The EPL is back with a small DFS slate Saturday but it is sure better than nothing. All three games feature heavy favorites and two of those teams, Newcastle and Manchester City, have excellent chances of keeping a clean sheet. Of the underdogs, I will have the most exposure to Leicester considering they have at least one goal in six of their last seven games against Tottenham. If you want to use players from Bournemouth or Wolverhampton your best bet is on FD, where you can choose a center back to get you some defensive stats.
EPL Playbook
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Nick Pope
NEW
BOU
5600
10.85
12
17.67
Bournemouth has been shut out in four of its six games, the only team over 50 percent this season. I think Pope is the best keeper on the DK slate and it isn't particularly close. It is closer on FanDuel but I still prefer Pope, especially for tournaments. I think there is a good chance he gets a win and a clean sheet and does it more cheaply than Ederson.
Ederson
MCI
WOL
14
10.17
No team has fewer goals than Wolves this season. Manchester City is tied with Newcastle and two other teams for the league lead with three clean sheets.
Danny Ward
LEI
TOT
3800
0.62
7
1.33
This is not the slate to play a cheap keeper. That being said, only Everton has allowed more saves than Tottenham this season. Ward will probably allow multiple goals but there is a good chance he makes enough saves to come out ahead at a bargain price.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Kelechi Iheanacho
LEI
TOT
5300
5.77
15
8.32
Iheanacho scored at Brighton in his first start of the season, and Leicester has at least one goal in six of its last seven games against Spurs including five goals in the last three. Jamie Vardy would be worth a shot if he starts instead but Tielemans is the better value.
Alexander Isak
NEW
BOU
8200
10.62
18
19.75
Bournemouth has allowed the most goals in the league and Isak should be the best bet to score for Newcastle. He is a GPP play on both sites but I will consider him for FD cash games.
Harry Kane
TOT
LEI
11900
18.15
21
30.52
There really aren't any safe forwards in this slate, especially on FanDuel. Kane has had a tendency to play down to his competition at times but he still has at least 18.5 DK fantasy points in four of his six games this season. I'm paying up for him on both sites if I can.
Erling Haaland
MCI
WOL
24
40.60
He is averaging 10 more FD fantasy points than anyone else on the slate. It is tempting to try to build a lineup around Harry Kane and the other City attackers but how do you fade someone with at least 33 FD fantasy points in five of his six games?
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Marcus Tavernier
BOU
NEW
6300
9.13
13
7.32
Tavernier has 3.5x more crosses than any of his teammates and he has at least 12.3 DK fantasy points in every game that wasn't against a top-six side. In such a small slate, his floor should not be taken lightly.
Youri Tielemans
LEI
TOT
5400
7.72
14
13.17
Tielemans has 11 chances created in his last three starts. I am not scared of Tottenham's defense and he is certainly the safest FD play in his price range.
Ryan Fraser
NEW
BOU
4800
3.58
10
3.55
He isn't on set pieces, which hinders his value, but he is still averaging 4.3 crosses and 1.6 chances created per 90 minutes. Assuming Allan Sainit-Maximin is out again, Fraser looks like one of the best value plays on the slate considering the great matchup.
Dejan Kulusevski
TOT
LEI
8100
9.03
18
12.68
He is pretty clearly the next best choice if you want two Spurs attackers or you cannot afford Harry Kane. He has eight chances created in his last three starts.
Ivan Perisic
TOT
LEI
6400
6.73
11
9.58
He isn't quite as safe as Marcus Tavernier but Perisic is more likely to record an assist and he has a better matchup. I don't know how much he will play after he went 90 minutes against Sporting CP Tuesday but if he is starting, he is a great play on DK and a strong tournament play on FD.
Midfielders
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
James Maddison
LEI
TOT
8400
15.75
17
19.40
I just can't quit James Maddison. He struggle at Brighton but in the four games before that he had two goals, one assist, nine chances created and 18 crosses. I expect him to bounce back despite a tough matchup. This is by far his lowest price of the season on DK, which certainly helps.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
James Justin
LEI
TOT
4000
6.82
8
8.72
Only five teams have allowed more crosses than Tottenham, and Justin has 12 in his last three games. He is great for DK cash games but I think he is a sneaky tournament play as well.
Adam Smith
BOU
NEW
2800
3.32
9
9.17
He is second on his team in crosses and Newcastle is in the bottom half of the league in crosses allowed. He should get you something, and he will allow you to pay up elsewhere.
Kieran Trippier
NEW
BOU
7600
14.19
14
20.18
Trippier is the safest player on the DK slate and it isn't particularly close. He has been consistent on FD as well but you might be able to find better value elsewhere.
Wout Faes
LEI
TOT
2600
0
9
He looks set to make his Leicester debut following his transfer from Reims. In three games for that club, Faes had 19 clearances. Tottenham should have plenty of the ball which would mean opportunities for Faes to rack up defensive stats.
Chris Mepham
BOU
NEW
2500
2.85
12
15.72
Mepham has at least 15 FD fantasy points in four of his six games and unlike Lloyd Kelly, he didn't need two assists to get there. I expect Newcastle to dominate this game which should mean a lot of clearances for Mepham.
Core Plays
Draftkings Core Plays
Top Tier
Harry Kane
$11,900
Kieran Trippier
$7,600
Mid Tier
Marcus Tavernier
$6,300
Nick Pope
$5,600
Value Tier
James Justin
$4,000
Ryan Fraser
$4,800
Fanduel Core Plays
Top Tier
Erling Haaland
$24
Harry Kane
$21
Mid Tier
Youri Tielemans
$14
Alexander Isak
$18
Value Tier
Wout Faes
$9
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