EPL DFS Playbook December 9: Top DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Soccer Picks
We often take space at the top of the EPL DFS Playbook to discuss the importance of checking the starting lineups before kickoff. Not only can you find hidden value plays who will be thrust into a starting role, but you can also find players who are moving to a more advantageous position on the pitch. For instance, a center-back who winds up playing outside could be much more productive for fantasy at a relative discount.
There could be a lot of surprise value plays in Saturday’s slate because all 10 teams are playing their third game in eight days. Injuries and fatigue could necessitate changes from what we might consider to be a team’s normal starting lineup.
That being said, there are already a ton of great values on the slate. I’m not sure we need any more. On top of that, there aren’t very many top-tier targets I love on either slate. I like playing stars-and-scrubs lineups as much as the next person but at some point, you probably need to fill your lineup with some midpriced players. If you find yourself with Bruno Fernandes, Pascal Gross and Bukayo Saka all in the same lineup, you may have gone too cheap at the other positions.
EPL DFS Soccer Picks December 9
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jason Steele | BHA | BRN | 5800 | 4.28 | 12 | 4.33 |
| Burnley has no attack to speak of with Lyle Foster and Luca Koleosho out. Only two teams have scored fewer goals than Burnley this season but I think they have the worst offense in the league until Foster returns. | ||||||
| Jose Sa | WOL | NFO | 5200 | 5.22 | 11 | 6.04 |
| Nottingham Forest is tied for the most road losses this season, and only two teams have scored fewer away goals. If you need a slightly cheaper alternative to Jason Steele, Sa will do just fine. | ||||||
| Emiliano Martinez | AVL | ARS | 10 | 9.86 | ||
| I don't want to overreact to their midweek win against Manchester City, but Aston Villa is probably too good for Martinez to be this cheap against anybody at home. | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Simon Adingra | BHA | BRN | 6600 | 7.91 | 18 | 15.24 |
| My love of Kaoru Mitoma is well-documented but Adingra is forward-eligible and he has been every bit as good as Mitoma since the latter returned from an injury. Every Brighton outfield player is worth considering in this matchup but Adingra looks like the best value on both sites. | ||||||
| Saman Ghoddos | BRE | SHU | 4900 | 4.14 | 9 | 6.89 |
| There is a chance Mathias Jensen returns but if he doesn't, Ghoddos should have free kicks to himself. Ghoddos was arguably my best call on Wednesday when he had seven crosses and one chance created, including all three of Brentford's corners. Ghoddos is a bit risky on FanDuel, where he is listed as a defender, but he looks like a must-play on DraftKings. | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Youri Tielemans | AVL | ARS | 10 | 6.52 | ||
| He's going to be in this space every week until his price rises or his streak of four straight games with at least 13.8 FD fantasy points comes to an end. | ||||||
| Jack Hinshelwood | BHA | BRN | 3600 | 5.16 | 11 | 13.63 |
| I would probably like it better if James Milner got the start but Hinshelwood scored a goal and created a chance Wednesday despite starting at right back. This is a much better matchup and whoever starts at right back for Brighton will be a value play. | ||||||
| Yoane Wissa | BRE | SHU | 6400 | 8.4 | 15 | 14.44 |
| Wissa started the season like gangbusters but has taken a back seat to Bryan Mbeumo as the season has gone along. Wissa's numbers were underwhelming in relief of Mbeumo Wednesday but he is cheaper than Neal Maupay and I trust him more. | ||||||
| Bruno Fernandes | MUN | BOU | 10600 | 16.72 | 23 | 27.63 |
| There are a lot of viable mid-priced or value-priced forwards on the DK slate, which makes it easier to pay up for Fernandes. Especially with Pascal Gross likely to line up in the backfield again, Fernandes looks like the safest play on the slate. | ||||||
| Jean-Ricner Bellegarde | WOL | NFO | 7000 | 6.1 | 11 | 10.03 |
| Bellegarde is in line to take all of the set pieces, and we can pretty easily pivot to Pablo Sarabia if Sarabia gets the start instead. Bellegarde struggled against Arsenal in his last start but prior to that he had double-digit fantasy points in all three games since returning to the lineup. | ||||||
| Midfielders | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Gustavo Hamer | SHU | BRE | 5300 | 7.51 | 13 | 14.92 |
| This isn't the best matchup, but Hamer should have set pieces to himself with Oliver Norwood out. Hamer had four crosses against Liverpool on Wednesday and this isn't a worse matchup than that game. | ||||||
| Johann Gudmundsson | BRN | BHA | 5700 | 7.84 | 14 | 13.78 |
| Gudmundsson has been great the last month, both as a starter and coming off the bench. He should get all of the minutes he can handle with Luca Koleosho out, and if Burnley is going to generate any offense, Gudmundsson will likely be involved. | ||||||
| Pascal Gross | BHA | BRN | 10400 | 14.98 | 21 | 22.76 |
| I like Gross better when he starts in the midfield, but with four goal involvements in his last three games, he seems to be doing just fine. I don't trust Morgan Gibbs-White or Hwang Hee-Chan, which makes Gross an easy target on DraftKings. I like him on FanDuel as well, though you can always pivot to Bukayo Saka if you have an extra $1 to spend. | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Sergio Reguilon | MUN | BOU | 5600 | 6.66 | 9 | 8.97 |
| That Reguilon is my favorite top-tier defender is proof that this is a rough slate. That being said, there are enough values elsewhere to be able to pay up for Reguilon in a great matchup. | ||||||
| Mads Roerslev | BRE | SHU | 3900 | 2.89 | 8 | 7.34 |
| Roerslev was pretty quiet Wednesday but this should be a much better matchup. Roerslev is averaging 3.45 crosses per 90 minutes, which is plenty at his price. | ||||||
| Hugo Bueno | WOL | NFO | 4400 | 4.11 | 8 | 6.15 |
| Bueno is averaging 7.3 DK fantasy points in three starts this season. Only two defenders on the slate are averaging more than that and they both cost at least $1,100 more than Bueno. | ||||||
EPL DFS Soccer Core Plays
| DraftKings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Bruno Fernandes | $10,600 |
| Pascal Gross | $10,400 | |
| Mid Tier | Simon Adingra | $6,600 |
| Johann Gudmundsson | $5,700 | |
| Value Tier | Hugo Bueno | $4,400 |
| Saman Ghoddos | $4,900 | |
| FanDuel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Bruno Fernandes | $23 |
| Pascal Gross | $21 | |
| Mid Tier | Johann Gudmundsson | $14 |
| Yoan Wissa | $15 | |
| Value Tier | Jean-Ricner Bellegarde | $11 |
| Youri Tielemans | $10 | |