Another fantastic weekend of FanDuel EPL is here and we have you covered to cash big this week on the main slate with all the best tips, picks and lineups for FanDuel soccer!
Last week was a mixed bag for the column. All the big calls went off – the Arsenal stack was incredible, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen killed it too. Yet none of the value picks did well. My main GK pick of Forster was a dud – I only cashed on lines where I pivoted to Lloris. Geoff Cameron and Ryan Fraser both left in the first half injured. (Not my fault, but still, yuck). Joshua King did nothing again and perhaps deserves his trash price. I’m officially worried about Bournemouth.
This week’s main slate has 6 of the Saturday games. There is a Fri/Sat too including the Bournemouth/Brighton game if you’re desperate to play that matchup! There is also a two game Sunday slate featuring the 2 big games of the weekend: Chelsea v Arsenal and Man Utd v Everton.
Make sure to check lineups before kick off. There will be rotation now with the Champions League in full swing. I won’t be around Saturday morning to give my usual tweeting of lineups and changes. You can find all the confirmed teams at Rotowire.
Alright let’s get to it… Gameweek 5 Fanduel EPL!
FanDuel EPL Goalkeepers
There are a handful goalkeepers I like for Saturday. Jonas Lössl (5000) is far too cheap at 5k at home to Leicester. The Foxes score enough goals to put the clean sheet bonus at risk but they are not as good away from home and Huddersfield have defended well in every game they’ve played.
Jack Butland (5000) is the safest GK on the slate. He has the talent and is at a good price. The real plus side is the matchup. Newcastle rank 5th so far this season for shots on target, above Spurs and Chelsea. The least a goal keeper a GK has had against them is 13 FanDuel points. The other three scores were 19, 22 & 28 FD points.
My favorite play of the day is Nick Pope (4000) who is playing for Burnley at Liverpool for the injured Tom Heaton. He made 3 saves after he came on last weekend and is facing a Liverpool attack who rank 1st in shots on target. I think Burnley score in this game (more on that later) so Liverpool could be chasing the game at home and peppering Pope with shots.
As a Liverpool fan I am fully expecting Pope to have the game of his life and make 10 saves in this match before fading into obscurity and letting in 5 to Huddersfield next week!
FanDuel EPL Defenders
I am fully expecting the masses to flock to Burnley pairing Ben Mee and James Tarkowski who are consistent DFS performers. They are okay picks against Liverpool but you have to pay up to over 7k for them. Their real strength is in the air and Liverpool just don’t play that way. With their high price and likely high ownership I see little upside with them. I am most worried about either of them scoring.
I much prefer the value on the other side of the ball. Alberto Moreno is a touch too pricey at 7k but I think there is a great chance that Andrew Robertson (5500) starts in his place as Klopp rotates. The Scotsman would be a must pick. Burnley gives opposition fullbacks (especially left backs) the freedom to roam forward and attack. Robertson had 24.5 FanDuel points in his only start this year and touched the ball more times than any other Liverpool in that game. Dejan Lovren (5500) is Liverpool’s best header of the ball and will be busy.
Give me all the Christopher Schindler (6000) this week too. Leicester have the right blend of attacking ability without elite threat that will keep the German busy all day. He has two games of 30+ FanDuel points from peripheral stats alone. Love that upside.
My top bargain pick of the day is Erik Pieters (4000) who is sitting at an absurdly low price for a play who often gets involved in the Stoke attack.
FanDuel EPL Midfielders
Tottenham scored 8 goals in two games against Swansea last season and neither side has changed enough to make you think there won’t be Spurs goals on Saturday. Christian Eriksen (11500) is worth playing even though he is priced like a striker. I would have him as a must in cash games. This week I am far more interested in Dele Alli (10500). The Englishman is suspended for the Champions League and so will be the freshest Spurs player out there.
Liverpool man Sadio Mane suspended so Mohamed Salah (10500) should be the main outlet for the Liverpool attack. The Egyptian ranks first for shots on targets and I am fine doubling up his production with Nick Pope in-goal.
I’m very happy to see that Aaron Mooy’s (8500) price has dipped a little. He still has huge upside as the Huddersfield set-piece taker. He also has great matchup with Leicester who have not adequately replaced Danny Drinkwater.
Xherdan Shaqiri (7000) is Stoke’s best player and they are now realizing it. With two good weeks in his game log I love his price and matchup this week.
The midfield bargain is Mikel Merino (5000) whose DFS performances are beginning to match is on-the-pitch quality. Another player on the up at a price I love to help you fit in pricier forwards.
FanDuel EPL Forwards
Harry Kane (12000) has woken up in September and is on fire. He was sensational against Dortmund midweek grabbing a double. He has an elite match up and you have to play him in cash games. He has way more upside than Aguero who is at the same price.
Burnley forward Chris Wood (7500) now has two in two and has the perfect matchup for him against Liverpool. He is a huge aerial threat against one of the worst aerial defenses in the league. Liverpool fans are losing sleep thinking about Wood matching up with Matip and Lovren. Sam Vokes (6500) is also good at a dirt cheap price.
The Liverpool team sheet will be interesting. I will be using a lot of Roberto Firmino (11000) this week as I love his floor against the Clarets. Liverpool should have plenty of shots and Firmino should be among them. Watch out for Daniel Sturridge (8500) also. A great play if he starts.
Here is a straight out hunch. No stats, no real reason, just hunch: Jay Rodriguez (7500) for West Brom against the pitiful West Ham defense.
FanDuel EPL Lineup
Note: this is a sample lineup and is not optimized. The only guarantee I can give you is that I will play it too. I will also have some lines that are not here. Best thing is to take some of these picks and build your own lineup – especially in GPP – as lineup sharing only reduces the amount you can win.
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Lineup:
FWD: Kane – Tottenham
FWD: Wood – Burnley
MID: Alli – Tottenham
MlD: Mooy – Huddersfield
MID: Shaqiri – Stoke
DEF: Pieters – Stoke
DEF: Robertson – Liverpool
GK: Butland – Stoke
Best of luck this week in all your contests!
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