FanDuel EPL DFS breakdown: Gameweek 6 – Sep 23 2017
By David Gate
There is a 14 team slate on FanDuel EPL this Saturday. We are here with all the best tips, picks and analysis to help you cash in FanDuel soccer DFS.
Overall last week was a big success for the column. Many of our top picks had huge days. The midfield was especially fruitful with Salah, Mooy, Shaqiri and Merino all coming in to exceed their value. Nick Pope was the keeper to have at $4k and hitting over 6x value. The only real dud pick of last week was Chris Wood who had nothing to do once Burnley were pinned back trying to hold on their draw.
I only has City players as pivots as they went off for a 6-0 victory at Watford. Yet I still cashed thanks to the strength of the midfield picks and Nick Pope. Tottenham picks were underwhelming but they were so chalk that it didn’t hurt cashing.
This week has a nice 7 game slate with lots of options. The highest predicted goals total is in the Man City v Palace game. Yet I think the bookies are not paying enough attention to Roy Hodgson as the new Palace manager. They will park a 10-man bus at the Etihad. I will only be using City players in cash games.
I am also low on the Southampton v Man Utd match as I think they play out a low scoring game. The bookies rank Swansea v Watford as a game to avoid but I think there could be some hidden value there. The Swans’ home games are much more goal friendly than there away games and Watford rank 4th this season for involvement in games with the most goals.
So let’s break it down. Game week 6 of the EPL!
FanDuel EPL Goalkeepers
You have 14 goalkeepers on this slate. The most expensive is $5.5k and the cheapest is $4.5k. They are all bunched together inviting you to make a bad decision. Sitting at the top of the pile is Lukasz Fabianski (5500) who has been racking up the saves in recent weeks. Over his career in DFS he has not been a high scoring keeper regularly. My feeling is that he regresses soon enough but those game logs are tempting.
If you are looking for sheer volume for a goalkeeper then Wayne Hennessey (4500) as the cheapest available option. Man City should provide him with plenty of opportunities for saves. Though I am not as sold on City’s attacking dominance in this game as other. Roy Hodgson has made his entire career out of getting 0-0 or 0-1 results out of games like this. City has the Champions League this week also tempering my outlook on that game.
I think the safest bet on the keeper roster is the other keeper in that game; Ederson (5000). I am not expecting huge saves but I would be very confident of a clean sheet bonus. I am going to plug him in to most of my lineups and worry about the other positions.
FanDuel EPL Defenders
I love the Huddersfield center backs this week. They are busy most weeks anyway but they have an elite matchup with long ball Burnley. Christopher Schindler (7000) is priced accordingly and is a very solid play despite the high price. His center back partner Zanka (5500) is much cheaper and has the exact same upside. Both players feature in the top 10 of headed clearances so far this season. Stacking both defenders is a very solid tactic this week.
If you are looking for a defender to score this week then my top play would be Harry Maguire (7000) of Leicester. The Foxes face Liverpool which is a good matchup for scoring center backs. The news that Lovren is likely to miss the game and Matip and Can are struggling with injuries makes it even more appealing. That trio are the best headers on the Liverpool roster – by far! IF they are all missing I would be Maguire’s odds of scoring at around 50%.
My favorite value defender this week is Joel Ward (4500) of Crystal Palace. He is literally the cheapest starting regular on the slate. He averages 14.4 FD points a game. That is over 3x value. He faces Man City and will be busy all day. He is a must play for me this week.
Two guys I’m looking out for on team sheets are Davide Zappacosta (5000) and Victor Lindelof (4000). Zappacosta has yet to start in the Premier League but featured in the Champions League and scored on his first start. He killed it for me and I love him at this price. He would play instead of Victor Moses who is priced at $7.5k. Give me that $2.5k savings on a player with the exact same opportunity! Similarly, Lindelof is yet to start in the EPL but has featured in the UCL. At the bargain bin price of $4k I am ready to plug him in at the last-minute should he get the nod.
