FanDuel EPL DFS: Fixtures, Flyers and Fades – Jan 13 2018
By David Gate
We’re back with a seven game FanDuel EPL slate after last week’s FA Cup action. Here are all the fixtures, flyers and fades to help you cash in DFS.
This week we have a 14 team slate to pick from. Most sides are coming off a week’s rest after the FA Cup games last weekend. That means we should see most team’s first XIs this week. The last 4 weeks has seen a ton of rotation with so many fixtures. That made it hard to predict who was playing prior to team sheets being released.
This week should be more straight forward. There are only to of the ‘big six’ in action meaning there will be some chalk plays but with so many other teams there should be a high level of variance in the other picks.
It can be hard to know what to do on a slate this with so many similar options. I’ve been trawling through the stats to give you some ideas of where you might find those elite, low owned plays that can help you take down a GPP.
I break down this column into three categories: Fixtures are those you need to build your lineups around. Flyers are the gambles and the punts; cheaper or lesser known players in great positions for a break out game. Fades are those you need to avoid; I think who you choose to fade in soccer DFS is more important than in any other DFS sport.
I’ll be on Twitter @davidgatesports to chat through lineups changes and team sheet surprises from 9:00am ET.
FanDuel EPL: Fixtures
Harry Kane (12000) and Christian Eriksen (10000) are unavoidable this week; certainly in cash play. The last time this duo faced Everton they scored three goals between them. Everton are a better, more compact side now, but the big pitch at Wembley should open up this game. Might be worth swapping in Dele Alli (9500) or Son Heung-Min (9000) in GPP. While I like Spurs’ chances I am not going to have a stack larger than two (Kane +1).
One side I love this Saturday is Watford. They are not flying as well as they were early in the season but they are running into a Southampton side that cannot buy a win. The Saints have conceded a huge 35% of their goals from outside the area. That means I love the chances of Richarlison (9500) and Doucoure (9500) to bag a long-range goal this week.
When constructing a FanDuel lineup I usually like to have at least one midfielder than I can bank on getting 20+ points from. Someone who will rack up stats in every column and give a solid floor to my line. That guy for me this week is Wilfred N’didi (8000). Playing away at Chelsea he will sit deep and try to protect the Leicester defense.
One goalkeeper I feel great about using every week is Nick Pope (5500). The Burnley stopper has been the best DFS goalie this year. Burnley give up plenty of shots but concede very few goals. Perfect for FanDuel. Palace should get their shots this week but I think Pope also has an excellent chance of a clean sheet.
FanDuel EPL: Flyers
This is where this week’s slate will be won. There are so many players in a mid-low tier range this week it will be easy to get good variance but hard to find real upside. One side that will be overlooked this week is West Brom. They only have 16 goals for the season (19th) and are facing a pretty decent Brighton defense (7th). Not a matchup that looks good at first glance.
However, over 40% of the goals Brighton concede are from headers – by far the most in the league. West Brom have been one of the best sides in the air over the past 3 seasons. I am high on both Jay Rodriguez (8500) and Salomon Rondon (7500). But my favorite play in this game is Gareth McAuley (4000) who should come in for the injured Jonny Evans. The Ulsterman should easily make his value in defensive stats while being a key threat at set pieces to grab a goal. He had six headed goals last season.
I love the price of Phil Jagielka (5000) who is undervalued as he does not start every week. Yet in his last two starts he has 26+ and 30+ FanDuel points. He also has a very good matchup with Tottenham this week.
One player I have been watching is Sam Clucas (6500) who has struggled to get a start at Swansea. I think he is a very good footballer and he did well for Hull last season. His new manager seems to like him and is playing him in central midfield. At this price he is a steal.
FanDuel EPL:Fades
Chelsea are the only other ‘big’ side out there this week. That means Alvaro Morata (10500) and Eden Hazard (11000) will be highly rostered. Morata has been in poor form, missing lots of easy chances. The good thing is he is getting opportunities and will eventually score one. He also has a safe floor with auxiliary stats. Hazard has been playing very well recently but that is not translating to FanDuel points. I like their matchup against Leicester but not their price or ownership. I’d much prefer Pedro (9000) or Willian (8500) is they start.
When there are a fewer big teams on a FanDuel slate a lot of punters gravitate to Leicester players. That is due to name recognition and pricing. Jamie Vardy (8000) is at a very tempting price but he has a little injury and the matchup is terrible. Riyad Mahrez (9000) is in a great run of form but his chances of continuing that against Chelsea are slim.
Alongside Mahrez, the best player outside of the top clubs right now is Wilfred Zaha (9000). He has the talent to get a goal or an assist at anytime. Yet Burnley are as stingy as they come. Palace are also suffering from a spate of defensive injuries making harder for them to get a hold on this game. Palace MID/FWD are getting a big fade from me this week.
FanDuel EPL: Lineups
Note: these are sample lineups and are not optimized. The only guarantee I can give you is that I will playing them 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.
Lineup 1:
FWD: Kane – Tottenham
FWD: Richarlison – Watford
MID: Doucoure – Watford
MlD: Eriksen – Spurs
MID: Amartey – Leicester
DEF: Jagielka – Everton
DEF: McAuley – West Brom
GK: Pope – Burnley
Lineup 2:
FWD: Kane – Tottenham
FWD: Pedro – Chelsea
MID: Ndidi – Leicester
MlD: Eriksen – Spurs
MID: Clucas – Swansea
DEF: Jagielka – Everton
DEF: McAuley – West Brom
GK: Pope – Burnley