SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for EPL 10/24/20

After a midweek full of European matches, domestic soccer returns this weekend with some big teams on the EPL slate. Let’s look at the odds for the three game set, courtesy of Soccer odd:

Home Draw Away
Fulham (+165) +210 Crystal Palace (+190)
Man Utd (+140) +250 Chelsea (+185)
Liverpool (-450) +550 Sheffield Utd (+1100)


Forwards to Target

Mohamed Salah ($11,400): Salah has hit the ground running in the new Premier League season. He’s scored six goals in the first five games. He also has the most shots in the league with 25. Liverpool are big favorites in this match against Sheffield United. The Blades are not the same team as we saw last season, with just one point in their first five games. They’ve also allowed the sixth most shots and are the third worst possession team in the league, according to WhoScored.com. Salah should feast in this matchup, and his anytime goal odds are currently -200. Whenever a player has that good of a chance of scoring, he should be considered in any format. Salah has a high salary but is capable of multiple goals.

Timo Werner ($8,300): Werner finally broke through in his last league match, scoring two goals. He also added an assist, so his performance was good for 32.6 DraftKings points. We’ll have to look at him again this week, as Chelsea take on Manchester United. Manchester United’s weak defense has been a talking point all season, as they’ve allowed 12 goals in four Premier League games to start the season. Werner’s salary still doesn’t reflect his goal-scoring output from years past, and he’s in a good matchup in a game that could see a lot of attacking fireworks. He makes for a nice tournament play as a pivot off some of the expensive Liverpool players who could be popular this week.

Ivan Cavaleiro ($6,400): Cavaleiro is a value play at the forward position who has a floor. He's been taking corner kicks for Fulham and leads them in crosses this season with 24. Fulham have been brutal to start the campaign but have a chance to improve on that this week. Fulham are slight favorites over Crystal Palace, who have been getting results this season but don't have great underlying metrics. They are the worst possession team in the Premier League, seeing just 36.9% of the ball so far. As bad as Fulham has been, they are up at 53.1% possession, so they should have plenty of the ball in this match. Palace have also allowed the sixth most crosses per game, which is good news for Cavaleiro. It's hard to find a forward for this salary who isn't goal dependent, but Cavaleiro isn't, making him an appealing option.

Midfielders to Target

Bruno Fernandes ($10,600): Since joining the Premier League, Bruno has become one of those automatic players you probably should be playing whenever he's on the slate. He's similar to Kevin De Bruyne in that regard. In his last game, Fernandes missed his first penalty for Manchester United after scoring 10 straight and still managed to produce a whopping 43.3 DK points. His five shots, six shot assists and eight crosses went a long way toward paying off his salary -- before you even factor in the goal and assist he had. Manchester United are favorites in this game at home against Chelsea. We've talked about how bad United have been defensively this season, but Chelsea have been struggling, as well. They've conceded nine goals this season, including three to Southampton and three to West Bromwich. Fernandes and United should be able to exploit a shaky Blues backline. Bruno has a floor/ceiling combination that can't be matched, making him one of the top plays in all lineup builds this week.

Kai Havertz ($6,800): This slate is unique in the fact that there aren't obvious high-floor options around the $6,000 to $7,000 salary range like we normally have. The best play in this range seems to be Kai Havertz, who is more dependent on goals or assists than we typically see from a midfielder. Havertz is very involved in Chelsea's attack, scoring his first league goal in his last match and also netting a hat trick in a cup match in September. We'll want pieces of this match between Chelsea and Manchester United, and Havertz makes for a great option to pair with Werner. The two combined on a goal last week and easily could do the same in this match if Chelsea are going to score multiple goals as we expect. The fact that Havertz could need a goal or an assist to make value isn't as big of a deal with his salary under $7,000.

Oliver Norwood ($4,400): A punt option at midfield is Oliver Norwood for Sheffield United. We liked to use him last season because of his set-piece role, and it's the same case this campaign. Norwood has been sharing corner kicks with John Lundstram and John Fleck, but Fleck will be out for this match, which clears up the situation a bit. The matchup isn't great for Norwood against Liverpool, but the reigning champions have shockingly allowed the most goals in the league with 13. And now Virgil Van Dijk is injured, so Liverpool have lost a key defender on set pieces, which could lead to an assist for Norwood. He's a value play at a position that doesn't have a lot of them this week.

Defenders to Target

Andrew Robertson ($7,300): Robertson continues to outproduce teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold in fantasy this season. He's cut into TAA's corner kicks and now it's more of a split, with Robertson leading 23 to 13. Robertson leads the Premier League with 52 crosses, and the matchup sets up nicely for him. Sheffield United have allowed opponents to generate 23 crosses per game, the third most in the league. Robertson won't need a second invitation to cross and should be able to get balls into the box in this game. If you're comparing him to the midfielders around the same salary, it's clear that Robertson is a better play than those guys. Plus he will get a three-point bonus if Liverpool keep a clean sheet. Liverpool should be able to keep the ball and allow Robertson to get forward, as he is one of their most creative attacking options. He's a player you'll want in any lineup you make this week.

Alex Telles ($5,100): Telles made his debut for United on Tuesday in the Champions League and played further forward than a traditional defender would. He managed to get eight crosses and three chances created in a tough matchup against PSG in which he didn't even play the full 90 minutes. His first game with his new club was impressive, and the best could be yet to come. Telles will be known to fantasy players who played Champions League DFS as he was always one of the best defenders on any slate Porto was involved in. He had a role on corners and penalties, which gave him immense value. He's unlikely to take penalties from Bruno Fernandes but did already siphon off some corner kicks from his compatriot. Telles is an intriguing option because we don't know exactly where he fits in at Manchester United, but he could have huge upside if his role gives him more corners and attacking freedom than some people are expecting.

Goalkeepers to Target

Adrián ($5,900): Adrián hasn't inspired a lot of confidence this season, but he is in a nice bounce-back spot here. Sheffield United have scored only two goals in five matches this season. Adrián did pick up a clean sheet on Wednesday in the Champions League against Ajax and has a good chance of doing so again here. Liverpool are currently -108 favorites to hold Sheffield United to zero goals, and they should be able to get the win, giving Adrián a good shot at double-digit points.

Alphonse Areola ($4,400): Areola is a talented goalkeeper for Fulham who is on loan from PSG. Fulham are slight favorites in this game, and the matchup for them against Palace's blunt offensive attack should suit them. Palace had only one shot attempt in their last match against Brighton. That doesn't give Areola a ton of upside to make a lot of saves and have a huge performance, but it does give him some safety, which is what we crave at the goalkeeper position.



Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.