In general, I prefer to play DFS slates with more games. More games mean more options, and that makes it easier to put together lineups that are full of guys I feel confident in. While that is more difficult to do in small slates, small slates have the advantage of all feeling unique.
Saturday’s EPL DFS slate is interesting in that there are a bunch of good defenders, but they are all expensive. It is really difficult to put together a cash lineup full of guys I trust, mostly because it is so difficult to find budget midfielders and goalkeepers who I like. Of course, the flip side to that is that I like this slate a lot for GPP lineups. There are a lot of attackers who I think have an excellent chance at scoring, as well as a hot goal keeper who could be worth spending up for.
| Goal Keepers |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Edouard Mendy | CHE | SHU | 5800 | 11.75 | 14 | 18.67 |
| Mendy still hasn't allowed a goal in seven games in all competitions with Chelsea, and no team has scored fewer goals than Sheffield this season. Mendy's price has finally caught up to his exploits, but this is the rare instance where I am okay paying up at keeper. |
| Lukasz Fabianski | WHU | FUL | 5400 | 5.17 | 12 | 8.57 |
| He isn't much cheaper than Mendy, his team isn't as heavily favored, and Fulham have scored more than twice as many goals as Sheffield. The reason this matchup looks attractive, however, is that Fulham have 28 shots on target and just seven goals. Fabianski is a good bet to have more saves than Mendy, and he has a chance at a win and clean sheet as well. |
| Aaron Ramsdale | SHU | CHE | 3800 | 5.65 | 6 | 8.43 |
| Only Karl Darlow has more saves than Ramsdale this season, and Mendy is the only other keeper on the slate to have positive fantasy points in every game this season. He's a cash play, but he'll allow you to spend up elsewhere. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Tammy Abraham | CHE | SHU | 7400 | 6.79 | 16 | 10.17 |
| He's too cheap. He has double-digit fantasy points in all three games he has started this season. He is a bit goal-dependent, so I prefer him for GPPs, but considering his price and forward eligibility, we may have to use him in cash lineups as well. |
| Sebastien Haller | WHU | FUL | 5600 | 2.49 | 16 | 5.10 |
| Haller failed to do much against Liverpool, one of only two teams who have conceded more goals than Fulham this season. Its impossible to trust him, but he is cheap in another good matchup. |
| Patrick Bamford | LEE | CRY | 8100 | 15.84 | 20 | 26.90 |
| Bamford has eight shots from headers this season, and only Sheffield and Leicester have conceded more shots from headers. Bamford is on penalties as well. |
| Jarrod Bowen | WHU | FUL | 7700 | 11.66 | 17 | 11.47 |
| Bowen has struggled the last three games, but he's still one of the few West Ham attackers who I think we can count on with Michail Antonio out. It certainly helps that Bowen is on set pieces. |
| Timo Werner | CHE | SHU | 8400 | 11.15 | 22 | 17.14 |
| It's crazy that Werner is so cheap on DraftKings. I still don't think his fantasy production has caught up to how good he looks on the field, but he does have three goals and an assist in his last three games. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Midfielders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jack Harrison | LEE | CRY | 7900 | 14.78 | 17 | 19.33 |
| Harrison is as safe as they come, with at least five crosses and three chances created in each of his last four games. Palace concede a lot of shots from headers, so I expect Harrison to create at least a couple of chances from crosses in this game. |
| Oliver Norwood | SHU | CHE | 4100 | 3.98 | 11 | 5.50 |
| It's another tough matchup, but Norwood has at least 6.9 DK fantasy points in both starts this season. With Ethan Ampadu out and John Lundstram seemingly in the doghouse, I like Norwood in cash games. Lundstram would be playable in cash if he gets the start instead. |
| Pablo Fornals | WHU | FUL | 5300 | 9.82 | 15 | 14.29 |
| I don't remember the last midfielder who was so goal dependent but was not on penalties. He is a GPP play, but he has an excellent chance at a goal for his price. |
| Helder Costa | LEE | CRY | 6200 | 10.2 | 12 | 13.84 |
| Costa has done a better job of getting forward the last two weeks, with three crosses in both games. His two best games this season were agianst Aston Villa and Fulham, and this is another matchup he should be able to take advantage of. |
| Andros Townsend | CRY | LEE | 9000 | 13.65 | 16 | 18.43 |
| I was hoping Townsend would be cheaper, especially on DraftKings, but I still like him for cash. With Luka Milivojevic out with a red card, Townsend should get a ton of free kicks to go with his usual chances in the run of play. |
| | | | | | | | |
| Defenders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Reece James | CHE | SHU | 5900 | 13.74 | 13 | 17.32 |
| His FPPG are skewed because he only played three minutes against Southampton. He is averaging two more crosses per 90 minutes than Ben Chilwell and while Chilwell has created more chances and assists, I think that will even out sooner than later. Chilwell is great, but I see no reason to pay up for him when I can get James cheaper. |
| Ola Aina | FUL | WHU | 4900 | 11.78 | 13 | 16.20 |
| He has at least 11.9 DK fantasy points in three of his four games this season. There are a lot of strong defenders on the slate, but Aina should be a nice value. |
| Luke Ayling | LEE | CRY | 5100 | 8.39 | 13 | 14.83 |
| Stuart Dallas is fine if you can afford him, but Ayling is cheaper and just as safe. He isn't as likely to score a goal, but I think he has an excellent shot at an assist in this game. |
| Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | LEE | 5400 | 2.36 | 11 | 5.95 |
| The combination of a stacked slate and a rough game against Wolves have depressed van Aanholt's price. He should get forward quite a bit against Leeds, and he should get more set pieces with Milivojevic out. |
| Liam Cooper | LEE | CRY | 3200 | 5.78 | 11 | 12.63 |
| Cooper has at least 4.4 DK fantasy points in three straight games. He isn't exciting, but he is a cheap cash play on both sites. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Fabian Balbuena | WHU | FUL | 3400 | 5.91 | 14 | 19.00 |
| Fulham are fifth in the league in touches and fourth in passes into the box. Balbuena has at least seven clearances in three of his last four games, and I like his chances of racking up clearances again Saturday. |
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.
