We only had one week for the International Break, but it feels like the entire Premier League is in flux. Saturday’s EPL DFS slate features three of the top teams in the league, and they are all in some state of flux. Kevin De Bruyne joins the long list of Man City attackers who are out, though they should get Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan back for this game. Manchester United will be without Anthony Martial’s services for three games, but newcomer Donny van de Beek could make his debut with the team. Chelsea has been rolling so far this season, so it will be interesting to see how they fit Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech into the mix. Even the smaller teams in the slate have significant pieces coming in and out of the lineup.
For our purposes, this means there is a smaller pool of players I trust for cash games and a wider pool who I think are worth a shot in tournaments. I want to see Pulisic once or twice before I trust his floor, but we already know his ceiling is awfully high. 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 | MUN | 4100 | 11.71 | 7 | 17.88 |
| Manchester United only have nine shots on target through three games, fewer than Burnley. The risk, obviously, is that United either get their offense figured out and score five goals, or that they don't and Darlow barely has any save opportunities. Of course, we've already seen the upside, which is that Darlow makes double-digit saves and scores 30 fantasy points, which he did against Tottenham. Darlow is awfully cheap considering he is averaging the most fantasy points of any keeper on the slate. |
| Kepa Arrizabalaga | CHE | SOU | 5600 | 4.96 | 10 | 7.25 |
| We don't yet know who will start for the injured Eduardo Mendy, but I'm not sure how much it matters. It certainly helps that they are both cheaper than Mendy on FanDuel. I don't like paying up for the chalk keepers, especially this season, but Southampton have just five goals on 20 shots on target. The potential to rack up saves in addition to a win and perhaps even a clean sheet is difficult to ignore. |
| Bernd Leno | ARS | MCI | 3800 | 8.64 | 8 | 12.13 |
| Arsenal have been pretty good defending under Mikel Arteta, having conceded five goals in four matches this season. City's attack is not nearly as scary as we are used to, with six goals on 16 shots on target through three games. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Tammy Abraham | CHE | SOU | 7400 | 8.77 | 14 | 14.03 |
| He's pretty reasonably priced, and he has as good a chance to get a goal as anyone. That being said, he really needs to score to have much fantasy value. |
| Marcus Rashford | MUN | NEW | 7600 | 7.78 | 21 | 11.53 |
| Rashford will move to striker with Anthony Martial out, and we know Rashford is as capable of scoring goals as anyone. Mason Greenwood is a fine alternative if you need to save money, but I would like to pay up for Rashford if I can, especially on DraftKings. |
| Callum Hudson-Odoi | CHE | SOU | 6900 | 9.03 | 12 | 10.67 |
| A reasonably-priced forward with 11 crosses and four chances created in 138 minutes is a godsend for cash games. He obviously has some upside as well as he is capable of scoring goals. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Midfielders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Theo Walcott | SOU | CHE | 4900 | 0.02 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Walcott is expected to replace Stuart Armstrong in the starting lineup, and while we don't get much of a discount on DraftKings, Walcott is $4 cheaper than Armstrong on FanDuel. |
| Bruno Fernandes | MUN | NEW | 10000 | 21.08 | 19 | 29.23 |
| I don't get why he is so cheap. He's racking up fantasy points even with his team struggling and him only playing 45 minutes against Tottenham his last time out. If United turn it around, which they should sooner or later, Fernandes will almost certainly be involved. I think he is a must for cash lineups; even more so if Kevin De Bruyne cannot go. |
| Jorginho | CHE | SOU | 4500 | 18.95 | 15 | 34.50 |
