If there was ever an EPL DFS slate to chase goals, this is it. The top four teams in goals allowed this season are all in play, and all eight teams on the DraftKings slate have allowed more than a goal per game. With that in mind, a clean sheet could be even more valuable than usual if you can find it, though if everyone is going to allow at least a goal, it is probably best to simply play a cheap goalkeeper and hope for a handful of saves. While this type of slate appears to lend itself more to GPP lineups, there are a strong number of attractive cash plays on each site.
Playbook:
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Kasper Schmeichel | LEI | BRN | 5800 | 7.89 | 12 | 12.20 | |
| Burnley has managed just three goals in five games, and two of those goals were scored by central defenders. Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes look completely lost up front, and Dwight McNeil has regressed since his breakthrough two seasons ago. Leicester has only allowed one goal in two games at home, and that was against Manchester City. | |||||||
| Jordan Pickford | EVE | NOR | 5600 | 9.06 | 5 | 14.25 | |
| If Pickford starts, it is nearly impossible to justify playing anyone else on FanDuel. Pickford's backup, Asmir Begovic, is $12 on that site. Pickford is playable on DraftKings as well, but I would rather spend the extra $200 for Kasper Schmeichel if I could afford it. | |||||||
| Nick Pope | BRN | LEI | 3700 | 3.04 | 8 | 5.10 | |
| This is not a good matchup, and Pope hasn't been very good this season. Burnley is still looking for its first clean sheet, and while the defense hasn't been terrible, Pope isn't getting enough saves these days to make up for allowing a few goals. That being said, Pope is too good to be the cheapest keeper on the DraftKings slate, and its hard to justify paying up for Tim Krul or Karl Darlow ahead of him. | |||||||
| Ben Foster | WAT | NEW | 5100 | 11.36 | 10 | 16.50 | |
| Newcastle has at least one goal in every game this season, but with Joe Willock and Jamal Lascelles joining Callum Wilson with injuries this week, it is hard to imagine that streak continues for much longer. We are getting a pretty good shot at a win and a clean sheet at a discount, and we could get a handful of saves as well. Foster is a better GPP play but I might consider him for cash games if I had some extra money to spend. | |||||||
| Forwards | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Joshua King | WAT | NEW | 5300 | 5.24 | 19 | 10.48 | |
| King is still looking for his first goal, but it could easily come against Newcastle's terrible defense. He has at least two chances created in three of his four games, which is why he is a bit more expensive on FanDuel. He is too cheap on DraftKings for someone who is +225 to score a goal, but I don't trust him for cash games on either site. | |||||||
| Michail Antonio | WHU | LEE | 9300 | 25.38 | 22 | 37.45 | |
| He is averaging (slightly) more fantasy points than Mohamed Salah this season, which tells you everything you need to know. Leeds has allowed 12 goals through five games, and I love Antonio's chances of scoring after he sat out last week due to a red card. | |||||||
| Emmanuel Dennis | WAT | NEW | 6900 | 11.3 | 17 | 18.18 | |
| This is a pure GPP play, as we cannot count on him to do much of anything outside of shoot the ball. That being said, he scored against Aston Villa and Norwich, and this looks like a fantastic matchup. He is awfully cheap on FanDuel considering how likely I think he is to score a goal. | |||||||
| Midfielders | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Harvey Barnes | LEI | BRN | 5600 | 4.93 | 13 | 5.52 | |
| Barnes has been up and down this season, but it has mostly been based on the opponent. He had four crosses at Norwich and again at Brighton, with four chances created in that game as well. | |||||||
| Maxwel Cornet | BRN | LEI | 4100 | 7.48 | 10 | 10.60 | |
| Cornet provided a shot in the arm for Burnley against Arsenal, and considering Burnley's struggles to score this season, manager Sean Dyche needs to find a place for Cornet in the lineup sooner than later. Only two teams have allowed more crosses than Leicester this season, and Cornet would be a very nice value if he starts. | |||||||
| Demarai Gray | EVE | NOR | 8400 | 13.15 | 18 | 18.98 | |
| Gray struggled at Aston Villa last week, but so did all of his teammates. Before that, he had scored a goal in three consecutive games, and he won't get a better matchup than home against Norwich. I still don't think Andros Townsend is good and I don't trust Salomon Rondon, which makes Gray the Everton attacker I'm targeting Saturday. | |||||||
| Alex Iwobi | EVE | NOR | 4600 | 4.1 | 13 | 8.00 | |
| Everton should have plenty of attacking opportunities at home against Norwich, and while his overall numbers aren't too impressive, Iwobi is averaging 9.27 DK fantasy points per 90 minutes. He is probably an even better play on FanDuel thanks to his five chances created. | |||||||
