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Welcome back, RotoBallers! Matchday 17 wraps up Thursday with three final games (*UPDATE: Leicester vs Tottenham is off today due to more Covid outbreaks in the Premier League). There are some larger clubs in action on this slate and a lot at stake as well with Chelsea and Liverpool trying to keep pace with Manchester City after their win on Tuesday. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Thursday'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 12/16/21 for the slate that locks at 2:30 pm 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
Chelsea vs Everton
Chelsea (-420) needed a 94th minute penalty kick to get past Leeds 3-2 last weekend, and they will need another win to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table. They take on an Everton team that has been pretty poor this season. They have just one EPL win since the end of September and suffered a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace last weekend. Chelsea attackers at home will be a popular spot on this slate. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
Liverpool vs Newcastle
Liverpool (-800) are our second 2.5 goal favorites of the week. Manchester City were 2.5 goal favorites on Tuesday and ended up beating Leeds 7-0. Liverpool has similar potential on this slate in an elite matchup at home against Newcastle. Newcastle are allowing over 2.0 goals per game and Liverpool is in a great spot to score 3+. The goal total over/under is a slate-high 3.5 with the over at -122.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
It's a "fade at your own risk" situation for Mo Salah ($22) on this slate. Liverpool is at home facing the league's worst defense in Newcastle. Salah has been special this year as he leads the league in both goals and assists. He's -245 to score in this game which are some of the best anytime scoring odds I've ever seen.
This game could turn into a bloodbath just two days after we saw Manchester City roll Leeds 7-0. We have the team with the most goals scored facing the team with the most goals allowed, so some additional Liverpool exposure would be smart. Both Diogo Jota ($20) and Sadio Mane ($19) are good plays on this slate to pair with Salah. Jota is in better form from a goal scoring perspective and has been getting more peripherals this year as well.
The second place to look for attackers on this slate is going to be with Chelsea. They're at home facing a disappointing Everton team whose defense has been pretty poor. Everton have conceded 2.4 goals per game over their last five games, and Chelsea should come out ready for this game knowing they need a win. They also have three reported positives amongst the squad, but we don't yet know who they might be. Mason Mount ($19) is in great form with games in three straight goals. He also gets nice peripheral stats with his goals which creates a great floor/ceiling combination for him in this matchup. Callum Hudson-Odoi ($17), Ruben Loftus-Cheek ($13), and Jorginho ($14) are other good Chelsea plays that allow you to save some money for more Liverpool guys. In all honesty, it's very difficult to predict lineups this time of year in general let alone with Covid outbreaks happening. Stay tuned for updates on my Twitter (@vdray5).
I'm really not going to target any Newcastle or Everton attackers in tough road matchups on this slate outside of Demarai Gray ($15). He's been really strong fantasy-wise for Everton lately and can be a nice contrarian play.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold ($15) is playing at home in a great matchup. He comes in $4-5 cheaper than a second Liverpool attacker which is great savings considering his floor/ceiling in this matchup. He's the top defender on the slate - and if you have the money - I recommend playing him. Andrew Robertson ($13) has been in good form recently as well and will enjoy the same plus matchup. If you don't have the $2 for TAA, Robertson is a nice pivot. Joel Matip ($9) is a nice value defender on this slate. He won't provide much attacking upside, but he can get some nice defensive peripherals and should get a clean sheet bonus here as well.
Newcastle defenders have a good matchup in this game against Liverpool who allow a lot of defensive action. Jamal Lewis ($7) is the cheapest player I'll be considering on this slate with this nice matchup.
Reece James ($14) has been fantastic for Chelsea this season. He has good attacking upside and strong defensive peripheral stats. He's expensive, but he's a good pivot off Liverpool defenders in a nice home matchup.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Alisson ($13) and Edouard Mendy ($12) are the only two GKs in my player pool on this slate. They should both be in line for both bonuses. I prefer Mendy for $1 cheaper and because Everton force more saves from opposing GKs than.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
