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Welcome back, RotoBallers! Domestic soccer re-starts this weekend after some time off for our third international break of the season. This is the beginning of our annual jam-packed European soccer schedule as we head toward the holidays. We have a nice big slate for us with seven games on the main slate which is larger than normal. 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 11/20/21 for the slate that locks at 10:00 am ET. The slate locks an hour later than normal because they have already had day light savings in the UK. 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
Newcastle vs Brentford
There are some pretty even games on this slate according to Vegas. This game has a spread of 0.0 (as do the next two) with Newcastle (+165) favored on the money line at home. Brentford have lost four straight league games now after a bright start to the season. They're coming off an embarrassing loss at home to Norwich. Now they take on Newcastle - the only team in the league without a win up to this point. They are also one of the league's worst defenses. Brentford are in another solid spot fantasy-wise - especially their attackers - unless you got burned by them two weeks ago. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Burnley vs Crystal Palace
This is quite the unattractive fantasy spot Saturday especially on a full slate. Crystal Palace (+160) are small money line favorites on the road coming off two straight wins. They are a better team than Burnley on paper and are playing better right now as well. Neither of these teams are allowing many goals or other meaningful DFS stats, so there won't be too much of an emphasis on this game for fantasy reason. The goal total over/under is 2, 2.5.
Aston Villa vs Brighton
It has been a dreadful run of games lately for Aston Villa (+150) who find themselves favored at home even on a five game losing streak. Brighton also have not been in very good form lately after being at the top of the table for a hot second. To be fair, Brighton have had a tough schedule and they were still able to get four draws in that five game span as well. I think there's some decent value in getting Brighton at 0.0 which is +108 right now. This game is not going to be very high on the list of spots to target on this slate, but there are a handful of viable one-offs to consider. The goal total over/under is 2.5 with the under at -122.
Watford vs Manchester United
Manchester United (-195) are one of the slate's bigger favorites even on the road. They travel to take on a Watford side that have fallen down to 17th now just two points above relegation. United haven't been very good either with just one win in their last four league games, however, they should be able to handle Watford in this one. The goal total over/under is 2.5, 3.
Wolverhampton vs West Ham
Our fourth Vegas spread of 0.0 comes in this game. West Ham (+150) are back in the top four on this current four game win streak. They travel to take on Wolves who have also been playing well as of late. Until their most recent 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace, they had not lost a league game since September 18th. This should be a evenly played game between two teams with aspirations to get a European spot for next season. The goal total over/under is 2.5 with the under at -122.
Norwich vs Southampton
Norwich finally got their first win of the year in a tough road game against Brentford last time out. They're still a pretty bad team, but they get another decent home matchup against Southampton. Southampton have won three of their last four EPL games and will be looking for a big win again here. Norwich has the worst defense in the league which will put a lot of people on Southampton attackers Saturday. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Liverpool vs Arsenal
A matchup of Big 6 clubs is the late game on our main slate Saturday. Liverpool (-210) host Arsenal as the largest favorites on the slate. After another terrible start to the season, Arsenal bounced back in a big way and are all the way up to 5th place now. They are just two points behind Liverpool. Liverpool have a good matchup to avenge their 3-2 loss to West Ham in their last game at home. They're scoring a crazy amount of goals this year which always makes them intriguing for fantasy. The goal total over/under is a slate-high 3.0.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Mo Salah ($22) has 10 goals and seven assists so far this season which is absolutely stellar. He has really strong peripherals as well which give him the best floor/ceiling combination out of any player on the slate. This matchup is not ideal, but it's also not bad. Liverpool should win comfortably on Saturday, and Salah will likely have a roll in any goals scored against Arsenal. He's essentially the top fantasy option whenever he's on the slate. Sadio Mane ($19) is the only other Liverpool FWD/MID I will consider on this slate as either a pivot off Salah or used in a mini stack with Salah.