| DK Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Andros Townsend | CRY | LEE | 13.65 | $9,000 |
| F | Tammy Abraham | CHE | SHU | 6.79 | $7,400 |
| M | Jack Harrison | LEE | CRY | 14.78 | $7,900 |
| M | Oliver Norwood | SHU | CHE | 3.98 | $4,100 |
| D | Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | LEE | 2.36 | $5,400 |
| D | Ola Aina | FUL | WHU | 11.78 | $4,900 |
| GK | Aaron Ramsdale | SHU | CHE | 5.65 | $3,800 |
| Util | Ben Chilwell | CHE | SHU | 18.72 | $6,700 |
| | | | | Total | $49,200 |
| DK Pivot Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| M | John Lundstram | SHU | CHE | 7.09 | $5,000 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | Vladimir Coufal | WHU | FUL | 7.78 | $4,800 |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $9,800 |
| DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Tammy Abraham | CHE | SHU | 6.79 | $7,400 |
| F | Patrick Bamford | LEE | CRY | 15.84 | $8,100 |
| M | Pablo Fornals | WHU | FUL | 9.82 | $5,300 |
| M | Timo Werner | CHE | SHU | 11.15 | $8,400 |
| D | Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | LEE | 2.36 | $5,400 |
| D | Liam Cooper | LEE | CRY | 5.78 | $3,200 |
| GK | Edouard Mendy | CHE | SHU | 11.75 | $5,800 |
| Util | Helder Costa | LEE | CRY | 10.2 | $6,200 |
| | | | | Total | $49,800 |
| DK Pivot GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| D | Reece James | CHE | SHU | 13.74 | $5,900 |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | Sebastien Haller | WHU | FUL | 2.49 | $5,600 |
| | | | | Total | $11,500 |
| FD Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Patrick Bamford | LEE | CRY | 26.90 | $20 |
| F/M | Jack Harrison | LEE | CRY | 19.33 | $17 |
| F/M | Andros Townsend | CRY | LEE | 18.43 | $16 |
| F/M | Oliver Norwood | SHU | CHE | 5.50 | $11 |
| D | Fabian Balbuena | WHU | FUL | 19.00 | $14 |
| D | John Egan | SHU | CHE | 8.23 | $10 |
| GK | Lukasz Fabianski | WHU | FUL | 8.57 | $12 |
| | | | | Total | $100 |
| FD Pivot Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | Liam Cooper | LEE | CRY | 12.63 | $11 |
| GK | Vicente Guaita | CRY | LEE | 9.07 | $9 |
| | | | | Total | $20 |
| FD GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Tammy Abraham | CHE | SHU | 10.17 | $16 |
| F/M | Pablo Fornals | WHU | FUL | 14.29 | $15 |
| F/M | Helder Costa | LEE | CRY | 13.84 | $12 |
| F/M | Wilfried Zaha | CRY | LEE | 22.11 | $17 |
| D | Patrick van Aanholt | CRY | LEE | 5.95 | $11 |
| D | Reece James | CHE | SHU | 17.32 | $13 |
| GK | Edouard Mendy | CHE | SHU | 18.67 | $14 |
| | | | | Total | $98 |
| FD Pivot GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Hakim Ziyech | CHE | SHU | 11.87 | $17 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | Aaron Cresswell | WHU | FUL | 18.91 | $13 |
| GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $30 |