FanDuel EPL Midfielders
Since his move to Everton Gylfi Sigurdsson (7500) has been straight trash. Last year he was the most dependable player in DFS. A guarantee to his 20+ FD points in every game. His role at Everton has not been properly defined and the Toffees have been downright awful.
Yet we know how good he can be and what he can do at corners and free kicks. If he is ever going to break out it will be this week at home to Bournemouth. The Cherries have the third worst defense in the league and give a ton of space to attacking midfielders to do their thing. I would have liked his price to drop another 500-1k but I like the upside in this game for him.
Eden Hazard (8500) is 8.5k. That’s all you need to know. He’s maybe the best player in the league. And he’s playing Stoke. If he starts he is in your lineup. Don’t be a dumbass.
One player I love this week is Wilfred Ndidi (7000). He ranks first in the league for tackles (including defenders). Last year he crushed it in both games against Liverpool. I love his high floor for this game.
You see that graphic above highlighting Wilfred Ndidi? You see who is number two? Aaron Mooy (9000) is the safest play on FanDuel EPL right now. If you have 9k left for a midfielder just put him on him and sleep easy.
Liverpool are missing Sadio Mane for one more game and so Mohamed Salah (10500) is still worth every penny of his 10.5k salary. Even if he doesn’t get a goal he will have shots on goal.
FanDuel EPL Forwards
The chalk on this slate is obvious. Sergio Aguero (13000) is coming off the back of a hat trick and an 85 FD point performance. Gabriel Jesus (11500) has 4 goals in 3 games. City look very good and are top of the table right now. Crystal Palace are the bottom side without a win. Another 3+ goal win is surely on the cards? I’m not so sure.
They have conceded 5 goals in their last 4 Premier League games. That’s pretty poor but not terrible. They can’t score, that’s their real problem. Roy Hodgson will head to the Etihad determined not to concede. I don’t see this being a big scoring game. Everyone else disagrees with me but I really like the idea of fading Man City attackers in GPP this week.
The other chalk play will be Romelu Lukaku (12000) who leads the Premier League scoring with 5 goals in 5 games. Yet Southampton have only conceded four this season and the two sides played out a 0-0 in the same fixture in May.
Instead I am really high on Alvaro Morata (11000) who is cheaper than the other top strikers and in a good matchup against Stoke. Four of the six goals Stoke have conceded have been headers and Morata has been a real threat in the air for the Blues.
I am much higher on the prospects of the Swansea v Watford game that the bookies. Richarlison (8000) has been shot heavy in his games so far and Swansea give up a ton of shots to the opposition. He averages over 18 FD points a game despite only having one goal.
Roberto Firmino (10000) looks a touch too cheap for me in a game that Liverpool should score in and as the designated penalty taker. He is also one of the few FWDs you can count on for periphery stats.
FanDuel EPL Soccer Lineups
Note: these are sample lineups and are not optimized – they are illustrative ONLY. 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.
More from FanSided
- MLB Rumors: Justin Verlander has a clear suitor, but it comes with a catch
- MLB Rumors: Braves trade grade, Cardinals trade bait, Red Sox selling
- USMNT news: Turner to Forest, Trusty to Sheffield, Reynolds to Westerlo
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing as the MLB Trade Deadline nears
- Yankees: Luis Severino has blunt assessment of another miserable outing
Lineup 1
FWD: Morata – Chelsea
FWD: Richarlison – Watford
MID: Hazard – Chelsea
MlD: Salah – Liverpool
MID: Ndidi – Leicester
DEF: Zanka – Huddersfield
DEF: Ward – Crystal Palace
GK: Ederson – Man City
Lineup 2 – Cash Line
FWD: Firmino – Liverpool
FWD: Richarlison – Watford
MID: Hazard – Chelsea
MlD: Mooy – Huddersfield
MID: Ndidi – Leicester
DEF: Zanka – Huddersfield
DEF: Schindler – Huddersfield
GK: Hennessey – Crystal Palace
Next: FanDuel NFL Picks and Pivots - Week 3
Best of luck in your FanDuel EPL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR as we get you ready for all the Week 3 NFL DFS and Fantasy Football news and analysis!