Welcome back, RotoBallers! The English Premier League returned to play during the week after a round of FA Cup games last weekend. We have some full slates of games this weekend for our DFS pleasure. This is a larger-than-normal Saturday slate with four games on the main slate. I have another full breakdown for you all. 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 1/16/21 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
Leeds vs Brighton
While Leeds (+115) have steadied themselves around the middle of the pack, Brighton are falling dangerously close to the relegation zone for another season. Brighton are winless in their last nine EPL games dating back to 11/21, and they could struggle again on the road against a solid Leeds team who have three wins in their last five. Leeds should win this game at home against a lowly Brighton side, and their attackers will be strong plays on this slate. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
West Ham vs Burnley
The other early games has Burnley traveling to London to take on West Ham (-120). The Hammers are coming off a nice win against Everton last week, and they have done a good job recently at beating teams below them in the standings. They can't seem to quite break through and take care of business against big six clubs yet, but they should handle Burnley at home. The goal total over/under is only 2.5 with the under at -130 even.
Fulham vs Chelsea
Chelsea (-185) are the largest favorites on the slate in this West London derby. Fulham have been poor all season, but they are grinding out some decent results right now. In their last seven games, they beat Leicester, lost to Manchester City, and drew five times (including to Liverpool and Tottenham). They could be in prime position to pull off another good result at home against a Chelsea team that has tumbled down to 9th place now. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Leicester vs Southampton
The final game on Saturday features two teams with aspirations of finishing in the top four. Leicester (-125) host Southampton in what should be a fascinating game. Neither team are in particularly great form, and it should be a pretty evenly-played match. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Patrick Bamford ($21) is my favorite top-tier attacker to play on Saturday. He has a great home matchup against Brighton who are allowing 3rd most goals in the league this season at 1.6 per game. Leeds are a potent attacking team lead by Bamford's 10 goals this year. He leads this game in anytime scoring odds at +105, and he gets enough shots on goal where he won't kill your lineup if he doesn't find the back of the net.
James Maddison ($18) is back in great form right now with 27.5 fantasy points per game over his last five games. He is doing that off of 3.0 chances created per game and three goals to go along with that. He has one of the strongest floors on this slate and decent goal upside at +210.
I want to head back to the Brighton @ Leeds game for mid-tier and value plays because I think it is a stackable game. Leeds is one of the higher-scoring teams in the league with 1.76 goals for per game, but they also have a weak defense that allows 1.94 goals per game. Their games have been awfully high scoring lately with 4.43 goals per game with goals coming from both sides. That being said, Raphina ($14), Rodrigo ($17), and Jack Harrison ($16) are all in my player pool on Saturday, and I like them in that order.
On the Brighton side, Neal Maupay ($16) is the team's leading scorer who has the best odds to score for Brighton in this game at +160. He is on PK duty as well which always boosts someone's appeal. Otherwise, Solly March ($11) and Alexis Mac Allister ($8) are tremendous value plays with Mac Allister one of my favorite salary-savers on the slate
There are some other enticing spots on this slate including Mason Mount ($16), Tomas Soucek ($16), Ademola Lookman ($15), Hakim Ziyech ($14), and Christian Pulisic ($13).
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Stuart Dallas ($15) is a great upside play on Saturday. He does plenty of attacking for Leeds as you can see by his three goals this year. He can create a few chances here and there and gets good defensive stats as well. In a game like this, Dallas has potential for a ceiling game. He also makes a lot of sense in a gamestack.
Speaking of stacking this game, Joel Veltman ($9) and Adam Webster ($10) are both good value plays. Webster has gone for double digits in five out of six including four 14+ point games. Veltman has three straight double digit games himself. They will both provide some good value at defense.
Since re-entering the starting XI after Vestergaard went down, Jack Stephens ($13) has three straight 18+ point games. His matchup here is middle of the road, but he should be in for another solid fantasy game on Saturday. Teammate, Kyle Walker-Peters ($11), is another defender who is in my player pool once again on this slate.
Tosin Adarabioyo ($12) is a double-digit machine right now with seven straight 12+ point games. He is averaging 17.9 fantasy points in that stretch.
Reece James ($10) continues to be under-priced. Sooner or later, Chelsea is going to figure it out, and his price is going to skyrocket. Get him while he's cheap in a solid matchup.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Burnley still cannot get anything going offensively, which bodes well for Lukasz Fabianski's ($12) fantasy outlook on this slate. Burnley have just nine goals in 16 games this year. They also play a very defensive style and will likely struggle to create good chances against a good WHU backline. Fabianski should get the win bonus at least and has a good shot at both bonuses. If Darren Randolph ($12) starts instead, he is just as good of a play. It's unfortunate that FanDuel has him priced up so we won't have super value.
Alphonse Areola ($6) seems too cheap for the way this game is lining up. Fulham's defense has been so much better recently with six goals allowed in the bright seven game stretch they're on. Chelsea are struggle big time right now, and Fulham should have some confidence at home in this one. Areola should be able to make some saves in this game with the way Chelsea attacks giving him a good floor. He has a massive ceiling if Fulham can upset Chelsea or keep them scoreless.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!