We have four games Thursday, with one big slate on FanDuel and two small slates on DraftKings. Our Example Lineups are for the main slates on both sites, though there should be enough names form the early games to help you put together a solid lineup for that slate. No matter which site you play, it seems like the slate will come down to which United attackers come through, though there are plenty of good attackers in the other games if you want to go a bit contrarian.
Playbook
Goalies |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
David de Gea | MUN | CRY | 5900 | 7.16 | 15 | 11.21 |
This feels like a good slate to go ahead and pay up for a keeper, especially on DraftKings, and de Gea is the only option. He is by far the most likely keeper to get the win Thursday, and he has three clean sheets in his last five starts. Brighton have scored the third-fewest goals in the league this season, which certainly helps. |
Alex McCarthy | SOU | BHA | 5000 | 7.12 | 11 | 10.94 |
He's a little expensive for how many goals Southampton have conceded this season, but they are favored in this game, and Brighton have the third-fewest goals in the league. He's a fine alternative to de Gea if you need to save some money. |
Dean Henderson | SHU | LEI | | | 8 | 13.05 |
This obviously isn't a great matchup, but if Bournemouth can hold Leicester to one goal, surely Sheffield can do the same. Henderson is averaging the most fppg of any goal keeper on Thursday's slate. |
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Forwards |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Danny Ings | SOU | BHA | 8000 | 11.53 | 19 | 18.89 |
I don't quite trust him for cash games, but he has beaten up on weak competition during the restart, with at least 22 DK fantasy points against Norwich, Watford and Everton. He struggled against both Manchester sides and Arsenal, but I expect another big game against Brighton. |
Richarlison | EVE | AVL | | | 18 | 18.61 |
Is it fair to call him the Kevin Na of the Premier League? Since the restart, he has had games of 15.6, 1.3, 23.9, 1.3, 26.9 and 5.2 FD fantasy points. This is a prime spot for Everton, but so was the game at Norwich when he let us all down. Still, it's hard to ignore him for GPPs. |
Anthony Martial | MUN | CRY | 9800 | 12.94 | 20 | 20.14 |
All three United forwards are GPP plays, and I think it will mostly come down to what you can afford. Martial's highs have been a bit higher than Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood's, so if I can afford him, I'm going to pay up for him. |
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Midfielders |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Andros Townsend | CRY | MUN | 3700 | 5.38 | 7 | 6.17 |
He will likely start with Christian Benteke suspended for the remainder of the season. He is forward eligible on DK and is averaging more than seven DK fantasy points per 90 minutes. He is a cheap enabler on both sites, but his crosses make him more valuable on DraftKings. |
Leandro Trossard | BHA | SOU | 5600 | 8.2 | 13 | 10.68 |
Trossard has always passed the eye test, and he has been pretty good since the restart, Saturday's loss to City notwithstanding. I think he's the safest Brighton attacker, especially if Aaron Connolly and Pascal Gross are on the bench. |
Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CRY | 11000 | 23.91 | 22 | 33.05 |
He's pretty much a must-play for cash games. Fortunately, there are enough cheap attackers that paying up for him is pretty easy. |
James Ward-Prowse | SOU | BHA | 8200 | 13.13 | 18 | 18.90 |
He was pretty disappointing against Manchester United Monday, but he still managed to top 8.2 DK fantasy points for the sixth straight game. He is a strong cash play on both sites, especially in a nice matchup with Brighton. |
Paul Pogba | MUN | CRY | 5800 | 9.07 | 15 | 15.84 |
Pogba has been pretty consistent since the restart. He doesn't get forward a ton, but he's effective when he does, especially in linking up with Bruno Fernandes. He is a cheap, safe way into the United attack. |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 7200 | 7.34 | 16 | 12.18 |
Armstrong is averaging 23.6 FD fantasy points since the restart, or more points than Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford are averaging for the entire season. I'm riding him while he's hot, especially in this matchup. |
Youri Tielemans | LEI | SHU | | | 13 | 11.21 |
Tielemans has been awfully consistent over his last three games, and he could get even more opportunities if Marc Albrighton cannot go. |
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Defenders |
Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
Lewis Dunk | BHA | SOU | 3000 | 6.14 | 14 | 14.57 |
He hasn't gotten forward much since he scored a goal in the first game of the restart, but Brighton have played a lot of good teams since then. Southampton have conceded a lot of goals this season, and I love his upside for his price, on both sites. |
Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 3100 | 6.64 | 9 | 8.92 |
He was great in starts against Norwich and Liverpool before doing very little off the bench against City. Even so, he's playable on both sites if he starts again. |
Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | MUN | 5100 | 9.25 | 14 | 14.26 |
I obviously don't love this matchup, but he has been pretty matchup-proof since the restart. If you cannot quite afford him, Ryan Bertrand is a solid replacement. van Aanholt has a high ceiling and a high floor, which is especially valuable with such a weak group of defenders. |
Mason Holgate | EVE | AVL | | | 12 | 12.29 |
Everton's defense struggled against Wolves, but I'm hoping they can get back on track against one of the worst teams in the league. Before he got hurt, Holgate had averaged 20.8 FD fantasy points in his last three games. |
James Justin | LEI | SHU | | | 12 | 11.62 |
I'm choosing to forgive him for his team's utter collapse against Bournemouth. Sheffield are a good team but they don't score a ton, and Justin is a safe cash play. |
Example Lineups
Players in Bold in the pivot lineups are the pivots for the same spots in the lineups above that.
