After 100 days the Premier League is returning, and we are celebrating with a very special edition of the FantasyAlarm EPL DFS Playbook. For the rest of the season we will have a Playbook and Example Lineups whenever there are three games or more, but to mark the start of the season and introduce everyone to our DFS coverage we have a Playbook for Wednesday’s two-game slate.

One of the problems with two-game slates is that we won’t know who is starting in the second game when the first game begins. Late swap is available for this slate, which helps, but we still won’t have a ton of flexibility to make changes one the starters are announced for the late game. We have already had to make one adjustment since the Playbook was published, with Jack O'Connell getting ruled out for Sheffield United.

Who actually starts is critically important for FPL DFS, especially for the games during the restart period. Just about everyone who was injured has recovered over the last three months, and with no games, very few players have picked up new injuries. As such, teams are as deep as they have been at any point, except for maybe at the start of the season. Add on top of that the frenetic pace of games from here on out, and it is difficult to count on anyone to start from one game to the next. Be sure to check back here after lineups are announced, as we will almost certainly adjust our example lineups at that time.

The Example Lineups have been updated with the news Trezeguet and Pepe Reina will not start for Aston Villa.

Lineups updated with Pepe, Zinchenko and Aguero out.

Playbook

 

Goalies
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
EdersonMCIARS59007.251411.68
City are -305 favorites and have kept 10 clean sheets this season. If offenses are slow to return to form like they were in the Bundesliga, that would make Ederson an even better investment.
Dean HendersonSHUAVL50007.741112.30
Sheffield have the best odds to win this game at +130, and the total is 2.5 goals. Henderson has a clean sheet in 37 percent of his games this season.
Orjan NylandAVLSHU44000.1951.33
Nyland replaces Pepe Reina, and his is significantly cheaper than Reina on FD. Reina is fifth in EPL in saves per game, and Nyland has a chance to pick up where he left off. It's risky, but these are the kinds of risky you should take in GPPs.
        
Forwards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Raheem SterlingMCIARS850013.361918.46
Sterling has played at least 84 minutes and scored at least 4.2 fantasy points on DraftKings in each of his last nine starts. He is at a greater risk to get subbed with the new rules, but I still think he is the safest of the City attackers, especially if Jesus is on the bench. That being said, if you can afford to pay up for Mahrez, I don't have a problem with that.
Nicolas PepeARSMCI660011.551514.16
The total for this game is 3.5, and it's likely not all of those goals will come from City. Pepe has been inconsistent at best for his new team, but he looked like he was finding his form before the break. He should be an integral part of any Arsenal attacking stack, especially on DK.
Oliver McBurnieSHUAVL61005.23179.98
McBurnie had scored at least 6.5 FanDuel fantasy points in seven consecutive games before the league shut down. He should be safe, and he has a pretty high ceiling against the team that has conceded the most goals in the league this season.
Billy SharpSHUAVL54003.96156.06
Sharp had two goals in his last three games before the break, and no team has allowed more goals than Aston Villa this season. Sharp does very little outside of scoring, but he has a good enough chance at a goal to be a GPP play.
Eddie NketiahARSMCI48005.16138.50
Nketiah started Arsenal's last three games before the shutdown, with six shots in the penalty area and three big chances in those games. He is a cheap alternative to Pepe or Aubameyang in Arsenal stacks.
        
Midfielders
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Kevin De BruyneMCIARS1100022.862227.92
He's by far the safest of the City attackers. He doesn't need to score or even assist to provide fantasy points, but he will almost certainly have the ball at his feet quite a bit.
Jack GrealishAVLSHU970017.821719.78
You're paying a premium for Grealish, especially on DK, but it is probably worth it just to avoid Pep roulette. Grealish has played nearly every single minute of every game he has suited up for, and he is seemingly in the middle of every Villa attack. Grealish is fifth in the Premier League in chances created this season.
Leroy SaneMCIARS800001616.35
Sane is a complete wild card, and should be considered a GPP play only. He has missed this entire season with an ACL injury but has been involved in full training and should be good to go for this game. Even if he starts, it seems doubtful he plays the whole game, but I don't think anyone would be surprised if he is involved in the scoring in this game.
Oliver NorwoodSHUAVL55008.61312.39
I might prefer John Lundstram for GPPs, if Lundstram starts, but there is no doubt Norwood's place on corners and set pieces makes him safer, especially on DraftKings.
TrezeguetAVLSHU52007119.48
Trezeguet struggled to stay healthy in the second half of the season, but he was one of Villa's better attackers before the injuries piled up. With John McGinn looking at a minutes limit, Trezeguet is the best attacking option if you want an alternative to, or someone to stack with, Jack Grealish.
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
John FleckSHUAVL710010.93913.70
John Fleck scored 41.3 fantasy points against Aston Villa back in December, and he leads all Sheffield United attackers with 13.7 FPPG on FanDuel despite his very modest price on that site. He is a GPP only play, especially since he is a greater risk to get subbed off. 
        
