I usually prefer bigger DFS slates with more games, regardless of the sport. With more games, I feel like I have more options, and I trust in my ability to unearth some value others might find. That played out Sunday, when we had our first four-game slate of the season and all of my EPL DFS lineups cashed. Not all of my calls were great, mostly notably Sadio Mane, but in the end I got enough right to have a good day.
We get to follow that up with a six-game slate, though DraftKings has split the games into a main and night slate. The Playbook contains players from all six games, but for the purposes of the example lineups, we are using the main slates only for each site.
| Goal Keepers |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Alex McCarthy | SOU | ARS | 4500 | 8.35 | 8 | 13.46 |
| Arsenal probably have to score sooner or later, but it is hard to see how. No team has scored fewer goals over their last six games than Arsenal's two. Arsenal is back at home, and manager Mikel Arteta will presumably shake up the starting lineup, but McCarthy could be a great value in the end. |
| Karl Darlow | NEW | LEE | 4200 | 9.22 | 7 | 13.91 |
| Leeds are third in the league in shots on target but tied for 11th in goals. Newcastle have conceded the fifth-most shots on target but the 12th-most goals. That is a recipe for Darlow to rack up saves, even if a win and clean sheet aren't particularly likely. |
| Mat Ryan | BHA | FUL | 4800 | 1.58 | 11 | 3.14 |
| Fulham had a bunch of chances against Liverpool but could only finish one of them, and I think this game could be quite similar. Fulham have 48 shots on target but just 12 goals, and no team in the late slate has allowed more fantasy points to opposing keepers than Fulham. |
| Forwards |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Harry Kane | TOT | LIV | 9700 | 22.52 | 21 | 34.54 |
| It is shocking to see Kane's price on DK drop below Son Heung-Min's, especially after Kane had Tottenham's lone goal against Crystal Palace. Kane trails Son by won goal but has six more assists, and I think he is safer on both sites. |
| Callum Wilson | NEW | LEE | 7200 | 12.98 | 17 | 20.03 |
| He has scored at least one goal in half of his games this season, and only West Brom have conceded more goals than Leeds. He is a great GPP play, especially on FanDuel. |
| Alireza Jahanbakhsh | BHA | FUL | 4000 | 4.1 | 11 | 5.10 |
| He had two shots and a chance created in 55 minutes in his first start of the season Sunday. It sounds like Tariq Lamptey will be back, but Jahanbakhsh is a very nice value whenever he starts. |
| Ivan Cavaleiro | FUL | BHA | 5700 | 7.21 | 12 | 10.01 |
| He should have had a penalty shot against Liverpool on an egregious decision after the referee went over to the monitor and refused to overturn his blown call. He also should have put away at least one of his three shots on goal. He will probably never be even an average finisher in the Premier League, but I think Fulham will have attacking chances at home again, and Cavaleiro is really cheap for a guy averaging 17.95 FD fantasy points in his last four games. On DraftKings I might prefer Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who is slightly cheaper and has proven to be a more reliable finisher. |
| Said Benrahma | WHU | CRY | 7100 | 7.29 | 14 | 9.98 |
| He played 84 minutes Friday with Arthur Masuaku out, and he's averaging 20 DK fantasy points per 90 minutes. He had three crosses and six shots against Leeds, and while I think he's playable in cash games, I like him better in a GPP. |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Jamie Vardy | LEI | EVE | 9200 | 16.92 | 22 | 28.49 |
| A team like Everton that likes to get a lot of numbers forward and is vulnerable at the back is perfect for Vardy. He might not have a goal and two assists like he did against Brighton, but he has at least 17.5 FD fantasy points in seven straight games. |
| Midfielders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Bukayo Saka | ARS | SOU | 6500 | 10.93 | 12 | 10.99 |
| He has eight crosses in each of his last two games, and he is one of the lone bright spots for Arsenal over the last month. He is cheap and his forward eligibility makes him perfect for DK cash games. |
| Raphinha | LEE | NEW | 7100 | 8.31 | 13 | 10.93 |
| Even with his struggles against Chelsea 11 days ago, Raphinha is averaging 12.3 DK fantasy points in his last four games. He is a great cash play if he continues to be on set pieces, but this is a nice matchup even if he goes back to just hitting 2-3 crosses per game. |
| Solly March | BHA | FUL | 6600 | 11.26 | 13 | 14.65 |
| March managed two crosses, two chances created and two shots on goal in Brighton's 3-0 loss at Leicester Sunday. That was his worst game in his last four, and now he faces a Fulham side that have allowed the second-most goals in the league. |
