Welcome back, RotoBallers! The first game of Matchday 7 is Friday afternoon, which means we have a nice single-game DFS slate to enjoy as the weekend begins. I will be breaking down that game in full for you here. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Friday's slate.
The very large majority of my DFS content will be EPL or UCL-related, however, there is more soccer than just what is being played in England. If you want to chop it up with myself and other RotoBaller writers about non-EPL leagues or other sports, consider becoming a premium member and joining our ever-growing community of DFS and fantasy sports enthusiasts! There was some great conversation over the four UCL slates we had this week, and the Premium Slack chat is as full as ever!
In this article, I will be providing you with my English Premier League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/30/20 for the slate that locks at 4:00 pm ET. Be sure to also check out our other DFS lineup picks for other active sports. You can always find me on Twitter @vdray5 if you have any questions. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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EPL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Wolverhampton vs Crystal Palace
The Wolves (-110) are small home favorites on Friday, but they should have a clear leg up on Crystal Palace at home. Both teams are off to an identical 3-1-2 start to their EPL campaigns. However, it is Wolverhampton coming into this game in better form having not lost since September. They have struggled to score this year with only six goals in six games. Palace will come into this one confidently seeking three points, but they too have not been scoring many goals this season. Both teams are strong defensively, so this one will likely be a low-scoring affair as evidenced by the 2.0 goal total over/under. A lot of single games lend themselves well to a 4:1 stacking of the favored team, but this does not appear to be one of those occasions.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
The obvious chalk MVP on Friday is Raul Jimenez ($14). He is the best player in this game at any position. Jimenez leads the match in anytime scoring odds at +110. Plus, he has scored four goals for Wolves already this season in league play. His lack of peripherals definitely leaves much to be desired as far as a fantasy floor goes, however, you cannot argue with his goal upside and role in this team.
The other MVP to consider is Wilfred Zaha ($15). He has actually scored more goals (five) than Jimenez this year, but playing on the road will prove to be a more difficult matchup for him. His scoring odds are still solid at +260. The two have a similar rate for SOGs, but Zaha creates significantly more chances which can boost his floor.
I will side with Jimenez in the MVP spot on Friday due to the home-field advantage. However, going for both Zaha and Jimenez is a fair strategy. In a game that could have very few goals, it's smart to prioritize guys who can score like these two forwards.
For FLEX spots, Daniel Podence ($12) can be valuable. He has established a decent floor this season with 11+ points in all four of his appearances. In a game where peripherals might account for a large percentage of the scoring, his ability to get attacking stats and defensive stats makes him appealing.
Finding a secondary Palace attacker is never an easy task. For Michy Batshuayi ($13), the amount of inconsistent playing time he has received has not been kind to his career. He has a dangerously low floor as you can see in his game log, but he is coming into this game off a nice 26.5 FDP performance last weekend and +300 anytime scoring odds (just below Zaha). However, he could get pushed back to the bench with Jordan Ayew ($11) returning from COVID-19 isolation. Ayew led the team in goals last season but has yet to find the net this year. Whichever starts is a decent attacking option on Friday, but both have displayed very low floors this year. If you want someone who is slightly safer floor-wise but lacks the same kind of upside, Andros Townsend ($12) is viable. His goal odds drop to +700, but he has been creating chances and winning a ton of tackles. His floor is safer than Batshuayi's or Ayew's if you need someone to get you sure points.
I have no problem using Cheikou Kouyate ($6) as a deep value if you want to pay up for a defender. In all but one of his games, he finished with double-digit points based mostly on defensive stats. He should have another nice fantasy performance in this game environment.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
It still pains me that FanDuel only allows you to play one single defender on any given single-game slate and you are not allowed to plug them into a FLEX spot. However, maybe that is a good thing on this slate because there is a significant lack of options at defense.
There are no pay-up options, so definitely prioritize your attackers and punt at defense. I'm not looking much at any of the three top Wolverhampton defenders, but if I had the money, I can get behind Wily Boly ($8). In the past, he has been one of the best defenders in the league at getting defensive stats. He has not really showed us that this season yet, but he is priced-down on Friday and he still does have four 12+ point games.
For much cheaper, you can get Nelson Semedo ($7) or Maximilian Kilman ($6). Kilman has showed some upside more than most defenders on this slate with two 20+ point games this year.
It is a similar story for Palace defenders. I'm headed straight down to Tyrick Mitchell ($5) if he starts. He's currently questionable after picking up a knock last weekend against Fulham. He has been the most consistent Palace defender on the field and for FanDuel's scoring. Plus, he's very cheap! Palace do have some injury news worth watching involving nearly every single one of their defenders that may open up some additional plays. Check my Twitter (@vdray5) for those updates as we move towards lock.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!