DK Cash |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F | Nathan Redmond | SOU | BHA | 8.29 | $6,300 |
F | Leandro Trossard | BHA | SOU | 8.2 | $5,600 |
M | Bruno Fernandes | MU | CRY | 23.91 | $11,000 |
M | James Ward-Prowse | SOU | BHA | 13.13 | $8,200 |
D | Ryan Bertrand | SOU | BHA | 7.92 | $4,900 |
D | Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 6.64 | $3,100 |
GK | Alex McCarthy | SOU | BHA | 7.12 | $5,000 |
Util | Paul Pogba | MU | CRY | 9.07 | $5,800 |
| | | | Total | $49,900 |
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DK Pivot Cash |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F | Andros Townsend | CRY | MU | 5.38 | $3,700 |
F | Leandro Trossard | BHA | SOU | 8.2 | $5,600 |
M | Bruno Fernandes | MU | CRY | 23.91 | $11,000 |
M | James Ward-Prowse | SOU | BHA | 13.13 | $8,200 |
D | Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | MU | 9.25 | $5,100 |
D | Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 6.64 | $3,100 |
GK | David de Gea | MU | CRY | 7.16 | $5,900 |
Util | Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 7.34 | $7,200 |
| | | | Total | $49,800 |
DK GPP |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F | Danny Ings | SOU | BHA | 11.53 | $8,000 |
F | Leandro Trossard | BHA | SOU | 8.2 | $5,600 |
M | Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 7.34 | $7,200 |
M | Paul Pogba | MU | CRY | 9.07 | $5,800 |
D | Lewis Dunk | BHA | SOU | 6.14 | $3,000 |
D | Ryan Bertrand | SOU | BHA | 7.92 | $4,900 |
GK | Alex McCarthy | SOU | BHA | 7.12 | $5,000 |
Util | Anthony Martial | MU | CRY | 12.94 | $9,800 |
| | | | Total | $49,300 |
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DK Pivot GPP |
Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F | Danny Ings | SOU | BHA | 11.53 | $8,000 |
F | Leandro Trossard | BHA | SOU | 8.2 | $5,600 |
M | Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 7.34 | $7,200 |
M | Paul Pogba | MU | CRY | 9.07 | $5,800 |
D | Lewis Dunk | BHA | SOU | 6.14 | $3,000 |
D | Ryan Bertrand | SOU | BHA | 7.92 | $4,900 |
GK | David de Gea | MU | CRY | 7.16 | $5,900 |
Util | Marcus Rashford | MU | CRY | 15.41 | $9,200 |
| | | | Total | $49,600 |
FD Cash |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CRY | 33.05 | $22 |
F/M | John McGinn | AVL | EVE | 14.42 | $13 |
F/M | Youri Tielemans | LEI | SHU | 11.21 | $13 |
F/M | Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 12.18 | $16 |
D | James Justin | LEI | SHU | 11.62 | $12 |
D | Mason Holgate | EVE | AVL | 12.29 | $12 |
GK | Jordan Pickford | EVE | AVL | 8.69 | $12 |
| | | | Total | $100 |
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FD Pivot Cash |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CRY | 33.05 | $22 |
F/M | Paul Pogba | MUN | CRY | 15.84 | $15 |
F/M | Youri Tielemans | LEI | SHU | 11.21 | $13 |
F/M | Stuart Armstrong | SOU | BHA | 12.18 | $16 |
D | James Justin | LEI | SHU | 11.62 | $12 |
D | Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 8.92 | $9 |
GK | Jordan Pickford | EVE | AVL | 8.69 | $12 |
| | | | Total | $99 |
FD GPP |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F/M | Danny Ings | SOU | BHA | 18.89 | $19 |
F/M | Richarlison | EVE | AVL | 18.61 | $18 |
F/M | Mason Greenwood | MUN | CRY | 10.47 | $16 |
F/M | Paul Pogba | MUN | CRY | 15.84 | $15 |
D | Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 8.92 | $9 |
D | Mason Holgate | EVE | AVL | 12.29 | $12 |
GK | Alex McCarthy | SOU | BHA | 10.94 | $11 |
| | | | Total | $100 |
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FD Pivot GPP |
Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
F/M | Danny Ings | SOU | BHA | 18.89 | $19 |
F/M | Anthony Martial | MUN | CRY | 20.14 | $20 |
F/M | Mason Greenwood | MUN | CRY | 10.47 | $16 |
F/M | Paul Pogba | MUN | CRY | 15.84 | $15 |
D | Tariq Lamptey | BHA | SOU | 8.92 | $9 |
D | Mason Holgate | EVE | AVL | 12.29 | $12 |
GK | Dean Henderson | SHU | LEI | 13.05 | $8 |
| | | | Total | $99 |