| Alex Iwobi | EVE | LEI | 3700 | 5.07 | 8 | 5.94 |
| Iwobi has 17 crosses over his last two games, and Leicester will likely be content to sit back and let him cross to his heart's content. |
| James Maddison | LEI | EVE | 8800 | 12.26 | 16 | 12.49 |
| Maddison is super safe on DraftKings and is a GPP value on FanDuel. He had two goals on Sunday and had double-digit crosses in his two games before that. |
| Defenders |
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Kieran Tierney | ARS | SOU | 4600 | 7.55 | 11 | 10.77 |
| It is strange to see his price fall on DraftKings after he had seven crosses and two chances created against Burnley. He could have even more chances to get forward if Arsenal can avoid picking up a stupid red card during the game. |
| James Justin | LEI | EVE | 5200 | 9.61 | 14 | 13.32 |
| He was overpriced dramatically for Leicester's last two games, but his price has fallen precipitously after he had six crosses, four chances created and an assist against Brighton. Everton defended shockingly well against Chelsea Saturday, but I'm still not afraid of this matchup. |
| Fabian Balbuena | WHU | CRY | 2900 | 5.18 | 12 | 16.07 |
| No team has allowed more headed shots than Crystal Palace and six of Balbuena's seven shots this season have come off headers. Angelo Ogbonna, Sebastien Haller and Thomas Soucek are all targets for headers as well, but they are all more expensive. Balbuena has been consistent on FanDuel as well, with at least 11.5 fantasy points in nine of his 10 games. |
| Kenny Tete | FUL | BHA | 5300 | 10.6 | 10 | 17.30 |
| He has six crosses in each of his games this season, despite playing only 39 minutes in one of them. Only three teams have allowed more goals than Brighton this season, so this would be a good matchup if Tete can return from his calf injury. |
| Toby Alderweireld | TOT | LIV | 2700 | 3.91 | 10 | 14.35 |
| His ceiling may not be particularly high, but he has at least 12.1 FD fantasy points in six of his last seven games. |
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 | Bukayo Saka | ARS | SOU | 10.93 | $6,500 |
| F | Danny Ings | SOU | ARS | 15.37 | $8,500 |
| M | James Maddison | LEI | EVE | 12.26 | $8,800 |
| M | Alex Iwobi | EVE | LEI | 5.07 | $3,700 |
| D | Kieran Tierney | ARS | SOU | 7.55 | $4,600 |
| D | James Justin | LEI | EVE | 9.61 | $5,200 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | LEE | 9.22 | $4,200 |
| Util | James Ward-Prowse | SOU | ARS | 15.3 | $8,100 |
| | | | | Total | $49,600 |
| DK Pivot Cash |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | Raphinha | LEE | NEW | 8.31 | $7,100 |
| M | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | Jamie Vardy | LEI | EVE | 16.92 | $9,200 |
| | | | | Total | $16,300 |
| DK GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | Bukayo Saka | ARS | SOU | 10.93 | $6,500 |
| F | Callum Wilson | NEW | LEE | 12.98 | $7,200 |
| M | Raphinha | LEE | NEW | 8.31 | $7,100 |
| M | Kalvin Phillips | LEE | NEW | 10.38 | $5,400 |
| D | James Justin | LEI | EVE | 9.61 | $5,200 |
| D | Luke Ayling | LEE | NEW | 8.47 | $4,900 |
| GK | Alex McCarthy | SOU | ARS | 8.35 | $4,500 |
| Util | Jamie Vardy | LEI | EVE | 16.92 | $9,200 |
| | | | | Total | $50,000 |
| DK Pivot GPP |
| Pos. | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F | | | | | |
| F | Danny Ings | SOU | ARS | 15.37 | $8,500 |
| M | | | | | |
| M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| Util | Patrick Bamford | LEE | NEW | 13.58 | $7,700 |
| | | | | Total | $16,200 |
| FD Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Solly March | BHA | FUL | 14.65 | $13 |
| F/M | Jamie Vardy | LEI | EVE | 28.49 | $22 |
| F/M | Harry Kane | TOT | LIV | 34.54 | $21 |
| F/M | Said Benrahma | WHU | CRY | 9.98 | $14 |
| D | Fabian Balbuena | WHU | CRY | 16.07 | $12 |
| D | Toby Alderweireld | TOT | LIV | 14.35 | $10 |
| GK | Karl Darlow | NEW | LEE | 13.91 | $7 |
| | | | | Total | $99 |
| FD Pivot Cash |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Callum Wilson | NEW | LEE | 20.03 | $17 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | Patrick Bamford | LEE | NEW | 22.48 | $20 |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $37 |
| FD GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | Raphinha | LEE | NEW | 10.93 | $13 |
| F/M | Ivan Cavaleiro | FUL | BHA | 10.01 | $12 |
| F/M | Jamie Vardy | LEI | EVE | 28.49 | $22 |
| F/M | Harry Kane | TOT | LIV | 34.54 | $21 |
| D | Kenny Tete | FUL | BHA | 17.30 | $10 |
| D | Luke Ayling | LEE | NEW | 13.52 | $14 |
| GK | Alex McCarthy | SOU | ARS | 13.46 | $8 |
| | | | | Total | $100 |
| FD Pivot GPP |
| Pos | Player | Team | Opp | FPPG | Salary |
| F/M | | | | | |
| F/M | James Maddison | LEI | EVE | 12.49 | $16 |
| F/M | Callum Wilson | NEW | LEE | 20.03 | $17 |
| F/M | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| D | | | | | |
| GK | | | | | |
| | | | | Total | $33 |
