FanDuel EPL DFS: Fixtures, Flyers & Fades – Feb 24 2018
By David Gate
We are back with FanDuel EPL DFS action after an FA Cup break last week. There are 12 teams to choose from and we have all the tips to help you cash this weekend.
Once again we have a slate with only one of the big six sides. As we are back in the midst of Champions League football many of the clubs in European competitions will play their FanDuel EPL matches on Sundays.
However that does make for a slate with some nice options at complimenting a Liverpool stack or even spreading the budget evenly to create a well-balanced lineup.
Liverpool tend to be in high scoring games and they dominate the top of this week’s roster. There is also a nice drop in West Ham’s prices despite the fact that they usually score when they play.
The other game I am very keen on targeting is Watford v Everton in the late kick off. Both of these teams tend to have high scoring games with both teams on the score sheet. Being the late start will also put off a few punters leaving ownership slightly less than if it had been a 10am kick off.
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
Liverpool is where you should start this week. The Reds put four past West Ham back in November in London. At home in a 3pm GMT kick off they should be all set to put at least a couple past the Hammers and grab the victory. Opposing manager David Moyes has never won at Anfield in 14 attempts. That won’t change tomorrow.
Mohamed Salah (13000) is a must play in cash and will probably not let you down in GPP either. West Ham have conceded 17 left footed goals this season (2nd most). Salah already has more left footed goals in a Premier League season than anyone in history. And it’s still February.
Roberto Firmino (12500) and Sadio Mane (10500) are fairly priced for this contest and have a fair chance of being the highest scoring players on the entire roster. Despite not reaching last season’s heights, Mane is coming off a hattrick against Porto in Europe.
In the late game I love the upside of Theo Walcott (8500) against Watford. The teams played out a 3-2 game late last year. With Walcott now Everton’s main goal threat he could be in for a big Saturday.
Wayne Rooney (8500) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (9000) are also in play especially as Watford concede plenty of set piece goals. Watford pair Abdoulaye Doucoure (9500) and Gerard Deulofeu (7500), who is facing his old club should be good bets in a game stack.
FanDuel EPL Flyers
In order to fit in the Liverpool attackers you are going to have to make some saving elsewhere. With no sub-$5k options in defense you will likely need a budget midfielder to balance the budget. My favorite player for that this week is Jonjo Shelvey (5500).
He is a steal at this price coming off a Man-of-the-Match performance against Manchester United. He can be inconsistent in DFS but I trust him this Saturday; he racked up 23 points against Bournemouth when they met earlier in the season.
At DEF this weak I am looking for upside as cheap as possible. My favorite pick is Seamus Coleman (5500) who will have an elite matchup with Watford if fit to play and will make a nice addition to an Everton stack. If he is not ready then Jonjoe Kenny (5000) is a solid pivot.
Two other flyers at DEF are Adam Smith (5000) against Newcastle and Sebastien Prödl (5000) who should be busy against Everton. A nice GPP pick is Florent Hadergjonaj (5000) who is usually a low ceiling player but got a season high 24 FanDuel points against West Brom earlier in the year.
FanDuel EPL Fades
Another week and another chance for me to tell you to fade Chicharito (7500). I argued to fade him in the last gameweek and he ended up scoring bailing out those who took a chance on him. But he is going up against Liverpool who have a great defensive record at home. His partner Marko Arnautovic (7500) is a much better play and should have plenty of auxiliary stats to give him a solid floor. There is a good chance that the Austrian starts on his own up front; in that scenario I will have him in most of my lineups.
The Burnley v Southampton game is the lowest predicted scoring game on the slate. I agree with the bookies on this one and will be avoiding all FWDs and MIDs in this game. However the Southampton center back duo of Welsey Hoedt (6000) and Jack Stephens (6000) should be on your radar if you are paying up at DEF.
The second most expensive striker on the slate in Brighton’s Glenn Murray (9500). That price is too steep for me, even against Swansea.
I see more downside than upside in almost every keeper on the slate this week. I will be plumping for Loris Karius (5000) in cash and Adrian (5000) in GPP play.
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: GPP
FWD: Firmino – Liverpool
FWD: Arnautovic – West Ham
MID: Walcott – Everton
MlD: Mane – Liverpool
MID: Shelvey – Newcastle
DEF: Coleman – Everton
DEF: Hadergjonaj – Huddersfield
GK: Adrian – West Ham
Lineup 2: Cash
FWD: Firmino – Liverpool
FWD: Arnautovic – West Ham
MID: Diame – Newcastle
MlD: Salah – Liverpool
MID: Shelvey – Newcastle
DEF: Coleman – Everton
DEF: Prodl – Watford
GK: Karius – Liverpool
Best of luck in your FanDuel EPL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and analysis!