FanDuel EPL Soccer DFS Analysis – August 11 2018

The wait is over! The Premier League kicks off this weekend and we have all the best tips and analysis to help you cash in FanDuel EPL DFS!

The long summer wait is finally over and we can back to our Saturday morning ritual of cashing in EPL DFS! The World Cup was incredible but won’t be back for another four years. The Premier League is our bread and butter and we are going to eat!

Punters are still coming to grips with the unpopular changes FanDuel made to their EPL scoring system. The addition of win bonuses for keepers and clean sheet bonuses for defenders, plus rounding out defensive stats have made it harder to find good value at the positions.

The consequence has been things are easier for the casual player. They simply have to find the team that has a clean sheet and win to get on the road for cashing. That requires a lot less personal knowledge of the league and creates way more chalk.

Rather than add things that would actually improve scoring – assists for own goals and winning penalties; points for shots; bumped passing points – they chose to make a DraftKings clone. The problem is DK pays waaaaay more attention to the game with rosters and pricing. A better scoring system was the only plus FanDuel had and they screwed it up.

I am going to keep writing for the FanDuel contests until I feel comfortable switching entirely to DraftKings. Let’s hope (somehow) that the scoring system suits the EPL better than it did the World Cup. I’m not holding my breath.

I’ll be on Twitter @davidgatesports to chat through lineups changes and team sheet surprises from 9:00am ET.

FanDuel EPL Goalkeepers

So a clean sheet and a win has to be the first thing you are looking for in a FanDuel goalkeeper. Those bonuses can give a goalie 17 points without even having to touch the ball. That equates to almost 6 saves.

My strategy is was always to go for volume of saves as a surer bet over the lottery of a clean sheet bonus but the pump from -1 to -2.5 for each goal conceded makes that too risky.

Now we just get to sweat the end of games where teams may give up late consolation goals and rob you of your CS bonus. Hoo-bloody-ray. The new system gives this position the ability to break a slate or tank your lineup. Too much power for the least important position on the pitch.

My guy for this week is Rui Patricio (5000) from Wolves. I love his matchup at home to Everton who struggled to score in pre-season (apart from the 22-0 victory against amateurs). He is the Portuguese number one and full of experience. Plus he is from a promoted side so should have a lower ownership percentage.

Asmir Begovic (5500) is the only other guy I fancy for a clean sheet/win double. Obviously Willy Caballero (4500) will be the prime value for Chelsea against Huddersfield if he starts. But it is very likely world record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga will make his début. FanDuel cannot be bothered to add players to the roster so you will have to wait a week (or two, or maybe even three) before they wise up.

FanDuel EPL Defenders:

Much like playing on DraftKings you now have to consider stacking goalkeepers and defenders on FanDuel. Getting two or three clean sheet bonuses at the end of the game can give your team a huge boost towards the cash line or take you nearer the top of the GPP.

Therefore I am looking at the Wolves defenders to pair with Rui Patricio. My favorite of the expected quartet is Conor Coady (5500) who has developed into a decent center back after starting his career in midfield.

He should be busy enough against the new look Everton but I like his chances of getting that CS bonus. He is also a classy player on the ball and so could end up with a chance created or even an assist.

In order to make the rest of my lineup work I will be using Jonny (5000) a ton. He saves me that 500 so I can get the MID/FWD line I want. However it is very hard to predict how he will do entering English football for the first time.

The new FanDuel scoring system makes goals and assist even MORE important than they were before. With that in mind I want to put Cesar Azpilicueta (7000) in my side this week. He has a great matchup for both attacking and defending, has a high floor and huge potential for an assist.

Two other cheap players I like this week are Adam Smith (4500) in the best matchup of the day against Cardiff and youngster Aaron Wan-Bissaka (5000) who racked up the stats last season.

FanDuel EPL Midfielders

The one position I struggled most with during the World Cup was midfield. I didn’t think losing the passing stats would hurt too much but it did. Not for the big names at the top of the roster but for finding value pieces to put around them.

Any kind of defensive midfielder has become almost worthless. The trouble is FanDuel pricing does not reflect that. They are still $7k but have virtually no upside and a low floor. On DraftKings they are often $3.5-5k – cheap enough to for you to consider as almost punt plays.

There are few high priced options in the MID position on this slate. Eden Hazard (12500) would be the roster leader but he is unlikely to play or complete 90 minutes. The Everton duo of Gylfi Sigurdsson (8500) and Theo Walcott (9000) have done nothing since their moves to suggest they deserve that pricing.

I am going for a trio of mid-priced players who each have huge upside and may go under the radar this weekend.

Firstly I want to get Ruben Neves (7500) from Wolves. The 21-year-old will be the best player on that pitch on Saturday and will be better suited to Premier League football than the Championship. Add to that he will be next to his vastly experienced countryman Joao Moutinho (7000) and I want plenty of exposure to anyone who can do this:

Another promoted star I want to have this week is Ryan Sessegnon (8000) of Fulham. He is only 18-years-old but has 23 first team goals already. He will be worth £60 million by the end of the season. Get on him now before his price breaks $10k every week.

With Richarlison out the door I expect Will Hughes (7000) to be the central figure at Javi Garcia’s Watford. Hughes has the goal/assist/chance creation upside plus will be involved with other stats. Good matchup against Brighton as well.

FanDuel EPL Forwards

An uninspiring lineup of forwards to match the lack of high-end options in midfield. It’s a shame FanDuel are so against including the 7:30am EST kick off in a slate; having the Spurs players would brighten up this slate no end.

I am happy to plump for the much maligned Alvaro Morata (12000) this week. I would prefer him to be $1k or so cheaper but I am not spending up anywhere else so I can fit him in. He has a great matchup against Huddersfield and should play most of the game with Batshuayi and Giroud only just returning from their break after the World Cup.

Morata and Azpilicueta combined for 8 goal/assist combos last season; the most in the Premier League. I am trusting them to get this season up and running with another.

I am again looking to promoted players to fill my roster on opening day. Diogo Jota (8500) was outstanding last season in the Championship with 18 goals and his pace should cause the aging Everton defenders plenty of trouble.

Aleksandar Mitrović (8500) has a blistering finish to last season with Fulham scoring 12 goals in 17 games for the Cottagers on loan. He will struggle to keep up that rate in the Premier League but I love his matchup this week. He was the most expensive striker bought by an EPL club in the transfer window.

Wilfried Zaha (10500) is one of the best players on this slate and in a good matchup. I am a little worried about him being chalk in GPP but he is an easy cash play.

FanDuel EPL Lineup

Note: this is a sample lineup and are not optimized. The only guarantee I can give you is that I will playing 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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This is a side filled with promoted players but I feel confidant in the quality and matchups. The bookies also favor Wolves and Fulham today if that eases any concern!

Sample Lineup:

FWD: Morata – Chelsea

FWD: Jota – Wolves

MID: Neves – Wolves

MlD: Sessegnon – Fulham

MID: Hughes – Watford

DEF: Azpilicueta – Chelsea

DEF: Jonny – Wolves

GK: Patricio – Wolves

Best of luck in your FanDuel EPL contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and analysis!