Saturday was a crazy week for EPL DFS. We had nine goals total in the first two games, but the most expensive, highest-owned players like Timo Werner and James Rodriguez largely no-showed. Chelsea went down 3-0 to West Brom before making a desperate comeback to salvage a point. This is all to say that we don’t really know what to expect for Sunday’s EPL DFS slate. Tottenham, City and Wolves are all big favorites but at this point, I think at least one of those games will be close.
The only thing that seems pretty straightforward is who will start for each team, but I expect we will get a few surprises there, as well. As always, the lineups below are examples of lineups you can make using the players in the Playbook and are not for plug and play.
| Goal Keepers |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Karl Darlow | NEW | TOT | 4000 | 0 | 7 | 15.25 |
| Most of Spurs's offensive success this season has been on the counter attack, and Newcastle rarely possesses the ball enough for teams to counter. Any team with Kane and Son is capable of scoring in bunches, but I don't think anyone would be shocked if the attack looks languid and Darlow gets a handful of saves as Spurs are forced to shoot from distance. I think I'll start out with Darlow in most of my lineups but upgrade to someone else if I can find enough cheap options elsewhere. |
| Hugo Lloris | TOT | NEW | 5700 | 10.26 | 13 | 11.75 |
| I think Lloris has the best chance at the clean sheet of any keeper on the slate, and he isn't as expensive as Ederson. |
| Ederson | MCI | LEI | 5900 | 8.34 | 14 | 4.50 |
| City are the biggest favorites on the slate, and he allowed just one goal in two games against Leicester last season. I would love to pay up for him, but it'll be awfully tough to afford him. |
| Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Harry Kane | TOT | NEW | 9700 | 13.52 | 22 | 38.75 |
| Kane has been much more of a playmaker this season as opposed to a pure goal-scorer. He still proably won't get many crosses, but he is a cash play on FanDuel so long as he continues to create chances and collect assists. He should be on penalties as well, which is even more valuable with the new handball rules. |
| Jamie Vardy | LEI | MCI | 6600 | 13.26 | 18 | 24.95 |
| Vardy didn't get on the scoresheet against Burnley last week, but he was still noticeable in attack. He had a hockey assist on Leicester's first goal and drew a foul on another scoring chance. Vardy has a reputation for scoring against the best sides, and he had one goal against City last season. I love him on DraftKings where he is as cheap as he will ever be. Besides, there aren't many options in a two-game slate. |
| Raul Jimenez | WOL | WHU | | | 19 | 26.40 |
| It is really tempting to load up on City assets on FanDuel, but we shouldn't overlook Raul Jimenez. He has goals in both games this season, and West Ham have conceded two goals in both of their games this season. |
| Midfielders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Son Heung-Min | TOT | NEW | 10300 | 14.58 | 21 | 51.30 |
| Son was on the receiving end of four Harry Kane assists last week, but I think he will still create chances for others as well. He's cheaper than Kane on FanDuel, and he is an alternative if you cannot afford De Bruyne on DraftKings. |
| Kevin De Bruyne | MCI | LEI | 11500 | 22.95 | 23 | 67.80 |
| De Bruyne is the safest fantasy play in the Premier League; the only question is if you can afford him. It looks he is probably on penalties as well, which only adds to his fantasy value. |
| Ryan Fraser | NEW | TOT | 6000 | 10.49 | 7 | 3.90 |
| Fraser is a bit of a wild card in his first game with his new team, but if Newcastle can score against Spurs, Fraser is the most likely player to be involved. He will likely get a chance on free kicks as well, though he would probably share them with Shelvey and Matt Ritchie. |
| Phil Foden | MCI | LEI | 7700 | 7.74 | 16 | 26.90 |
| Foden averaged 1.82 chances created, 3.43 shots and 2.93 crosses per 90 minutes last season. He is an affordable way into the City attack, especially for cash lineups. |
| Riyad Mahrez | MCI | LEI | 8200 | 13.84 | 18 | 19.34 |
| It sounds like Gabriel Jesus picked up an injury in training, which leaves De Bruyne, Sterling and Mahrez up front. Mahrez is by far the cheapest of those three, and he averaged 2.43 chances created, 0.57 assists, 2.95 shots and 0.43 goals per start last season. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Youri Tielemans | LEI | MCI | 6300 | 9.33 | 12 | 12.55 |
| Tielemans has 17 crosses through two games, and while City is a tough opponent, Tielemans is cheap. He is probably a better play on DraftKings, but he'll create enough chances and take enough shots to be playable on FanDuel as well. |
| Defenders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Matt Doherty | TOT | NEW | 4600 | 7.53 | 14 | 9.00 |
| Doherty has been awfully quiet with his new team, but that could change against a Newcastle side that rarely has possession and is less susceptible to counter-attacks than Tottenham's previous two opponents. I could see using Doherty for cash in a short slate, but I think he is a better GPP play. |