Aston Villa's defense has become one of the worst in the league over the last several weeks. They are allowing goals at a 1.82/game rate - which is bottom three in the league. They face Brighton this week who were a little bit of a disappointment in their last game against Newcastle. Leandro Trossard ($18), however, has not been disappointing this year. He's having a nice season after having a down year last year. He has scored in two straight games to go along with 2.33 chances created and 2.0 SOGs per game in his last three games. Trossard is one of my favorite contrarian plays in the high-end range of attackers on this slate. I think a Brighton mini stack can do well too in this matchup especially considering they are affordable. Neal Maupay ($17) is in a nice spot to get back among the goals and is +210 to score. Pascal Gross ($15) also makes sense for some cheaper Brighton exposure with the peripherals against an opponent like Villa.
Southampton attackers are in a plus spot on this slate taking on the worst defense in the league. They are on the road, but Norwich is allowing 2.36 goals per game. Southampton attackers are not priced up appropriately for this matchup, and they will be the primary spot to get some value on this slate. James Ward-Prowse ($17) is the top play in this game. His peripherals - both attacking and defensive - with his solid goal upside make for a nice fantasy floor/ceiling combination for him on this slate. Adam Armstrong ($15) and Nathan Redmond ($14) are awesome mid-tier options as well to pair with JWP.
Brentford attackers let me down big time last game in an elite home matchup against Norwich. They get a chance to make up for it this weekend with another tremendous matchup against Newcastle - the league's second worst defense. They'll be on the road this time, but I still want to get some exposure as Newcastle allows 2.18 goals per game. Ivan Toney ($17) has not made as big of a splash in the Premier League as people thought he would, however, that should keep his ownership down in another good matchup. He is +150 to score. Bryan Mbeumo ($15) and Christian Norgaard ($13) can get you some cheaper exposure to Newcastle's defense. However, it is risky to pair one of them with Toney with Brentford's attacking struggles.
Jonjo Shelvey ($7) is way too cheap here. He's a great way to save some salary on this slate. You can pair him with Callum Wilson ($17) nicely in an interesting Newcastle mini stack that will go under-owned on this slate.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Getting Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) in a home game as the largest favorite on the slate is a smart strategy on this slate. I love the idea of pairing him with Salah as another Liverpool "attacker." He's $4 cheaper than Mane which is some nice savings for someone who has a better floor and a similar ceiling.
That about does it for top-tier attacking defenders on this slate. There are a lot of very nice-looking value plays at DEF on this slate, so let's take a look at those.
Nuno Tavares ($8) has been getting some decent defensive stats as he begins to see more playing time. He has a great matchup against Liverpool who allow the most combined defensive action in the league, and he's only $8. Takehiro Tomiyasu ($10) and Ben White ($11) are also nice plays for this Arsenal defense in this matchup if you have a few extra dollars. They both have a better floor/ceiling combination than Tavares, but you have to pay up a little bit to get them.
We often see bench defenders come into their first few games as started as score very well fantasy-wise with cheap price tags. That's exactly what Nicolas Nkoulou ($7) did in his first start. He scored 16 fantasy points against Arsenal, and now he has an even better matchup against Manchester United this weekend. He's in position to rack up a similar number of defensive stats in this game. If he can score into the mid-teens, he'll be a great value play on this slate for us at likely low ownership.
Another matchup to exploit is defenders who get a lot of clearances against Burnley. That's the matchup that Marc Guehi ($8) has on Saturday. He's incredibly cheap and should feast on clearances here in this game.
Marc Cucurella ($9) and Vladimir Coufal ($9) are two other value defenders I like on this slate. They both have some additional attacking upside with some chances created here and there.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
I like Alisson ($12) a lot on this slate. Liverpool's defense has been strong this season, and Arsenal have not been scoring many goals. I don't think Liverpool concedes in this game at Anfield, and they should get the win as well. Alisson is a nice bet to come away with both bonuses from this game, and he should be able to make a handful of saves on top of that boosting his ceiling.
Crystal Palace has issues with their defense early on in the season, but they are coming off two straight clean sheets. Are they back? They take on Burnley - who are the second-lowest scoring team in the league - on Saturday. This is a nice matchup for Vicente Guaita ($11), and I would be even more interested if Palace was at home. Still, he's one of the better mid-tier options on this slate, but he can get pretty risky if he concedes. His floor is not safe with minimal save opportunities in this one.
Brighton's defense has been strong, and Aston Villa are having big issues on the field right now. I like Jason Steele ($9) is a great high-risk, high-reward GPP pick on this slate with a very high ceiling.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
