clichy against his former club. Stats, form and narrative? Yes please.
FanDuel EPL Midfielders
The one game I love for midfield value this week is Southampton v Bournemouth. This game is usually a fierce contest and I will be stacking it with lots of casual DFS players probably unaware of its significance for the two clubs
With Ryan Fraser nursing an injury and missing out on his first cap for Scotland it could see Junior Stanislas (5700)*** return to the side. When he starts he is their primary set piece taker with corners, free kicks and penalties. In a great matchup at a low price I love him and with late swap there will be pivot options if he does miss out. On the other side Redmond (7200)**, Ward-Prowse (6500)** and Tadic (6600)** are all nicely set.
Harry Kane is out for a few more weeks and so Christian Eriksen (9800)*** and Dele Alli (9600)*** stay as the main goal threats in a great matchup with Burnley. I will be stacking them in one lineup and pairing that with Tom Heaton hoping they pepper his goal with shots and I can rack up points on both sides of the ball.
The other team with excellent midfield value this week is West Ham. With Michail Antonio out injured the rest of the midfield gets a huge bump in a great matchup with Hull. Manuel Lanzini (6900)*** is my favorite as he will take all set piece duties and will play in the number 10 role where Hull are particularly weak at defending. Andre Ayew (5900)*** has been the Hammers’ best player since his introduction to the lineup and has fantastic upside at his price.
FanDuel EPL Forwards
The forward slate is headed up by Sergio Aguero (11800)* and Alexis Sanchez (11700)* as they face each other in the last game of the weekend. On paper this is a good matchup for both of them but I have some red flags. For Aguero his form just hasn’t been there. Since losing his place to Gabriel Jesus he has looked like a player who is dreaming of his next club. Sanchez remains Arsenal’s best player but his friction with Wenger and Arsenal’s wretched form mean I can’t get excited about him.
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As I target stacks in the Southampton v Bournemouth I like the strikers in this game. Joshua King (8900)*** is in fine form and although his price has risen this matchup justifies that value. Strike partner Benik Afobe (7200)** is also a nice play but has a much lower floor. Although FanDuel does not have Gabbiadini with an injury designation it is widely expected that he will sit this game as he recovers from a groin strain. Next man up is Shane Long (7600)** who has a high upside against a leaky defense.
Andy Carroll (8600)** has been playing much better as he works his way back from injury. He put up 39 FanDuel points last week without a goal. He has a great opportunity to get on the scoresheet against Hull.
The only player over $10k on this slate that I love is Pedro (10500)***. He is a nice alternative to Hazard and Costa anyway but with Costa questionable he becomes a must play.
FanDuel EPL Lineups April 1
Lineup 1: Tottenham Stack
FWD: King – Bournemouth
FWD: Long – Southampton
MID: Eriksen – Tottenham Hotspur
MlD: Alli – Tottenham Hotspur
MID: Stanislas – Bournemouth
DEF: Dier – Tottenham Hotspur
DEF: Rose – Tottenham Hotspur
GK: Heaton – Burnley
Lineup 2: West Ham Stack
FWD: Pedro – Chelsea
FWD: Carroll – West Ham
MID: Lanzini – West Ham
MlD: Ayew – West Ham
MID: Eriksen – Tottenham
DEF: Clichy – Man City
DEF: Davies – Hull
GK: Gomes – Watford
Best of luck in your FanDuel EPL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR on Twitter leading up to lock as we provide the latest lineup news and roster updates!