| It was nice to see him back on penalties last time out after he missed one against Liverpool. He is no longer super cheap on FanDuel, but there is no denying his upside. It is just difficult to rely so heavily on penalties. He has four penalty shots in three games, which is a lot even for this season. It might not be a bad idea to fade him, but he's very tempting for tournaments at his price. |
| Bernardo Silva | MCI | ARS | 7500 | 5.96 | 13 | 4.30 |
| Silva is much cheaper than Phil Foden on FanDuel, which is the main reason he made the list. Silva is fine on DraftKings, but I would probably rather save the $500 and go with Foden. |
| Allan Saint-Maximin | NEW | MUN | 5400 | 13.06 | 13 | 13.30 |
| He is probably a better GPP play just because of the matchup, but he is awfully tempting in any format due to the price. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Riyad Mahrez | MCI | ARS | 9000 | 17.77 | 21 | 21.65 |
| Mahrez is always a consideration when he plays, especially on DraftKings where he is cheaper than Sterling. I'm probably playing Mahrez on FanDuel as well, but I'm fine going down to Sterling if you need to save $2. |
| Ilkay Gundogan | MCI | ARS | 4000 | 0 | 8 | 8.86 |
| Gundogan is dirt cheap and he will probably start with Kevin De Bruyne ruled out. I have no idea what his role will be, or how effective City will be in attack without their primary creator, but at his price, I am more than willing to find out. |
| Donny van de Beek | MUN | NEW | 4500 | 4.52 | 13 | 7.53 |
| This is a risky call, as we really have no idea how he'll fit in his first game with his new club. That being said, the risk is mitigated by the price, and you could do far worse than a cheap United midfielder. |
| James Ward-Prowse | SOU | CHE | 6400 | 10.28 | 14 | 12.15 |
| Ward-Prowse has double-digit fantasy points on DK in three of his four games this season even though he is still looking for his first goal or assist of the season. He is as safe as they come, especially on DraftKings, though the concern would be he will get left behind if there are a bunch of goals in the slate and he isn't involved in any of them. |
| Christian Pulisic | CHE | SOU | 8300 | 1.56 | 16 | 5.20 |
| Pulisic is forward eligible on DraftKings, which is nice. We don't really know what Chelsea's attack will look like with Pulisic and others returning, which makes him risky, but I love his price on FanDuel. He is playable on DraftKings, though I think I would rather take a shot on Timo Werner there. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Defenders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jamal Lewis | NEW | MUN | 3300 | 3.05 | 8 | 5.45 |
| Lewis hasn't been the same since the first week of the season, and an Achilles injury he picked up with the Irish national team probably won't help that. That being said, how many defenders at his price have legit double-digit fantasy point upside? Lewis is a GPP play, though I would be more confident if I knew for sure Allan Saint-Maximin would start. |
| Jannik Vestergaard | SOU | CHE | 3100 | 4.35 | 14 | 16.03 |
| Vestergaard is averaging 7.5 clearances per start, and I might take the over on that number against a Chelsea side that should be attacking plenty. Vestergaard feels like the safest defender of the day on FanDuel. |
| Federico Fernandez | NEW | MUN | 2900 | 3.54 | 13 | 13.38 |
| Like Vestergaard, Fernandez has racked up clearances this season. And like Southampton, Newcastle should have to defend quite a bit against a strong attacking side. |
| Ben Chilwell | CHE | SOU | 6700 | 36.48 | 13 | 46.20 |
| Chilwell is expected to play, and it's pretty easy to afford him with so many cheaper options in the midfield. I think he's safer than Reece James or Cesar Azpilicueta, but he costs more for a reason. |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | MUN | NEW | 5200 | 4.78 | 14 | 9.75 |
| Wan-Bissaka's contributions have all been on the defensive end so far this season, but he did average 3.0 crosses per start last season. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Ryan Bertrand | SOU | CHE | 4400 | 7.92 | 13 | 13.25 |
