Between the holidays, the FA Cup, and COVID, this has been a decidedly odd past few weeks on the Premier League calendar. With that in mind, it feels good to return to normalcy with Saturday’s four-game DFS Slate. The slate has a nice balance with teams in just about every position on the table, and that leads to some nice DFS values at just about every price point.

 

Goal Keepers
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Nick PopeBRNWHU41009.11814.60
Pope has allowed four goals over his last nine games with five clean sheets. He has double-digit DK fantasy points in four of his last six games.
Alphonse AreolaFULCHE39007611.23
He has at least four saves in five of his last six games, and he hasn't allowed more than one goal in any of his last five games. He probably won't get a win, and Chelsea are capable of racking up goals, but Areola has been safe for fantasy for three months now.
Lukasz FabianskiWHUBRN52007.471211.84
No team has fewer goals than Burnley this season, and while Chelsea are heavier favorites than West Ham, I'm not convinced they should be. Fabianski is worth a shot if you're chasing a win and clean sheet, and he's not terribly expensive.
Forwards
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
RaphinhaLEEBHA760011.811415.23
Anytime we can get someone with forward eligibility who is averaging 7.7 crosses and 2.5 chances created in his last six games, we have to do it. Its even better that we get him against one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
Shane LongSOULEI37000.71101.15
I actually think William Smallbone is better, not to mention half the price on FanDuel. That being said, Long is cheap in his own right and will likely get the start up top along with Che Adams.Long had 4.7 DK fantasy points in his only start of the season
Chris WoodBRNWHU45005.721510.93
I don't love his price on FanDuel, and he has looked awful for the last month or so. This pick is about Chris Wood averging a goal every 58 minutes in his career against West Ham. I wouldn't want to count on that continuing, but he's worth a shot in a GPP. If Wood doesn't start, Jay Rodriguez would be awfully tempting.
Patrick BamfordLEEBHA780013.162121.59
He's got the best matchup of any of the top goal-scorers, and he is more reliable than Timo Werner or Jarrod Bowen. Bamford has at least 12.3 FD fantasy points in 14 of his 17 games this season.
Midfielders
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Johann GudmundssonBRNWHU38003.7955.02
He's pretty involved in Burnley's attack for his price, and his forward eligibility on DK helps.
Mateusz KlichLEEBHA570010.261516.01
Klich has 14 chances created in his last five games. He is playable on DK but I like him better on FD.
Jack HarrisonLEEBHA750013.241616.74
Harrison hasn't been quite as consistent for fantasy as his teammates, but his ceiling might be higher. Prior to a letdown against Spurs, Harrison had averaged 7.5 crosses over his last four games.
Theo WalcottSOULEI56009.151311.60
This isn't a great matchup, but this is as cheap as Walcott has been for the last few months. He struggled against Fulham but was excellent in the previous games Danny Ings missed. His forward eligibility on DraftKings helps as well.
Hakim ZiyechCHEFUL670010.941413.04
Ziyech appeared to have good chemistry with Reece James on the right side, and I think there is a good chance they are able to rekindle that in this game. Ziyech has at least four crosses in four consecutive starts, and we are getting him at a huge discount compared to what we paid for him in October and November.
MidfieldersTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Michail AntonioWHUBRN850010.022014.04
Antonio has played more than 45 minutes in six games this season, and he's averaging 19.3 FD fantasy points in those contests.
Mason MountCHEFUL790011.981616.71
Mount has created at least three chances in four straight games, averaging 7.8 crosses during that span. It's hard to believe Fulham would end that streak, even if they have been playing better lately.
James MaddisonLEISOU910013.561815.03
Maddison has been great over the last couple of months, averaging 6.1 crosses and 2.8 chances created in his last nine games. He feels underpriced, especially with all of the safe studs missing from the slate.
Defenders
PlayerTeamOpp.DK $DK FPPGFD $FD FPPG
Vladimir CoufalWHUBRN62009.951316.08
Aaron Cresswell may be safer, but Coufal has been more effective sending in crosses, and he is cheaper on FanDuel. No team on Saturday's slate has allowed as many crosses as Burnley, and I think Coufal is worth the price if you can afford him.
Reece JamesCHEFUL520012.521016.12
This is as cheap as James has been for some time, and he should have every opportunity to get forward considering Fulham are in the bottom half of the league in possession. James is averaging more DK FPPG than both West Ham outside backs, and he is far cheaper in a matchup that is nearly as good.
Liam CooperLEEBHA34006.941315.34
Cooper averaged 10.5 DK fantasy points in his last three games before going down with an injury last month, and at his price, in this matchup, I'm willing to take a shot that he returns to that form. He is much safer on FanDuel, where he has at least 11.5 fantasy points in seven consecutive games.
Joel VeltmanBHALEE40005.2599.12
He did very little against Manchester City on Wednesday, but that has only served to keep his price down. He had 13 crosses and four chances created over his last two games before that, and I love his chances to get forward against Leeds.
Adam WebsterBHALEE29004.47109.86
No team has allowed more shots from dead ball passes than Leeds, and Webster leads Brighton with 10 headed shots. Perhaps more importantly, especially for FanDuel, Leeds have allowed the most clearances of any team on the slate. Webster has 11 clearances in his last two games. Lewis Dunk is playable as well, especially in a GPP, but Webster is safer and cheaper.

