EPL DFS Breakdown – Saturday 8/24/2019
By Vince Dray
EPL DFS: Mid-Tier Forwards/Midfielders
Billy Sharp (Leicester @ Sheffield United, $16) – You probably weren’t ready to see Sharp yet in this EPL DFS Breakdown, and honestly neither was I until I looked at the rest of the slate. After Lacazette there are a whole host of attackers that 1) are risky and hard to trust, 2) are overpriced, or 3) have yet to get it going this season.
Generally, Billy Sharp is not a starter for Sheffield United rather an experienced attacker off the bench. However, with Callum Robinson hurt, Sharp could work his way into the starting lineup.
Sharp scored off the bench in Sheffield’s first game, and he has the highest odds of anyone in this game aside from Vardy to score. Leicester is not a great defensive team on the road, so I am willing to take a look at Sharp who will likely go overlooked on Saturday.
Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester @ Sheffield United, $16) – Here I am again with a player I don’t write up often. However, Ndidi made it into my EPL DFS Breakdown last Sunday and into my personal lineup and he more than paid off with a goal on his way to a 38.2 fantasy point day.
Expecting another goal from Ndidi, who’s not known as a great scorer, isn’t wise but you can’t deny the improvement in his attacking abilities since late last season.
On top of that, Ndidi is extremely active on the field and is a top-end midfielder at collecting all different kinds of defensive peripherals boosting his floor. I like this match-up for Ndidi’s attacking upside and his peripherals as well so I’ll be looking to him as a mid-priced midfielder who can get me some safe points.
Glenn Murray (Southampton @ Brighton, $14) – If you’re looking for a cheap player with good odds to score to pair with your top guys, consider Glenn Murray.
After scoring over 20 goals in the Championship in 2016-17, Murray’s goal totals have (naturally) decreased to a respectable 12 and then 13 last season. It’s well known that Murray scores most of his goals at home, and luckily, he’ll take on a Southampton team that gave up 1.84 goals per game on the road last year.
Additionally, they’ve already given up 5 goals in just 2 games so far this year. The 35-year-old striker started to show his age at the end of last season when Brighton wasn’t playing well and he wasn’t scoring, but Brighton hasn’t lost yet this year.
Look for Murray (+125 to score) to get on the score-sheet this Saturday and open his 2019-20 scoring. If you’re into Brighton in this game, check out Leandro Trossard ($14) who still have nice scoring odds (+162) and should get you a few more peripherals.
Dani Ceballos (Arsenal @ Liverpool, $14) – I like the idea of stacking this game, but the problem is finding value as a ton of players in this game are on the expensive side. Ceballos lined up as more of a deeper midfield player for Arsenal last week, but still provided the assists on both of their goals in a 2-1 victory of Burnley.
Clearly this game is going to be much tougher for Arsenal, but the match-up should also lead to a lot of action as both teams look to open up the field with their attack.
This should create opportunities for Ceballos to attack, but he will also have to defend Liverpool’s juggernaut coming at him which should lead to more peripherals.
He is affordable exposure to this game and can be used in all formats. For $2 cheaper, you can get Matteo Guendouzi ($12) and rely on his defensive duties to get you 15+ points. However, he provides extremely minimal attacking upside, especially in this matchup.
UPDATE: Granit Xhaka ($14) is likely going to return on Saturday from a minor injury. This would almost surely send Guendouzi back to the bench for now.