| Kalvin Phillips | LEE | WHU | 4300 | 6.04 | 11 | 9.40 | |
| Phillips could start at center back if Luke Ayling is out, and that would make Phillips a sneaky cash play on FanDuel. Phillips had four clearances at Newcastle last week and West Ham has allowed the second-most clearances to opponents this season. | |||||||
| Midfielders | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Mateusz Klich | LEE | WHU | 5700 | 12.69 | 18 | 23.83 | |
| Klich has eight shots (six on goal), five chances created and four crosses in his last two games despite playing only 60 minutes against Everton. He is my favorite Leeds attacker on both sites, though he is a bit risky on DraftKings. | |||||||
| Mohamed Salah | LIV | BRE | 23 | 37.32 | |||
| I prefer Antonio for GPPs, but I think Salah is safer for cash lineups. He has at least two chances created and two shots on goal in every game this season. | |||||||
| Dwight McNeil | BRN | LEI | 7500 | 13.66 | 16 | 16.76 | |
| Leicester has allowed the third-most crosses this season, and McNeil is averaging nine crosses per game. I'm ready for Burnley to sell McNeil and play Maxwel Cornet in his place but until that happens, McNeil is a safe cash play with forward eligibility. | |||||||
| Ismaila Sarr | WAT | NEW | 10000 | 18.71 | 21 | 24.44 | |
| I think a couple of his teammates are better values on FanDuel, but I think Sarr is the best spend-up option on the entire DraftKings slate. He is averaging 4.4 crosses per game, and no team has allowed more goals than Newcastle this season. | |||||||
| Raphinha | LEE | WHU | 9100 | 17.9 | 20 | 21.42 | |
| Like Sarr, I think there are better options than Raphinha on FanDuel. Like Sarr, Raphinha is a safe option on DraftKings who has a high ceiling as well. | |||||||
| Defenders | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Federico Fernandez | NEW | WAT | 2500 | 1.99 | 10 | 13.13 | |
| With Jamaal Lascelles out with a thigh injury, Federico Fernandez reenters Newcastle's lineup and our fantasy lineups. He has 17 clearances and eight blocks in three games, and he is one of the safest defenders on FanDuel. | |||||||
| Aaron Cresswell | WHU | LEE | 5500 | 11.21 | 11 | 14.06 | |
| I don't know that I feel any need to pay up for a defender, but you do, Cresswell is the one to target. He has at least four crosses in four of his five games, and only Newcastle and Norwich have allowed more goals than Leeds this season. | |||||||
| Ben Godfrey | EVE | NOR | 3500 | 1 | 7 | 8.00 | |
| Godfrey is underpriced on one of the sites, but we probably won't know which one until lineups are released. Godfrey had seven clearances against Burnley as a center back and had two crosses and a chance created as a right back at Aston Villa. I suspect he will play right back again Saturday, in which case he will likely be in all of my DraftKings lineups for a nice home matchup with Norwich. | |||||||
| Jannik Vestergaard | LEI | BRN | 3000 | 2.63 | 9 | 8.67 | |
| His fppg is kept low because he came off the bench in his first game and only played 61 minutes against Manchester City. Still, he has double-digit fantasy points in both starts this season, and Burnley's opponents have 30 more clearances than any other team this season. Vestergaard is $2 cheaper than Caglar Soyuncu on FanDuel but I think he is just as safe. | |||||||
| Max Aarons | NOR | EVE | 4100 | 7.4 | 10 | 13.18 | |
| Aarons didn't have the breakout I was hoping for against Watford, but he does have at least 7.1 DK fantasy points in four of his five games this season. That is a pretty nice floor for his price, though I would probably try to pay up for someone with a higher ceiling if I could. | |||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG | |
| Charlie Cresswell | LEE | WHU | 2500 | 0 | 5 | ||
| Leeds is dealing with a bunch of injuries, including to Luke Ayling, and that could lead to Cresswell's first Premier League start. Cresswell played well against Fulham Tuesday, including two interceptions and a shot, and he would be worth a shot on FanDuel if he starts. Only Burnley has allowed more clearances than West Ham this season. | |||||||
| Charlie Taylor | BRN | LEI | 4600 | 7.78 | 9 | 11.32 | |
| Leicester has surrendered more crosses than any team on the slate, and Taylor is the Burnley player I trust most to take advantage. Arsenal has allowed three more crosses than Leicester, and Taylor had seven crosses against Arsenal last week. If you need to save some money, Matthew Lowton is playable as well. | |||||||
Core Plays:
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Ismaila Sarr | $10,000 |
| Raphinha | $9,100 | |
Mid Tier | Joshua King | $5,300 |
| Mateusz Klich | $5,700 | |
Value Tier | Ben Godfrey | $3,500 |
| Nick Pope | $3,700 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
Top Tier | Michail Antonio | $22 |
| Demarai Gray | $18 | |
Mid Tier | Harvey Barnes | $13 |
| Alex Iwobi | $13 | |
Value Tier | Jannik Vestergaard | $9 |
| Jordan Pickford | $5 | |