RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! During the week, we had the last of our UCL slates until February, so my focus will be largely on EPL until then. Do not fear, though, there will be plenty of soccer upcoming as leagues enter the busy holiday period. EPL Matchday 12 begins with one game on Friday which means we have a nice single-game DFS slate to enjoy as we start our weekend. 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 12/11/20 for the slate that locks at 3:00 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!
EPL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Leeds vs West Ham United
Leeds (+115) host West Ham on Friday in a matchup of teams on either end of the middle of the table. West Ham sit in 8th place while Leeds are down in 14th. However, the two clubs are separated by only three points in the standings right now. The home side are not in very good form right now with only one win in their last five league games. West Ham are in pretty good form even coming off a 3-1 loss to Manchester United last weekend. They have had a brutal run of games and have done well to be 5-2-4. This should be a game with chances for both teams and some goals as well. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Patrick Bamford ($15) is always going to be a viable captain option on a single-game slate. He has eight goals in the league for Leeds this season, and Vegas is giving him +130 odds to make push his total to nine in this game. Even though he is facing a solid West Ham defense, Bamford has the best anytime scoring odds on the slate at the price mentioned above. No one else expected to start for either team in this game has scored more than half of the goals Bamford has this year. He is the clear player to target from a goal-scoring standpoint in this one.
Pairing Bamford with another attacking teammate like Jack Harrison ($12) is a smart strategy. Aside from two dud games, Harrison has had a bunch of productive fantasy games. Harrison has some minimal scoring upside, but his upside from peripherals especially chances created are valuable. He is a strong play in a flex spot on Friday. Leeds have a nice value attacker in Raphinha ($8) who will fit well in any lineup.
West Ham will likely be without their best attacker in Michail Antonio ($10) as he suffered another hamstring injury - although this is expected to keep him sidelined for a shorter period than his previous hamstring injury. Sebastien Haller ($13) should stay in the starting lineup for WHU without Antonio. He has been in okay form recently, but I really love this matchup for West Ham attackers. Leeds have allowed the third-most goals in the league so far (1.82 goals against per game). Haller is +600 to score - which is not what you want to see from a DFS perspective - although it does seem like a good place to put some money.
Jarrod Bowen ($14) is my favorite West Ham attacker. He has four goals this year and is at the top of the list for West Ham this season.
If you're looking for additional exposure to West Ham in this plus matchup, Tomas Soucek ($9) is a cheap way to do that. He scored his second goal of the year last weekend against United. He doesn't have a huge goal upside, but obviously, he has some. He is in a good spot for some defensive peripherals in this game too.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
The value at the DEF position on this slate is lacking, so I am not going to be afraid to pay up. Aaron Cresswell ($10) is always one of my favorite defenders to pay up for. He has plenty of attacking upside with his ability to create chances and a good matchup to do that on Friday against a weak Leeds defense. This game should feature plenty of peripheral stats too which helps his floor.
Fabian Balbuena ($8) is another West Ham defender in my player pool on Friday. He does not really have attacking upside, but he does get a ton of defensive stats. All but two of his games this year have been 13+ point games. He should make hit that mark again here.
Due to some injuries, Leeds will be starting Stuart Dallas ($8) on defense on Friday. He is listed as a midfielder on FanDuel which leaves us with only two Leeds options here. Liam Cooper ($8) is a better play than Luke Ayling ($9). He is $1 cheaper, has a higher floor, and is more consistent fantasy-wise.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
