RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers! It has been a long while since I have had the opportunity to share some DFS soccer advice with you all. I'm stoked for the return of the English Premier League this weekend! If you don't know me, I'm Vince. I began writing for RotoBaller in May when Bundesliga resumed, and I covered the finish of the 2019-20 EPL season as well. I had played plenty of DFS in my life - both soccer and other sports - and I have written for a handful of sites in the past. I'm glad to have the EPL back and interact with the DFS soccer community again. I wrote my first article in my return for Saturday's slate. Let's take a look at Sunday's slate!
This is a pretty standard two-game slate on Sunday. It will be key to prioritize your players with only four teams in action. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Sunday'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 9/13/20 for the slate that locks at 9:00 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!
EPL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
West Bromwich Albion vs Leicester
We get our first look at West Brom in the Premier League since they finished dead last in 2017-18. They draw a tough first matchup at home against Leicester (-0.5) - a top four team for a lot of last year until the end of the season. Leicester don't do the best at controlling possession, so there will be chances for West Brom. Leicester will have the upper hand, though. There will be good plays on both teams here, and they will likely be lower owned than the late game due to popularity. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Tottenham vs Everton
Our late game on Sunday should be fun. Tottenham (-0.5) will host Everton as small home favorites. However, Everton will not go down easy. Tottenham have made some changes to their regular lineup, which will be discussed coming up. This should be a pretty even game and peripherals should come at a nice rate for both sides. This is a game that I would consider stacking with a one-off or two from the early game. The goal total over/under matches the early game at 2.5.
A quick note: EPL scoring on FanDuel has stayed the same as it was pre-COVID.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Okay, let's start with the obvious. Tottenham get a good home matchup against Everton who had a weak away defense last season. It is smart to start your strategy with either Harry Kane ($23) or Son Heung-Min ($22). It won't be necessary to go for both on this slate. Kane leads the slate with -105 anytime scoring odds and Son sits at +175 (which seems low for no apparent reason). Personally, I lean towards Son with peripherals and scoring upside. However, Kane's ability to score goals combined with being the preferred PK taker yields an undeniable upside. Dele Alli ($16) is a good mid-tier guy to pair with whichever stud you choose for more Tottenham exposure.
For a guy who led the league in goals last year, Jamie Vardy ($20) seems cruelly underpriced. He's my top option to pair with Kane/Son. Vardy takes on a newly-promoted West Brom backline. We saw the two other EPL newbies give up three (Fulham) then four (Leeds) goals yesterday. They each faced higher-scoring teams than Vardy's Leicester, however, this is a great spot for Vardy on Matchday 1. Youri Tielemans ($12) is a great value option on the Leicester side. He went through a large fantasy drought during last season but ended with six straight 11+ FDP games during Project Restart. Both Ayoze Perez ($18) and Kelechi Iheanacho ($16) are more GPP viable if you want a Leicester scorer not named Vardy.
Everton attackers are an interesting story on Sunday. They have a whole host of mid-tier guys that aren't really ready to start or play 90 minutes, so they are not viable in this game. Richarlison ($19) or Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($17) are really our only options on Sunday, but even then, this isn't a great matchup for either. Tottenham's home defense was above average last season, and they can definitely keep Everton out of the net here.
West Brom attackers are worth a look in GPPs or as one-offs especially with the way Leicester ended their season. Charlie Austin ($18) and Hal Robson Kanu ($16) ended last season tied for WBA with 10 goals apiece. Austin is more of a scoring threat and also gets more shots on goals, hence the extra $2 it takes to get him. I prefer the salary savings of either Matheus Pereira ($14) or Grady Diangana ($8). Both are scoring threats and provide many more assists than Kanu and Austin combined. Relying on a goalscorer against a Leicester defense can be risky, so I'll take someone with more peripherals and less goal upside.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Matt Doherty ($14) has moved from Wolves to Tottenham for the new season. He's a great attacking wingback, and I am excited to see what he can do on a team with some firepower like Tottenham. I like this matchup for him in terms of attacking upside and Everton should attack enough themselves which allows Doherty to pick up some defensive stats.
In past seasons, playing defenders against Tottenham has been a useful strategy with the number of peripherals they allow. Michael Keane ($13) is the top defender for Everton from a defensive peripherals standpoint. Yerry Mina ($11) was once a defensive monster but has not shown than upside recently. Seamus Coleman ($8) is nice value if you need to save.
Kyle Bartley ($6) is my go-to value on this slate. He's far too cheap for the defensive stats he got last year and this is a decent matchup against Leicester.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
If you aren't playing any WBA attackers, Kasper Schmeichel ($13) is a good GK choice. Leicester's defense was sputtering at the end of last season, but they are still good and can keep anyone scoreless. Schmeichel has a good chance at both bonuses and will score into the 20s with some saves.
Huge Lloris ($14) has nice upside on Sunday, but he also remains risky. Everton should be able to put some shots on target which will be some save points. Also, Lloris has the best chance at a win bonus being on the slate's largest favorite. I also mentioned Tottenham's good defense at home last year and Everton struggled to score away from home. Paying up for a GK on Sunday after Alisson's mess on Saturday might be tough, but it's still the way to go.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
