The list of players who will miss Sunday’s EPL DFS slate is staggering. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Wilfried Zaha, Jamie Vardy, Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Son Heung-Min and Kelechi Iheanacho are all listed as out, and while their teams still have plenty of attacking firepower available, some of these matchups are not as scary as what we might otherwise expect. More importantly, we are left with fewer safe options to pay up for. I think the key to this slate will be identifying the right punt plays that will allow you to pay up for the remaining studs.
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Vicente Guaita
CRY
LIV
3900
6.04
7
9.75
I wouldn't go so far as to consider this an easy matchup, even with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane out. Liverpool defeated Brentford 3-0 last week and they are capable of doing the same at Crystal Palace. That being said, all of the underdogs face tough matchups Sunday, so I will take the home team facing the side missing two of its top three forwards.
Aaron Ramsdale
ARS
BRN
5900
11.06
13
17.18
Ramsdale is a bit riskier if Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra are both available, but Ramsdale is a great play regardless of Burnley's lineup. Burnley's 16 goals are the second-fewest in the league, and nine of those goals are gone in the form of Maxwel Cornet and Chris Wood. Ramsdale is unlikely to have to make any saves and while it only takes one lucky bounce to ruin his fantasy day, he is by far the best bet for a win and a clean sheet.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Takumi Minamino
LIV
CRY
7100
3.65
16
6.51
I thought Minamino looked very good with Southampton last season, and he has backed that up with two goals in 63 minutes this season. He should start if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's ankle injury keeps him out. Minamino is great if you need to save some money from Jota or if you want two Liverpool attackers.
Diogo Jota
LIV
CRY
8500
12.29
20
18.63
Jota may not be as safe as the other top-priced players, especially on DraftKings, but he feels underpriced considering his production and the opportunity with Salah and Mane out.
Lucas Moura
TOT
CHE
14
13.27
Moura has been very good the last two months, though he hasn't faced any good teams in that span. I don't trust any Spurs with Son out, but Moura could be a nice low-owned dice roll even in a tough matchup.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Bukayo Saka
ARS
BRN
9700
12.63
19
16.34
Saka is by far the safest player on the slate, and he is underpriced on FanDuel. This is a great matchup
Gabriel Martinelli
ARS
BRN
8600
10.73
15
15.08
He hasn't been great the last two games, but he is still much to cheap on FD. On DK, he is more of a luxury, or if pivot if you absoultely cannot find the money for Saka.
Pascal Gross
BHA
LEI
6900
10.74
13
12.84
Gross is averaging 7.58 crosses and 2.4 chances created per start this season. I don't love the matchup but it isn't enough to scare me away, especially for cash games.
Tariq Lamptey
BHA
LEI
4800
7.58
8
7.67
There are not many obvious spots to save money on Sunday's slate, and that helps push Lamptey into must-play territory on DraftKings. He has at least 7.6 DK fantasy points in seven of his eight starts, including each of his last four. He is a decent punt play on FanDuel, where he is averaging 9.6 fantasy points per start and is listed as a defender.
James Maddison
LEI
BHA
9200
12.38
17
16.04
Just when I think I am out, they pull me back in. Maddison certainly looks safe on DK, where his only hiccups in the last three months were against Liverpool and Chelsea. He is riskier on FanDuel, but with goals in five of his last seven games, he looks like a risk worth taking.
Midfielders
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Harvey Barnes
LEI
BHA
7000
8.28
13
11.59
Barnes struggled to start the season but he is averaging 15.0 FD fantasy points in his last 11 games. I prefer Pascal Gross for DK but Barnes is a much safer FD play.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Andrew Robertson
LIV
CRY
6300
13.26
14
17.89
Robertson's floor is lower than Trent Alexander-Arnold's, but it isn't $2700 lower. Both players had 11 crosses, three chances created and an assist against Brentford last week and while assists may be harder to come by with Salah and Mane out, we know Robertson and Alexander-Arnold will be extremely involved in attack. I would rather pay up for Alexander-Arnold on FD but Robertson is the much better value on DK.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
ARS
BRN
4300
6.95
11
12.95
I do not understand why Tomiyasu is so cheap. He hasn't been great the last two games thanks to an injury and facing Manchester City, but he had at least 6.7 DK fantasy points in five straight games before that. Only Watford has allowed more crosses per 90 minutes than Burnley, and Tomiyasu is a must-play for DK cash games.
Marc Guehi
CRY
LIV
2800
5.32
10
12.03
Liverpool leads the league in opponent's blocks, and clearances, and tackles+interceptions. Guehi leads Crystal Palace in clearances+blocks+interceptions per 90 minutes and is third in blocks per 90 minutes. Guehi had 13 FD fantasy points against Liverpool in September and that would be fine for cash games considering his price.
Eric Dier
TOT
CHE
10
11.47
Dier has double-digit FD fantasy points in six of his last eight games. He leads Tottenham in clearances+blocks+interceptions, and Chelsea has allowed the second-most tackles+interceptions this season.
Davinson Sanchez
TOT
CHE
13
15.65
Sanchez has double-digit FD fantasy points in seven of his last eight games, with at least 15 fantasy points in five of those. I think Sanchez is a better value than Dier, especially in tournaments, but finding the extra $3 to spend will not be easy.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Kieran Tierney
ARS
BRN
5700
10.09
11
13.39
I typically avoid playing two defenders from the same team, but I am trying to break that habit. If you want to spread the risk, Marc Cucurella offers a high floor, but Tierney is the better player with the better Matchup. Tierney has double-digit DK fantasy points in five of his last six games.