| Aaron Cresswell | WHU | WOL | | | 13 | 10.15 |
| Cresswell had six clearances against Arsenal, and we could see a similar performance against another strong attacking side. |
| Jamaal Lascelles | NEW | TOT | 2500 | 3.21 | 9 | 10.95 |
| Lascelles has 10 clearances through two games, and he should rack up clearances again assuming Tottenham spend most of the game on the front foot. |
| Matt Ritchie | NEW | TOT | 5500 | 10.45 | 8 | 15.63 |
| Ritchie is a midfielder on DK, so while he'll get points for his crosses on that site, its a bit more difficult to justify playing him. On FanDuel, where you're paying $8 for a defender who will probably be on penalties (especially if Almiron is out) in addition to free kicks, there is a lot to like. |
| Fabian Balbuena | WHU | WOL | | | 8 | 12.22 |
| Balbuena averaged 5.46 clearances per start last season, and he will likely start with Issa Diop testing positive for COVID. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Ryan Fredericks | WHU | WOL | | | 14 | 21.80 |
| Fredericks has been pretty consistent in the first two games of the season, but I still think he is more of a GPP play on FanDuel. His seven chances created through two games are nice, but I don't think we can count on them quite as much as we can count on other defenders to get clearances. |
| Javier Manquillo | NEW | TOT | 3300 | 4.82 | 10 | 11.15 |
| This probably isn't a good matchup, but Manquillo is averaging 4.0 crosses per game through two games. We don't really need much from him at this price, and he has some upside if one of those crosses connect. |
| Benjamin Mendy | MCI | LEI | 4500 | 8.43 | 10 | 6.50 |
| I feel like I've always been on the wrong foot with Mendy, but he averaged 4.5 crosses per start last season. He won't break the bank, and he should be one of the safest defenders on the slate |
| DK Cash | | DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Miguel Almiron | NEW | TOT | 8.03 | $5,300 | | F | Jamie Vardy | LEI | MCI | 13.26 | $6,600 |
| F | Jamie Vardy | LEI | MCI | 13.26 | $6,600 | | F | Harry Kane | TOT | NEW | 13.52 | $9,700 |
| M | Kevin De Bruyne | MCI | LEI | 22.95 | $11,500 | | M | Phil Foden | MCI | LEI | 7.74 | $7,700 |
| M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | LEI | 13.84 | $8,200 | | M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | LEI | 13.84 | $8,200 |
| D | Benjamin Mendy | MCI | LEI | 8.43 | $4,500 | | D | Matt Doherty | TOT | NEW | 7.53 | $4,600 |
| D | Javier Manquillo | NEW | TOT | 4.82 | $3,300 | | D | Javier Manquillo | NEW | TOT | 4.82 | $3,300 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | TOT | 0 | $4,000 | | GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | TOT | 0 | $4,000 |
| Util | Youri Tielemans | LEI | MCI | 9.33 | $6,300 | | Util | Matt Ritchie | NEW | TOT | 10.45 | $5,500 |
| | | | | Total | $49,700 | | | | | | Total | $49,600 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| DK Pivot Cash | | DK Pivot GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | | | F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | | | F | Son Heung-Min | TOT | NEW | 14.58 | $10,300 |
| M | | | | | | | M | | | | | |
| M | | | | | | | M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | | | D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | | | D | | | | | |
| GK | Hugo Lloris | TOT | NEW | 10.26 | $5,700 | | GK | | | | | |
| Util | Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | TOT | NEW | 6.6 | $4,600 | | Util | Miguel Almiron | NEW | TOT | 8.03 | $5,300 |
| | | | | Total | $10,300 | | | | | | Total | $15,600 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| FD Cash | | FD GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | LEI | 19.34 | $18 | | F/M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | LEI | 19.34 | $18 |
| F/M | Kevin De Bruyne | MCI | LEI | 67.80 | $23 | | F/M | Raul Jimenez | WOL | WHU | 26.40 | $19 |
| F/M | Phil Foden | MCI | LEI | 26.90 | $16 | | F/M | Jamie Vardy | LEI | MCI | 24.95 | $18 |
| F/M | Raul Jimenez | WOL | WHU | 26.40 | $19 | | F/M | Harry Kane | TOT | NEW | 38.75 | $22 |
| D | Fabian Balbuena | WHU | WOL | 12.22 | $8 | | D | Matt Ritchie | NEW | TOT | 15.63 | $8 |
| D | Jamaal Lascelles | NEW | TOT | 10.95 | $9 | | D | Fabian Balbuena | WHU | WOL | 12.22 | $8 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | TOT | 15.25 | $7 | | GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | TOT | 15.25 | $7 |
| | | | | Total | $100 | | | | | | Total | $100 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| FD Pivot Cash | | FD Pivot GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary | | Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | | | F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | | | F/M | Raheem Sterling | MCI | LEI | 16.30 | $19 |
| F/M | | | | | | | F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Youri Tielemans | LEI | MCI | 12.55 | $12 | | F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | | | D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | | | D | Jamaal Lascelles | NEW | TOT | 10.95 | $9 |
| GK | Hugo Lloris | TOT | NEW | 11.75 | $13 | | GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $25 | | | | | | Total | $28 |
