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EPL DFS Breakdown – Saturday 8/17/2019

By Vince Dray

EPL DFS: NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on August 11, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images)
EPL DFS: NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on August 11, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images) /
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EPL DFS
EPL DFS: ISTANBUL, TURKEY – AUGUST 14: Mohamed Salah (L) of Liverpool and Chelsea’s N’gole Kante (R) vie for the ball during the UEFA Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea at Vodafone Park in Istanbul, Turkey on August 14, 2019.(Photo by Metin Pala/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /

EPL DFS Top-Tier Forwards/Midfielders

Mo Salah (Liverpool @ Southampton, $24) – It’s hard to argue against Salah here as the top play on the slate.  Liverpool cruised to a 4-1 win against Norwich last Friday, with Salah scoring 36 fantasy points.

Southampton is one of the worst returning defensive teams in the league, and having just given up 3 goals to Burnley, another big offensive game should be expected from Liverpool.  He has some pretty high odds (-125) at being an anytime goal scorer in this game.

Mo Salah looks primed for another historic season, making him a top play in all formats.  You might get Salah a little lower owned than normal with other superstars on the same slate.  Roberto Firmino ($18) had a few good chances to score last game, but he couldn’t convert.  I like him as a secondary Liverpool piece.

Raheem Sterling (Tottenham @ Manchester City, $22) – As easy as it is to declare Salah the slate’s top play, something should be said for Raheem Sterling.  City ran through West Ham 5-0, with a 2nd half hattrick from Sterling.  He and the rest of City’s attack looked as dominant as ever.

Getting a top-tier attacker on the largest favorite on the slate is never a bad idea, but I prefer Salah mainly due to a better matchup.  Each have good odds to score, but I think Salah has the higher ceiling on Saturday.

However, I do like the idea of playing Sterling (with any one of Aguero, KDB, Jesus, or Mahrez) in a City stack or a game stack in a GPP.  My opinion would be to pair him with KDB or Mahrez for peripherals instead of relying on Aguero or Jesus to score.

Teemu Pukki (Newcastle @ Norwich, $18) – Pukki’s late goal was the only silver lining on Norwich’s opening game against Liverpool.  Although they aren’t great odds (+160), Pukki has the best odds to score out of any player in this game.

He was a great goal scorer last season, scoring 29 times, and has already proved he can score in the EPL.  Last season, Newcastle gave up 1.2 goals per game away from home and Norwich scored an incredible amount of goals in the Championship.

This will be Norwich’s first EPL game back in front of home fans, so I expect them to come with a little extra motivation.  Pukki is your escape from chalky Liverpool and Manchester City attackers.

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