Saturday’s EPL DFS slate features the tightest group of games I can remember. Brentford is the only team on the slate favored to win, at -165, and they are only available on the FD slate. As you might imagine, chasing a win and a clean sheet is likely a fool’s errand. You’ll likely be better off going cheap at goalkeeper and using that savings to play one or both of the top attackers on the slate.
EPL DFS Top Plays January 14
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
David Raya
BRE
BOU
13
14.39
I never thought I would see the day when David Raya was the most expensive keeper on the slate. Brentford has allowed a lot of goals but only five teams have kept more clean sheets. Bournemouth has been shut out in more than half of its games
Gavin Bazunu
SOU
EVE
4300
2.57
8
3.97
I am not super confident in any team getting a win or a clean sheet, but so saving some money on a keeper facing one of the worst offenses in the league seems like a slam dunk. Only five teams have been shut out more than Everton and only two have scored more goals.
Jose Sa
WOL
WHU
4900
5.67
11
8.31
I picked Sa over Lukasz Fabianski because Wolverhampton is at home but you should feel free to pivot if you need to save $200 on DK. West Ham and Wolverhampton are two of the five teams in the league to score fewer than a goal per game, and they are allowing a lot fewer goals than Southampton or Everton. West Ham is allowing the most saves of those four teams, which is another point in Sa's favor.
Robert Sanchez
BHA
LIV
4400
6.01
8
9.38
I don't really expect Brighton to win, but they are at home, and they are only one point behind Liverpool in the standings. Sanchez mostly made this list because Liverpool has allowed 10 more saves than any other team this season. In a slate with no obvious wins, chasing saves could be a viable strategy.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Mohamed Salah
LIV
BHA
8800
14.05
21
22.15
You can pivot to Cody Gakpo on FD if you want, especially for tournaments, but paying more for him in his EPL debut than for Mohamed Salah is madness. Salah has seven chances created in three games since the break and the introduction of Gakpo just makes it more likely that one of those chances is converted.
Said Benrahma
WHU
WOL
9400
8.68
12
12.06
Usually when a player has such a discrepancy in price between the two sites, he sends in a ton of crosses. Benrahma will send in plenty of crosses but not enough for this price difference. He has failed to reach double-digit FD fantasy points in just one of his nine starts, averaging 17.9 FD fantasy points in those starts. He is your best bet if you're looking for a West Ham attacker.
Ivan Toney
BRE
BOU
22
25.88
You can pivot to Bryan Mbeumo if you want, but Toney has goals in both games since the break and Bournemouth is the only team in the league to allow more then two goals per game. Toney has scored or assisted on 50 percent of Brentford's goals this season.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
LIV
BHA
5500
4.5
13
7.97
I think the goal against Brentford was probably a fluke, but I like that he has five chances created in his last four games. As good as Brighton has been this season, only seven teams have allowed more goals, and Oxlade-Chamberlain is a cheap way into a strong attack.
Marc Albrighton
LEI
NFO
4400
3.42
9
4.20
His price increased $1,300 following his first start of the season and I'd argue it wasn't enough. Albrighton has long been a favorite DFS play on the rare occasions he starts, and that is certainly the case following his 10 crosses and three chances created against Fulham. He is playable on FanDuel as well.
James Ward-Prowse
SOU
EVE
8900
13.62
16
16.43
There really aren't many safe attackers for DraftKings, and one of them is facing Liverpool. James Ward-Prowse, on the other hand, has two goals, six chances created and 24 crosses in three games since the break. He's not a value like he was in December but at least you know you will get what you pay for.
Morgan Gibbs-White
NFO
LEI
8200
9.91
15
11.28
For the second week in-a-row, we are loading up on hyphenated names. Gibbs-White has at least four crosses and three chances created in three straight home games, with 12 shots and two goals in that span. He has a higher floor (and forward eligibility) on DraftKings but I love his value on FanDuel.
Youri Tielemans
LEI
NFO
6500
8.58
14
13.63
Tielemans is averaging 12.1 DK fantasy points in his last six starts, and now he has a chance to be to set pieces if Ayoze Perez is out. Tielemans is a must-play if Perez sits, but you can pivot to Perez if you need the forward-eligibility.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Renan Lodi
NFO
LEI
5100
6.62
8
7.44
Lodi has 13 crosses in three games since the break. This game should have some goals in it and Nottingham Forest has played much better at home this season.
Nelson Semedo
WOL
WHU
3600
3.33
8
7.60
Semedo provided a modest 4.9 DK fantasy points at Aston Villa last week, but that is about as much as we can expect from cheap defenders these days. He has a chance at his first clean sheet since October, which would certainly help.
Romain Perraud
SOU
EVE
5000
7.78
10
10.38
Only Bournemouth has allowed more crosses than Everton this season. Perraud had three crosses in 30 minutes against Everton in October and I'll gladly chase that kind of upside.
James Tarkowski
EVE
SOU
3300
4
14
16.96
This is the rare defender I like for both sites. Only Liverpool allows more clearances than Southampton, and Tarkowski has is ninth in the league in headed shots, with 1.58 xG on those plays. He's going to convert one sooner than later, and I would rather chase that than pay up for a handful of crosses
Levi Colwill
BHA
LIV
2800
2.02
7
4.33
Liverpool is by far the best matchup for defensive stats, even with their recent team struggles. Brighton doesn't clear the ball much but Colwill has seven in his last two starts and he will allow us to spend up elsewhere.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Trent Alexander-Arnold
LIV
BHA
7000
11.62
13
12.45
I don't love the mid-priced attackers on DraftKings, and I think there is something to be said for going cheap and paying up for Alexander-Arnold instead. He finally picked up his first assist of the season last week thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and he has another big attacker to get on the end of crosses in Gody Gakpo. Alexander-Arnold is a solid GPP play on FanDuel as well.
EPL DFS Core Plays January 14
Draftkings Core Plays
Top Tier
James Ward-Prowse
$8,900
Morgan Gibbs-White
$8,200
Mid Tier
Youri Tielemans
$6,500
Trent Alexander-Arnold
$7,000
Value Tier
Marc Albrighton
$4,400
James Tarkowski
$3,300
Fanduel Core Plays
Top Tier
Ivan Toney
$22
Mohamed Salah
$21
Mid Tier
Morgan Gibbs-White
$15
James Ward-Prowse
$16
Value Tier
Levi Colwill
$7
Said Benrahma
$12
Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!
