I’m not crazy enough to feel like I can correctly predict how EPL games will go in 2020. This season has been crazy, with an insane number of goals and teams looking completely different from what we saw just a couple of months ago during Project Restart. That being said, it feels like we basically know who these six teams are. Fulham and Crystal Palace both struggle to score but Fulham also struggle to defend, which is a bad combination. Chelsea and Manchester United have both disappointed based on how they finished last season and who they added in the off season, but it looks like their attacks are coming around even if they are still vulnerable defending their net. Liverpool cannot stop anyone, and that is unlikely to change with Virgil van Dijk out. Of course, Sheffield United have managed just two goals all season, so there is a decent chance even they cannot score against Liverpool.
The tough thing about this slate is that even if we correctly predict that most of the goals will come from Cheslea, Manchester United and Liverpool, it is anyone’s guess which players from those teams will score. It will be especially important to check back for updates once lineups are announced. 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 |
| Edouard Mendy | CHE | MUN | 4600 | 11.42 | 8 | 17.00 |
| Mendy kept a clean sheet Tuesday against Sevilla in the Champions League, to go with a clean sheet in his only Premier League start for Chelsea this season. With that in mind, I would consider him for this slate even if he cost significantly more. That being said, there are a couple of factors working against him. Perhaps most damning is that Mendy had a total of two saves in those two starts. The other problem is that United has a ton of firepower, and if they ever get their attack figured out, they could easily score a handful of goals against a Chelsea side that has conceded nine goals in five Premier League games. Mendy is risky, even at his current price. At the end of the day, I think the best thing Mendy has in his favor is that he isn't Kepa or Willy Caballero. Chelsea have the second-highest expected Clean Sheets in the league at 1.79 but only have one actual clean sheet. If Mendy was the keeper this entire season it is possible we're thinking about this team much differently, and Mendy costs a lot more. |
| Adrian | LIV | SHU | 5900 | -1.67 | 14 | -0.75 |
| Why are we paying for the most expensive keeper when he has lost his best defender and his team has surrendered the most goals in the Premier League? Because he is facing a Sheffield United side who have the fewest goals in the league, having scored just twice in five games. For as bad as Liverpool have been this season, they still kept a clean sheet against Chelsea, as well as against Arsenal in the EFL Cup and Ajax in the Champions League. No one will be shocked if Adrian gets a win and a clean sheet against Sheffield. |
| Vicente Guaita | CRY | FUL | 4800 | 5.65 | 10 | 9.80 |
Only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than Fulham this season, and Burnley have played one fewer game. Palace have conceded eight goals in five games, but that looks much better when you consider they played Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea in consecutive games. Palace are slightly favored to win and Fulham are +195 to score no goals. Only three teams have conceded more shots than Palace this season, so Guaita should have opportunities for saves as well. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Michy Batshuayi | CRY | FUL | 4900 | 1.07 | 16 | 1.73 |
| Batshuayi was terrible for fantasy against Brighton last week, though he did have a goal disallowed due to offsides. Only West Brom and Liverpool have conceded more goals than Fulham this season, and Batshuayi is awfully cheap on DraftKings. |
| Wilfried Zaha | CRY | FUL | 8100 | 15.36 | 18 | 20.30 |
| |
| Rhian Brewster | SHU | LIV | 5200 | 0.56 | 12 | 1.30 |
| |
| Marcus Rashford | MUN | CHE | 8500 | 15.4 | 20 | 23.15 |
| It is impossible to trust him, but his ceiling is undeniable, and he is coming off his best game of the season. He is a GPP play only, but I love the price on DraftKings. |
| Timo Werner | CHE | MUN | 8300 | 11.62 | 21 | 17.54 |
| Like Marcus Rashford, Timo Werner finally came through in his last game. I would argue Werner has actually looked better than Rashford this season, and I think there are more goals on the horizon. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Midfielders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Andros Townsend | CRY | FUL | 8700 | 14.3 | 14 | 16.98 |
| |
| Mohamed Salah | LIV | SHU | 11400 | 23.86 | 22 | 39.56 |