Example Lineups

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  DK GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
FRaphinhaLEEBHA11.81$7,600  FPatrick BamfordLEEBHA13.16$7,800
FAdemola LookmanFULCHE11.37$6,800  FChris WoodBURWHU5.72$4,500
MSolly MarchBHALEE11$7,200  MJames MaddisonLEISOU13.56$9,100
MJames MaddisonLEISOU13.56$9,100  MMichail AntonioWHUBUR10.02$8,500
DJoel VeltmanBHALEE5.25$4,000  DJoel VeltmanBHALEE5.25$4,000
DReece JamesCHEFUL12.52$5,200  DLiam CooperLEEBHA6.94$3,400
GKAlphonse AreolaFULCHE7$3,900  GKNick PopeBURWHU9.11$4,100
UtilVladimir CoufalWHUBUR9.95$6,200  UtilJamie VardyLEISOU14.5$8,600
    Total$50,000      Total$50,000
              
DK Pivot Cash  DK Pivot GPP
Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  Pos.PlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F     1 FRaphinhaLEEBHA11.81$7,600
F     1 F     
MHakim ZiyechCHEFUL10.94$6,7001 M     
M     1 M     
D     1 D     
D     1 D     
GK     1 GK     
UtilDwight McNeilBURWHU9.19$6,5001 UtilTammy AbrahamCHEFUL9.1$8,400
    Total$13,200      Total$16,000
              
FD Cash  FD GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/MJames MaddisonLEISOU15.03$18  F/MHakim ZiyechCHEFUL13.04$14
F/MRaphinhaLEEBHA15.23$14  F/MPatrick BamfordLEEBHA21.59$21
F/MPatrick BamfordLEEBHA21.59$21  F/MJames MaddisonLEISOU15.03$18
F/MMason MountCHEFUL16.71$16  F/MJack HarrisonLEEBHA16.74$16
DAdam WebsterBHALEE9.86$10  DLewis DunkBHALEE12.73$12
DVladimir CoufalWHUBRN16.08$13  DReece JamesCHEFUL16.12$10
GKNick PopeBRNWHU14.60$8  GKNick PopeBRNWHU14.60$8
    Total$100      Total$99
              
FD Pivot Cash  FD Pivot GPP
PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary  PosPlayerTeamOppFPPGSalary
F/M     1 F/M     
F/M     1 F/M     
F/M     1 F/M     
F/M     1 F/MTammy AbrahamCHEFUL14.64$19
DReece JamesCHEFUL16.12$101 DAdam WebsterBHALEE9.86$10
D     1 D     
GKAlphonse AreolaFULCHE11.23$61 GK     
    Total$16      Total$29