RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! The 2021-22 EPL season officially kicked off Friday with Brentford hosting Arsenal. Today, we have a full Saturday slate as the league gets rolling. The Premier League has returned to their usual scheduling of games. That means larger 5-6 game slates on most Saturdays with only 2-3 games on Sundays now. Therefore, there will be a lot more to digest on the Saturday slates, but I have another full breakdown for you all here. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Saturday's slate.
The very large majority of my DFS content will be EPL-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!
In this article, I will be providing you with my English Premier League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/14/21 for the slate that locks at 10:00 am 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
Burnley vs Brighton
This is a matchup of two bottom five teams from last season. Neither squad made any shocking transfers this summer meaning they could both be destined for the relegation battle late in the season if they can't improve from last year. Brighton (+155) are slightly favored on the money line on the road. This is going to be the first game most people cross off of their lists on this slate especially with a goal total over/under of only 2.0.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Chelsea (-360) are widely regarded as one of the teams who can give Manchester City a run for their money in the race for a league title this season. They return a good squad who won the Champions League last year and looked strong in the PL after Thomas Tuchel took over midseason. They're the largest favorite on the slate at home in a good matchup against a Palace team that was poor defensively last year. Palace have made some decent signings like Conor Gallagher and Joachim Andersen, but they won't be able to stop Chelsea. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Everton vs Southampton
Both of these teams will be disappointed with their finish on the table last season after starting out strong. Everton (+100) will return a similar squad, while Southampton lost their star striker - Danny Ings - on a move to Aston Villa. That will be a big hit to their ability to score unless someone else steps up. Everton are a solid favorite here, but there's going to be no need to overexpose yourself to this game aside from a handful of one-offs. The goal total over/under is 2, 2.5.
Leicester vs Wolverhampton
Leicester (-145) will be disappointed in their fifth-place finish after a tough end of the season. They beefed up their roster with a good handful of proven talent on both ends of the pitch and should be in for another good season. They're solid favorites at home against a Wolves side that was pretty bad on the road last year. They're also not fully fit right now, so getting some Leicester exposure will be a good strategy. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Watford vs Aston Villa
Watford find themselves back up in the Premier League after just one season in The Championship. They have some familiar faces but also some new faces as well. They currently have the "best" odds to get relegated again at -115 and have a difficult matchup here against an Aston Villa (+130) club that made some sharp moves this summer. Aston Villa attackers are in a solid low ownership spot here. The goal total over/under is 2.5 with the under at -125.
Norwich City vs Liverpool
Norwich City are also back in the PL after just one season in England's second-tier league. They face Liverpool (-290) who are the second-biggest favorites on the slate and who many believe could return to title-contender status. Liverpool will be up there with Chelsea in ownership numbers. The goal total over/under is a slate-high 3, 3.5.
Set Piece Takers
| Team | PKs | Free Kicks | Corners |
| Arsenal | Aubameyang, Lacazette | Xhaka, Pepe, Saka | Saka, Pépé |
| Aston Villa | El Ghazi, Ings | El Ghazi, Traoré, Buendia | Buendia, Traoré |
| Brentford | Toney | Jensen, Toney, Mbeumo | Jensen, Canos |
| Brighton | Groß | Groß, Dunk, Trossard | Groß, Trossard, March |
| Burnley | Barnes / Wood | Brownhill, Brady, McNeil | Westwood, McNeil |
| Chelsea | Jorginho, Lukaku | Mount, Alonso, James | Mount, Ziyech, James |
| Crystal Palace | Milivojevic / Zaha | Milivojevic, Eze | Milivojevic, Eze, Riedewald |
| Everton | Richarlison | Digne, Rodriguez | Rodriguez, Digne, Townsend |
| Leeds United | Bamford, Klich | Raphinha, Phillips, Rodrigo | Raphinha, Phillips, Harrison |
| Leicester City | Vardy, Tielemans | Maddison, Tielemans | Maddison, Tielemans |
| Liverpool | Salah, Milner | Alexander-Arnold, Robertson | Robertson, Alexander-Arnold |
| Manchester City | Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gundogan | De Bruyne, Mahrez | De Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez |
| Manchester United | Fernandes, Rashford | Fernandes, Rashford, Shaw | Shaw |
| Newcastle United | Wilson | Shelvey, Murphy | Fraser, Shelvey, Ritchie |
| Norwich City | Pukki | Dowell | Dowell, Placheta, McLean, Gilmour |
| Southampton | Ward-Prowse | Ward-Prowse | Ward-Prowse |
| Tottenham | Kane, Son | Kane, Dier, Son | Son |
| Watford | Deeney, Sarr | Cleverley, Chalobah, Masina, Sema | Cleverley, Sema, Louza, Hughes |
| West Ham United | Noble, Rice, Antonio | Cresswell, Benrahma, Rice | Cresswell, Bowen, Benrahma |
| Wolverhampton | Jimenez, Neves | Neves, Moutinho, Neto | Moutinho, Trincao |
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
The chalk attackers on this slate will be from Liverpool and Chelsea. Both have awesome matchups and should dominate possession and other attacking statistics. Mo Salah ($23) easily has the best anytime scoring odds on the slate at -145. Norwich had a despicable defense two years ago in the EPL - and while they improved last year against Championship competition - Salah & Co. will be licking their chops at this matchup. It's a bit of an expensive mini stack, but Diogo Jota ($17) and Sadio Mane ($20) are also very viable on this slate.
For Chelsea, a Timo Werner ($21) fade is still likely in order on a slate this size until either a) his price drops, or b) he scores some goals. Kai Havertz ($16) has been in better form lately anyways and is $5 cheaper. He's +170 to score against a Palace defense that struggled last season. Mason Mount ($18) would be the other Chelsea attacker to consider barring any expected value players making it into the starting lineup.
If you want to get away from the chalkier plays a little bit, Jamie Vardy ($21) and Youri Tielemans ($13) both make for good one-offs and can be used together in a low-owned Leicester mini stack.
The value attackers on the slate are slightly underwhelming, however, Wilfred Ndidi ($9) is underpriced. He has a stable floor with all of the peripheral stats he can get and can hit 20+ fantasy points based solely on peripherals as well. Solly March ($5) being minimum price is also an oversight by FanDuel and can be used as a deep value play.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
There are a number of defenders with attractive attacking upside on this slate, so let's start with them. Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) struggled for a good part of last season - like many did at Liverpool - but he came on strong at the end of the season. He draws a great matchup to start this season on the right foot. Liverpool are largely favored and should dominate all facets of this game. TAA always has a role in Liverpool's attack, and Saturday, he will have a ton of freedom to rack up chances created and potentially goals/assists as well.
Lucas Digne ($13) and Cesar Azpilicueta ($12) will be two other names I consider at the top of the DEF list.
If Konstantinos Tsimikas ($5) gets into Liverpool's first starting 11 of the season, he will be a great value play on this slate. Marc Guehl ($7) and Ben Godfrey ($6) are other value players to check for in starting lineups.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Edouard Mendy ($14) has the best odds on the slate at a win and a clean sheet bonus. However, his upside is capped with Crystal Palace likely not forcing him to make many saves. He's a solid play if you have the salary to afford him.
Kasper Schmeichel ($12) sparks my interest as well. He's manning the net for a home favorite against a Wolves attacking group that is not at full strength right now. Leicester's defense last year at home was one of the best. Expect that to continue into this season.
Nick Pope ($9) is available for a little cheaper. Burnley was very iffy at times defensively last season, but they get the benefit of playing at home in this one against a Brighton attack that was awful at times. He can see a good number of saves and has a pretty good ceiling if he can get both bonuses.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
