FanDuel EPL DFS Soccer Analysis – August 25 2018
By David Gate
Welcome back to our FanDuel EPL column for week three of the Premier League season. We have all the best tips, picks and analysis for you for soccer DFS!
This week on the main FanDuel EPL slate for Saturday we have five games and ten teams to draw our rosters from. The slate is topped by the high-priced Liverpool forwards who have a prime matchup at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in the late game.
Last week was a little down with the Bournemouth/West Ham game not taking off in the way I’d hoped. They made their predicted over 2.5 goals but barely.
Those Liverpool attackers are going to be chalk and almost unavoidable in cash games but you will have to develop a clever strategy if you want to take down a GPP this weekend. That will include hitting the right goalkeeper and defenders.
Elsewhere we have a London derby with Arsenal hosting West Ham with both teams in desperate need of a win. Neither team have a dub to their name this season and sit at the bottom of the fledgling Premier League table.
The Gunners must (surely?) turn in a top performance to stop the Unai Emery era falling immediately into disaster. They will be a strong pick this weekend and I will be stacking them in GPP play.
I’ll be on Twitter @davidgatesports to chat through lineups changes and team sheet surprises from 9:00am ET.
FanDuel EPL Goalkeepers
This week’s goalkeeping options are a little underwhelming. The easiest pick is Liverpool’s record-breaking signing Alisson (5500). He has exactly 23 FanDuel points in each of his two starts with identical stat lines – clean sheet bonus, win bonus & two saves. I would expect exactly that this weekend again to Brighton & Hove Albion.
If you are looking for higher upside then I like Alex McCarthy (5000) this week. He is facing Leicester at home and the Saints have a strong defensive record at the St.Mary’s. He has made 11 saves in his first two games giving him a safe floor. Leicester will also be missing the suspended Jamie Vardy.
Can I really suggest a goalkeeper who conceded nine goals in two games? Yes I can. Ben Hamer (4500) is at the bargain price after two poor outings. Those games were against Chelsea and Man City. This week he faces Cardiff who have not scored against Bournemouth and ten-man Newcastle. Backing keepers against the Bluebirds will be a solid play all season.
FanDuel EPL Defenders
Top of the list is Andrew Robertson (7000) who has the highest upside of any defender on this slate this weekend. The Scottish left back is a fixture in this Liverpool side and is proving to be a consistent attacking outlet. The matchup is perfect for him and I would be hoping for another 20+ FanDuel points on Saturday.
On the other side of the Anfield pitch their will be lots of value at the DEF position. Lewis Dunk went off after 20 minutes last weekend and is not expected to be fit for tomorrow. Leon Balogun (4500) replaced him and put up 15 FanDuel points in 70 minutes. He has a prime matchup this week and is a 100% play in cash and GPP for me.
Martin Montoya (5000) will scare people off with just 6.5 points in his first start for Brighton & Hove Albion but again he has a perfect matchup facing Robertson, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita. He will be busy all game. A putting him down for 15 points minimum this week.
Another guy I like this week is Fabian Balbuena (6000) who disappointed me against Bournemouth but should lead the charge against Arsenal. I think he hits 20 points against the Gunners.
FanDuel EPL Midfielders
I can’t be shaken off Sadio Mane (11500) and Mohamed Salah (12500) this weekend. Despite their inevitable chalkiness I think they are a must play in cash games. Liverpool scored nine goals in two games last season against Brighton and despite the Seagulls beating Manchester United last week they are huge underdogs this week.
I am imagining that lots of people will be lining up James Milner (8500) for a Liverpool stack but I would not take the risk this week. Both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are vying for a starting spot meaning Milner could be benched. Because that is the late game you would have to downgrade and I don’t value the other LIV midfielders with the same upside.
It is impossible to stack all three Liverpool forwards and so that takes a little shine off their potential in GPP. A decent alternative is to stack Arsenal. I have a long history of failing with Arsenal stacks but this slate makes it very appealing.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (9500) is the pic of the bunch and put up a goal and assist last week against Chelsea. Mesut Ozil (8500) was atrocious in both his opening goals. But that is not surprising against Man City and Chelsea as he vanishes against good sides. He is a decent play in a stack this week.
The only plus for Arsenal fans early this season has been the performances of Matteo Guendouzi (6500). The French youngster has been excellent and is a very nice pick in all formats this weekend.
FanDuel EPL Forwards
The best forward play this week is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (11000) at home to West Ham. The Hammers have conceded six goals in their first two games and Aubameyang will have great opportunity to feast this week.
You have to love Roberto Firmino (11500) against Brighton but he is actually the Liverpool player I wont be using. He has yet to find the net this season and his World Cup went on a little longer than his forward teammates. However he did score twice in December against the Seagulls but I’m looking to use him after the international break.
I have two cheaper forwards that I love for Saturday. Steve Mounie (7500) is a bargain in a top matchup against Cardiff. I love pairing him with midfielder Aaron Mooy (8500) for a sneaky mini-stack in GPP play.
My other favorite forward is Danny Ings (8000) who scored in his first start for Southampton. He should have had another after missing an easy opportunity. He is a safe play with a high upside and will be filling out a lot of my lines.
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.
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Sample Lineup: Cash
FWD: Mounie – Huddersfield
FWD: Ings – Southampton
MID: Mane – Liverpool
MlD: Salah – Liverpool
MID: Propper – Brighton
DEF: Montoya – Brighton
DEF: Balogun – Brighton
GK: Alisson – Liverpool
Sample Lineup: Arsenal Stack
FWD: Aubameyang – Arsenal
FWD: Mounie – Huddersfield
MID: Mkhitaryan – Arsenal
MlD: Ozil – Arsenal
MID: Guendouzi – Arsenal
DEF: Robertson – Liverpool
DEF: Balogun – Brighton
GK: Alisson – Liverpool
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