One of the things I like most about writing the EPL DFS Playbook is when an unexpected pattern emerges during the course of my research. What I noticed for Saturday’s EPL DFS slate is that I found myself gravitating toward the second-best attackers on a lot of the big sides with good matchups. Don’t get me wrong, I would gladly play Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Gabriel Jesus, and Wilfried Zaha if I could, but I think we may get more mileage out of their cheaper teammates. That being said, there is a lot of nice value plays on both sites so I will probably end up with at least one of those top-tier players in most of my lineups.
EPL DFS Top Plays November 12
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Aaron Ramsdale
ARS
WOL
13
14.42
Arsenal leads the league in goals against per 90 and clean sheets, while the Wolves have scored the fewest goals in the league and allowed the cleanest sheets. Arsenal is 5-1-1 on the road with just four goals against so I don't mind fading some of the bigger home favorites on the slate.
Vicente Guaita
CRY
NFO
4900
6.56
11
10.27
Nottingham Forest has scored the second-fewest goals this season and they are tied with Wolves with seven clean sheets allowed in 14 games. Guaita is a bit risky on the road but we are getting a good price for a very good matchup.
Danny Ward
LEI
WHU
4300
6.08
9
9.68
This is probably just evidence that we shouldn't go cheap at goalkeeper, but it is also a reminder that just three teams have scored fewer goals or allowed more clean sheets than West Ham.
Gavin Bazunu
SOU
LIV
3600
3.32
7
5.21
Again, we probably shouldn't be fishing in these waters, but I don't mind taking a cheap dart throw on Liverpool continuing to be surprisingly bad. They have topped one goal just once in their last five games, with surprising losses to Leeds and Nottingham Forest in that span. I think Liverpool probably takes care of business at home but I wouldn't bet on it.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Darwin Nunez
LIV
SOU
8800
11.91
19
19.16
Nunez has scored at least 22 FD fantasy points in four straight starts. He is slightly riskier on DK but the matchup is great and he is much cheaper than Mohamed Salah.
Eberechi Eze
CRY
NFO
7900
12.42
16
13.95
With Odsonne Edouard dealing with an injury, Palace's attack is basically concentrated among Eze, Michael Olise, and Wilfried Zaha. Eze is safer than Zaha, he is forward-eligible on DK and he has at least 9.8 DK fantasy points in six consecutive games. Only Bournemouth has allowed more goals than Nottingham Forest this season.
Neal Maupay
EVE
BOU
4300
4.1
14
5.39
Maupay's price is down because nearly half of his appearances were off the bench and of his five starts, three were against top-six sides. This is a minuscule price for a reasonably good striker facing the worst defensive team in the league. He is much better for tournaments but I might consider him for DK cash lineups because he is so cheap and plays a premium position.
Said Benrahma
WHU
LEI
7500
8.37
12
10.91
Benrahama has at least 14 FD fantasy points in five of his six starts, making him an absolute steal at this price. He is playable on DK as well though I would probably try to pivot to Jarrod Bowen if I had an extra $500.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Ivan Perisic
TOT
LEE
7000
8.34
11
10.81
Perisic took all five corners with Son Heung-Min out Sunday, finishing with a season-high 14 crosses and five chances created. He is safer on DK but I might like him better on FD where he is listed as a defender.
Dejan Kulusevski
TOT
LEE
8600
9.25
16
12.96
Kulusevski has been inconsistent for fantasy but his floor probably gets a boost with Son out. Kulusevski has a chance to split free kicks or even have them to himself if Perisic sits, but he is mostly on this list for his attacking prowess. Tottenham's attack stagnated when Kulusevski went down injured and if Spurs are to get attacking returns from anyone outside of Harry Kane, Kulusevski is the most likely target.
Bukayo Saka
ARS
WOL
18
20.21
I don't think there is a wrong answer in Arsenal's attack, including paying up for Gabriel Jesus if you have an extra $2 to spend. That being said, I think Saka is safer than Martinelli and Odegaard. After a slow start in his first three games, Saka has at least 16 fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games.
Morgan Gibbs-White
NFO
CRY
7200
9.23
16
10.39
If you are going to play anyone from Nottingham Forest in a decent matchup at home, I think you basically have to pay up for either Gibbs-White or Neco Williams. Not coincidentally, those are the two set-piece takers. Gibbs-White has at least three crosses in nine consecutive games and he scored his first goal of the season his last time out. I love his floor but I think he has more goal-scoring potential than what he has shown thus far.
James Maddison
LEI
WHU
9000
20
20
26.59
Maddison has long been one of the safest fantasy plays in the Premier League but with 10 goal involvements in 12 games, the ceiling now matches the floor. Maddison is surprisingly easy to afford on both sites, and I will have a hard time keeping him out of cash lineups.
Midfielders
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Crysencio Summerville
LEE
TOT
5500
7.2
15
10.36
Summerville has scored in each of his last three games, and he has two crosses in each of his three starts. Tottenham has allowed two goals to each of its last four opponents and Leeds has scored eight goals in its last three games.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Emerson Royal
TOT
LEE
4600
6.76
10
9.98
I'm still holding out for the day Spurs manager Antonio Conte tries Lucas Moura out at right wing-back but until then, Emerson has 11 crosses and three chances created in his last three games. He is as good as anyone if you need a cheaper defender on DK.
Vitaliy Mykolenko
EVE
BOU
4000
5.35
11
12.64
Nathan Patterson is safer but Mykolenko is cheaper and more likely to start. Mykolenko has nine crosses and two chances created in his last two games and Bournemouth is allowing the most crosses in the league this season.
Ryan Fredericks
BOU
EVE
2700
1.4
8
3.79
On his team, only Marcus Tavernier is averaging more crosses, and only Bournemouth has allowed more crosses than Everton this season. It is rare for a defender this cheap to have any viability so we should take advantage while we can.
Armel Bella-Kotchap
SOU
LIV
2800
5.44
11
13.50
His game log looks inconsistent in part due to leaving the West Ham game with an injury, but Bella-Kotchap has been very good in tough matchups, with at least seven clearances against Newcastle, Manchester City, and Chelsea. Liverpool has allowed 61 more clearances than any team in the league, and Bella-Kotchap should take advantage without breaking the bank.
Ibrahima Konate
LIV
SOU
3200
2.41
10
9.75
He had nine clearances at Tottenham in his first start of the season and Southampton has allowed the second-most clearances in the league. This is risky because Liverpool could just hold the ball the entire game which would prevent Konate from earning defensive stats, but if he comes close to last week's production, he is severely underpriced.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Aaron Cresswell
WHU
LEI
5500
8.58
12
14.04
I think the top four defenders on the DK slate are all good plays so if you need to save money with Neco Williams or want to pay up for a Liverpool outside back, I am totally on board. Cresswell gets the nod here because Leicester has allowed the fourth-most crosses and third-most goals this season. Cresswell struggled last week but before that, he had four straight games with at least eight crosses.
EPL DFS Core Plays November 12
Draftkings Core Plays
Top Tier
James Maddison
$9,000
Darwin Nunez
$8,800
Mid Tier
Eberechi Eze
$7,900
Ivan Perisic
$7,000
Value Tier
Ryan Fredericks
$2,700
Neal Maupay
$4,300
Fanduel Core Plays
Top Tier
Darwin Nunez
$19
Bukayo Saka
$18
Mid Tier
Dejan Kulusevski
$16
Eberechi Eze
$16
Value Tier
Ivan Perisic
$11
Said Benrahma
$12
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