| Salah is at home and he is on penalties. If you want a differential or you need to save a little bit of money, Sadio Mane is a great alternative. Salah has been more consistent creating chances, which gives him an advantage on FanDuel. If James Milner starts, he would be on penalties, and I would likely pivot to Mane. |
| Oliver Norwood | SHU | LIV | 4400 | 5.23 | 11 | 6.03 |
| Norwood's per 90 minute numbers are very similar to Joh Lundstram and John Fleck's, but he is cheaper than them, especially on DraftKings. |
| Christian Pulisic | CHE | MUN | 7300 | 3.21 | 17 | 8.00 |
| |
| Jorginho | CHE | MUN | 4700 | 15.12 | 14 | 27.83 |
| So long as he is cheap and on penalites, he is a GPP play. He has 20+ DK fantasy points in two of his four games this season. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CHE | 10600 | 26.64 | 19 | 38.60 |
| I don't understand why Fernandes is cheaper than Mane and Salah. The Liverpool duo is forward eligible, which is nice, but Fernandes picked up right where he left off last season, even though his team hasn't been firing on all cylinders. |
| Ruben Loftus-Cheek | FUL | CRY | 3900 | 4.81 | 12 | 5.30 |
| |
| | | | | | | | |
| Defenders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Nathaniel Clyne | CRY | FUL | 2500 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| We don't really know what to expect from Clyne coming off a torn ACL, but if he gets forward even a little bit from his right back position, he will be worth his price. I especially like him on DraftKings. |
| Enda Stevens | SHU | LIV | 4900 | 4.86 | 8 | 11.36 |
| |
| Reece James | CHE | MUN | 5400 | 14.5 | 11 | 20.55 |
| |
| Alex Telles | MUN | CHE | 5100 | 0 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Telles created three chances with eight corners in 67 minutes against PSG in the Champions League Tuesday. He isn't cheap, but compared to the other defenders in Saturday's slate, he could be a nice value. |
| Kurt Zouma | CHE | MUN | 3200 | 9.61 | 14 | 23.83 |
| |
Example Lineups
| DK Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Andros Townsend | CRY | FUL | 14.3 | $8,700 |
| F | Christian Pulisic | CHE | MU | 3.21 | $7,300 |
| M | Oliver Norwood | SHU | LIV | 5.23 | $4,400 |
| M | Bruno Fernandes | MU | MU | 26.64 | $10,600 |
| D | Reece James | CHE | MU | 14.5 | $5,400 |
| D | Enda Stevens | SHU | LIV | 4.86 | $4,900 |
| GK | Vicente Guaita | CRY | FUL | 5.65 | $4,800 |
| Util | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | FUL | CRY | 4.81 | $3,900 |
| | | | | Total | $50,000 |
| | | | | | |
| DK Pivot Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | Daniel James | MU | MU | 7.37 | $4,300 |
| M | | | | | |
| D | Alex Telles | MU | MU | 0 | $5,100 |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $9,400 |
| DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Marcus Rashford | MU | CHE | 15.4 | $8,500 |
| F | Timo Werner | CHE | MU | 11.62 | $8,300 |
| M | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | FUL | CRY | 4.81 | $3,900 |
| M | Luka Milivojevic | CRY | FUL | 1.92 | $4,800 |
| D | Nathaniel Clyne | CRY | FUL | 0 | $2,500 |
| D | Ben Chilwell | CHE | MU | 26.9 | $6,100 |
| GK | Vicente Guaita | CRY | FUL | 5.65 | $4,800 |
| Util | Sadio Mane | LIV | SHU | 23.44 | $11,000 |
| | | | | Total | $49,900 |
| | | | | | |
| DK Pivot GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| M | James Milner | LIV | SHU | 1.84 | $5,600 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | Reece James | CHE | MU | 14.5 | $5,400 |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $11,000 |
| FD Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CHE | 38.60 | $19 |
| F/M | Oliver Norwood | SHU | LIV | 6.03 | $11 |
| F/M | Sadio Mane | LIV | SHU | 34.90 | $21 |
| F/M | Christian Pulisic | CHE | MUN | 8.00 | $17 |
| D | Enda Stevens | SHU | LIV | 11.36 | $8 |
| D | Kurt Zouma | CHE | MUN | 23.83 | $14 |
| GK | Vicente Guaita | CRY | FUL | 9.80 | $10 |
| | | | | Total | $100 |
| | | | | | |
| FD Pivot Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Mohamed Salah | LIV | SHU | 39.56 | $22 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | Edouard Mendy | CHE | MUN | 17.00 | $8 |
| | | | | Total | $30 |
| FD GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Bruno Fernandes | MUN | CHE | 38.60 | $19 |
| F/M | Jorginho | CHE | MUN | 27.83 | $14 |
| F/M | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | FUL | CRY | 5.30 | $12 |
| F/M | Mohamed Salah | LIV | SHU | 39.56 | $22 |
| D | Reece James | CHE | MUN | 20.55 | $11 |
| D | Alex Telles | MUN | CHE | 0.00 | $12 |
| GK | Vicente Guaita | CRY | FUL | 9.80 | $10 |
| | | | | Total | $100 |
| | | | | | |
| FD Pivot GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Christian Pulisic | CHE | MUN | 8.00 | $17 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Wilfried Zaha | CRY | FUL | 20.30 | $18 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $35 |