Defenders
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Benjamin MendyMCIARS52008.94149.66
Mendy is the only City defender who consistently gets forward in attack. Affording him is a challenge, but if you're going to spend up in defense, he is your best bet.
Shkodran MustafiARSMCI28004.851315.61
Mustafi had at least 16.7 FanDuel fantasy points in five straight games before suffering a hamstring injury, with at least six clearances in each of those games. He should have plenty of chances for clearances against City, and he's cheap enough to be worth considering for a GPP on DK.
Enda StevensSHUAVL49008.421313.70
Stevens is fifth among defenders with 30 chances created, and Villa have scored the eighth-fewest goals in the Premier League this season. If you need to save some money George Baldock is a fine alternative, especially on DK.
Bukayo SakaARSMCI41005.95127.64
If you're looking to play an Arsenal defender, especially in GPP lineups, Saka is the clear choice. He had played in at least three crosses in five of his last six games before the shutdown, with two assists in that span.
Oleksandr ZinchenkoMCIARS45007.61011.53
When Zinchenko creates chances, he scores fantasy points. He has been inconsistent this season, but he's pretty cheap and has a solid chance at double-digit fantasy points.
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Aymeric LaporteMCIARS35005108.41
Arsenal have plenty of talented attackers but they often struggle to finish, so there is potential for a clean sheet as well as a decent number of clearances and interceptions. Laporte has struggled with injuries this season, but the break should have allowed him to get healthy and play a full 90 minutes Wednesday.
John EganSHUAVL29003.9813.25
With Jack O'Connell out, Egan becomes the safe, cheap Sheffield defender for FanDuel. On DraftKings, I'd rather play Chris Basham, who has sent in 11 crosses over his last two games. Phil Jagielka, who will likely get his second start of the season with O'Connell out, is a cheap consideration as well.

Example Lineups

Players listed in bold in the Pivot Lineups are the Pivots from the lineup above

Cash

 

DK Cash
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
FOliver McBurnieSHUAVL5.23$6,100
FRaheem SterlingMCIARS13.36$8,500
MKevin De BruyneMCIARS22.86$11,000
MOliver NorwoodSHUAVL8.6$5,500
DChris BashamSHUAVL5.64$3,900
DAymeric LaporteMCIARS5$3,500
GKEdersonMCIARS7.25$5,900
UtilMatt TargettAVLSHU8.19$5,000

 

 

 

FD Cash
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/MKevin De BruyneMCIARS27.92$22
F/MJack GrealishAVLSHU19.78$17
F/MOliver McBurnieSHUAVL9.98$17
F/MOliver NorwoodSHUAVL12.39$13
DAymeric LaporteMCIARS8.41$10
DJohn EganSHUAVL13.25$8
GKDean HendersonSHUAVL12.30$11

GPP

 

DK GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
FPierre-Emerick AubameyangARSMCI14.07$7,500
FEddie NketiahARSMCI5.16$4,800
MJohn LundstramSHUAVL7.6$5,000
MKevin De BruyneMCIARS22.86$11,000
DBukayo SakaARSMCI5.95$4,100
DChris BashamSHUAVL5.64$3,900
GKOrjan NylandAVLSHU0.19

$4,400

UtilRiyad MahrezMCIARS14.72$9,200
    Total$49,900
      
DK Pivot GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
FNicolas PepeARSMCI11.55$6,600
FEddie NketiahARSMCI5.16$4,800
MJohn LundstramSHUAVL7.6$5,000
MKevin De BruyneMCIARS22.86$11,000
DOleksandr ZinchenkoMCIARS7.6$4,500
DChris BashamSHUAVL5.64$3,900
GKDean HendersonSHUAVL7.74$5,000
UtilSergio AgueroMCIARS14.31$8,800
    Total$49,600

 

 

 

FD GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/MEddie NketiahARSMCI8.50$13
F/MJohn LundstramSHUAVL11.81$15
F/MGabriel JesusMCIARS18.27$21
F/MPierre-Emerick AubameyangARSMCI19.83$18
DShkodran MustafiARSMCI15.61$13
DEnda StevensSHUAVL13.70$13
GKOrjan NylandAVLSHU1.33$5
    Total$98
      
FD Pivot GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/MBilly SharpSHUAVL6.06$15
F/MNicolas PepeARSMCI14.16$15
F/MSergio AgueroMCIARS21.22$21
F/MPierre-Emerick AubameyangARSMCI19.83$18
DBukayo SakaARSMCI7.64$12
DEnda StevensSHUAVL13.70$13
GKOrjan NylandAVLSHU1.33$5
    Total$99