| I'm fine pivoting to Kyle Walker-Peters if you need to save some money, but I think Bertrand is safer, especially on DraftKings. Bertrand has at least two crosses in every game this season, and has created four chances. Walker-Peters has created three chances, though one of them did lead to an assist against Tottenham. |
| Rob Holding | ARS | MCI | 2600 | 4.03 | 13 | 13.80 |
| Holding's best game of the season came against Liverpool, and like that game, he could have a ton of clearances against Manchester City Saturday. I would slightly prefer Kieran Tierney if he plays, but Holding is a fine option either way. |
| Reece James | CHE | SOU | 5700 | 19.47 | 14 | 26.97 |
| James has created eight chances in three games, and for that reason I am looking to pay up for him in GPPs, especially on FanDuel. |
| Javier Manquillo | NEW | MUN | 3400 | 5.12 | 7 | 6.88 |
| Manquillo has been safer than Jamal Lewis this season, but I'm not sure his ceiling is as high. |
| Benjamin Mendy | MCI | ARS | 4200 | 1.99 | 10 | 4.47 |
| It's hard to remember the last time Mendy was good for fantasy, but I think there is a decent chance he gets more involved in the attack with Kevin De Bruyne out. I certainly wouldn't count on it, but I think he's worth a GPP play, especially on DraftKings. |
| DK Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | ARS | 17.77 | $9,000 |
| F | Callum Hudson-Odoi | CHE | SOU | 9.03 | $6,900 |
| M | Bruno Fernandes | MU | NEW | 21.08 | $10,000 |
| M | Allan Saint-Maximin | NEW | MU | 13.06 | $5,400 |
| D | Ryan Bertrand | SOU | CHE | 7.92 | $4,400 |
| D | Javier Manquillo | NEW | MU | 5.12 | $3,400 |
| GK | Bernd Leno | ARS | MCI | 8.64 | $3,800 |
| Util | Phil Foden | MCI | ARS | 8.52 | $7,000 |
| | | | | Total | $49,900 |
| | | | | | |
| DK Pivot Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| M | Theo Walcott | SOU | CHE | 0.02 | $4,900 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | Bernardo Silva | MCI | ARS | 5.96 | $7,500 |
| | | | | Total | $12,400 |
| | | | | | |
| FD Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Theo Walcott | SOU | CHE | 0.00 | $9 |
| F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | NEW | 29.23 | $19 |
| F/M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | ARS | 21.65 | $21 |
| F/M | Phil Foden | MCI | ARS | 11.40 | $17 |
| D | Jannik Vestergaard | SOU | CHE | 16.03 | $14 |
| D | Federico Fernandez | NEW | MUN | 13.38 | $13 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | MUN | 17.88 | $7 |
| | | | | Total | $100 |
| | | | | | |
| FD Pivot Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Ilkay Gundogan | MCI | ARS | 8.86 | $8 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | Bernd Leno | ARS | MCI | 12.13 | $8 |
| | | | | Total | $16 |
| DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Marcus Rashford | MU | NEW | 7.78 | $7,600 |
| F | Christian Pulisic | CHE | SOU | 1.56 | $8,300 |
| M | Jorginho | CHE | SOU | 18.95 | $4,500 |
| M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | ARS | 17.77 | $9,000 |
| D | Jamal Lewis | NEW | MU | 3.05 | $3,300 |
| D | Reece James | CHE | SOU | 19.47 | $5,700 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | MU | 11.71 | $4,100 |
| Util | Timo Werner | CHE | SOU | 6.36 | $8,100 |
| | | | | Total | $50,600 |
| | | | | | |
| DK Pivot GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| M | Bruno Fernandes | MU | NEW | 21.08 | $10,000 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | Phil Foden | MCI | ARS | 8.52 | $7,000 |
| | | | | Total | $17,000 |
| | | | | | |
| FD GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Callum Hudson-Odoi | CHE | SOU | 10.67 | $12 |
| F/M | Bernardo Silva | MCI | ARS | 4.30 | $13 |
| F/M | Marcus Rashford | MUN | NEW | 11.53 | $21 |
| F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | NEW | 29.23 | $19 |
| D | Ryan Bertrand | SOU | CHE | 13.25 | $13 |
| D | Reece James | CHE | SOU | 26.97 | $14 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | MUN | 17.88 | $7 |
| | | | | Total | $99 |
| | | | | | |
| FD Pivot GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Riyad Mahrez | MCI | ARS | 21.65 | $21 |
| F/M | Timo Werner | CHE | SOU | 9.43 | $20 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $41 |
