FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday EPL Targets

MATCHES (EST)

• 1:00 pm: Arsenal vs. Southampton
• 1:00 pm: Leeds United vs. Newcastle United
• 1:00 pm: Leicester City vs. Everton
• 3:00 pm: Fulham vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
• 3:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• 3:00 pm: West Ham United vs. Crystal Palace

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday EPL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Patrick Bamford, LEE v. NEW ($20): There's finally a six-game Premier League slate, but that doesn't mean it's pretty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($18) has one goal this season yet has the fourth-best odds to score and Leeds are the biggest favorite on the slate despite losing four of their last six. Bamford has the third-best odds to score and has at least one shot on goal in every start this season. In addition to having a decent floor because of that, he has as much upside as anyone, as seen with his hat trick a couple months ago. Newcastle have allowed the fourth-most shots on goal in the league and, according to their manager, almost everyone on the roster is fatigued following their COVID-19 crisis. If you're looking for a stacking piece, it's less certain because production has come from a variety of places. Mateusz Klich ($16) used to be on set pieces, but most of his upside comes from penalties, while Jack Harrison ($14) has been subbed off early each of the last two matches for unknown reasons. Rodrigo ($15) is also an option, but I'm leaning toward the cheaper Raphinha ($13), who had a floor of 24.8 fantasy points last match. He took over sets against West Ham and does a little bit of everything else on the wing, including taking 12 shots in his last four starts.

Jamie Vardy, LEI v. EVE ($22): Bamford is my favorite play mainly because Vardy will be the most popular player on the slate. Still, it'll be hard to fade Vardy with the best odds to score and in maybe the best form in the league. He has 10 goals in 11 league matches and has produced five goals and four assists in his last seven. Even if he doesn't have much of a floor, he's always a threat to hit the back of the net and is more reliable than Bamford. However, it's not like the matchup is overly favorable. Everton have had defensive issues this season, but they've played a bit more defensively in recent games and have allowed two goals in their last three, most notably keeping Chelsea scoreless over the weekend. James Maddison ($16) will be a popular stacking piece if he starts, but there's a chance Harvey Barnes ($15) and Cengiz Under ($8) come into the XI. Given his price, Under is an intriguing option having produced seven shots on target in his last three Europa League starts. I think this match has a decent chance to be the highest scoring one on the slate, so stacking both sides is in play. Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($18) and Richarlison ($17) are the clear choices, but Gylfi Sigurdsson ($13) is cheap and on set pieces, including penalties.

Jarrod Bowen, WHU v. CRY ($17): After a stretch of difficult matchups, Bowen is back to doing what he did at the end of last season. He has 18 shots and 12 chances created in his last five starts, hitting at least 9.3 fantasy points in each. He doesn't have a massive floor, but he's usually more active against weaker competition, which is why his numbers are back up after facing Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham. I'd like to back more West Ham players in this spot, but without Michail Antonio, it's hard to go all in on them. Sebastien Haller ($16) is unreliable, and while Said Benrahma ($14) has been solid, he's in the same mold as Bowen except he doesn't have set pieces. Bowen's in the range a lot of people usually avoid, which means he's a viable GPP play because he's already made the score-sheet multiple times twice this season. 

Mohamed Salah, LIV v. TOT ($22): This match has the highest implied goal total on the slate, so I can't completely ignore it. Liverpool have also been dominant at home without fans, winning their last seven in league play. Salah won't be as popular as usual, but he's still most likely to score in this match and has made the score-sheet in seven of his last eight league appearances. Despite some down results for Liverpool, Salah is producing and that's all that matters. The downside is that while he's scoring, he he hasn't had much of a floor and his upside has been capped around 30 fantasy points, which is good but not great for a max-price player. While Salah could score and finish with 30 points, Vardy is more likely to brace and hit 50. On the other side, a stack of Harry Kane ($21) and Son Heung-Min ($20) is the ultimate GPP move because of their recent form. That said, I'm probably fading this match because I think both teams would be fine with a draw and it'll be more defensive, which is how a lot of recent Tottenham contests have gone.

Danny Ings ($19) is always in play, but there's no telling how that match will go. It could be high scoring and finish 3-3 or both sides could struggle to get opportunities in a 1-0 result. Either way, I'd rather back Ings than anyone on Arsenal given their poor form. I think Fulham are more intriguing than a lot of the top teams because they have guys with good floors and goal upside. Bobby Decordova-Reid ($17) has three goals in six matches, while Ademola Lookman ($16) has at least 12 fantasy points in seven of his eight starts because he creates chances and gets shots on target against everyone but Man City. It's the same idea for Ivan Cavaleiro ($12), who is cheaper but has hit 10 fantasy points in the last four matches playing as more of a striker. Fulham are a home underdog, but there's no reason Brighton should be favored given their inconsistencies.

DEFENDERS

Eric Dier, TOT at LIV ($8): Dier has at least 10 fantasy points in each of his last five starts and is almost at minimum price. He also faces Liverpool, who have forced the most clearances and fourth-most tackles per match in the league. You could spend down on Adam Webster ($7) or Joachim Andersen ($7), but I think Dier is safer and you should have a little extra money. 

Antonee Robinson, FUL v. BHA ($13): I'm not sold on spending up for high-end defenders because they're mostly hit-or-miss and don't have firm floors above 10 fantasy points. That's also because I think Robinson has the best floor on the slate for any defender. He has at least nine fantasy points in every start this season and has hit at least 14 in seven of nine. That's because he does a variety of things from producing clearances and tackles to creating chances on the wing, and it doesn't matter the opponent. Now, in a favorable match, he should get up the field a decent amount and maybe have more upside than usual. Ola Aina ($11) is viable on the other flank, but he doesn't rack up as many defensive stats. 

GOALKEEPER

Alex McCarthy, SOU at ARS ($8): This is one of the weirdest slates I've seen in terms of goalkeeper. While every team has an implied goal total above one, none of them are above 1.85. That means the matches are expected to be low scoring and unpredictable, which leads me to McCarthy and Alphonse Areola ($9), the two underdogs I think have the best chance of winning. McCarthy is one dollar cheaper and faces Arsenal, who have one goal in their last five league matches. He's also hit at least 13 fantasy points in six of his last seven starts and has multiple saves in nine of his last 10. Areola faces a forward-thinking Brighton side, but he's also made 21 saves in his last five starts and hasn't finished in the negative since Gameweek 3 despite Fulham's struggles.