FanDuel Soccer: EPL DFS Under-the-Radar Plays for 10/24/20

If you have played daily fantasy sports for a while, you know the importance of being contrarian in large-field tournaments. Recognizing which players are going to be popular and finding others who you think have a similar point projection but will be much less popular can really separate yourself from your opponents.

The same goes for DFS EPL. Even though the large-field tournaments aren't quite as large as they are for other sports, there is still value in identifying quality under-the-radar plays.

This article will discuss FanDuel's main Saturday slate, which starts at 10:00 a.m. EST and features three matches.

Matchweek 6 features three big-six sides coming off midweek Champions League fixtures in Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool. All three sides have another Champions League contest next week, with Liverpool set to face Midtjylland on Tuesday, and Chelsea (versus Krasnodar) and Manchester United (versus RB Leipzig) set to play on Wednesday. The Champions League fixture congestion creates an interesting situation for this weekend's matches for all three clubs.

Liverpool won their first UCL game against Ajax, have the easiest opponent this weekend in Sheffield United, and have the easiest UCL match on Tuesday, although they have a shorter turnaround time. They can afford to rest their starters -- or give them limited minutes -- in both fixtures, or roll them out this weekend and rotate heavily on Tuesday.

Chelsea is the only side of this trio that didn't take three points from their first UCL match, but they have arguably the easiest group of the three and can probably afford to prioritize this weekend's fixture with United over their match against Krasnodar on Wednesday. Manchester United had the best result of the three on Tuesday, needs this weekend's win the most in the Premier League, but also has by far the toughest and most important UCL match next week.

Value is likely to open up across all three sides this weekend, but Liverpool (-450) is clearly in the best position.

With all that in mind, here are two players to consider on this slate -- especially for tournament formats -- who may fly under the radar.

Ademola Lookman, FWD/MID, Fulham

FanDuel Salary: $14

If value opens up on Liverpool, United, and Chelsea, decent options from the Fulham-Crystal Palace match should go overlooked. Fulham has been poor to start the season but finally produced their first point of the campaign in a draw with Sheffield United last matchweek and will be desperate to get a result at home.

Lookman made his first start of the season in that match versus the Blades and immediately made an impact, taking three shots (two on target) and scoring a goal. The result was a performance of 40.5 FanDuel points, and Lookman, who arrived on loan from RB Leipzig at the end of September, has surely secured a spot in the starting XI moving forward. His performance came on Sunday's slate last week -- not the main Saturday slate -- which could help keep his popularity down this weekend.

Crystal Palace started the season strong with back-to-back wins, but they have been poor since, losing two of their last three and conceding seven goals in the process. The presence of three big-six sides, along with the potential for squad rotation, should make it easy for lineups to include multiple high-salaried stars, likely leaving the middle of the salary range overlooked. Lookman and fellow Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic ($17) are both intriguing options for large-field tournaments this weekend.

Mason Mount, FWD/MID, Chelsea

FanDuel Salary: $16

Had this game taken place last weekend, Chelsea's attacking options would have likely been far more popular. However, following United's shock victory over PSG on Tuesday, this fixture will likely be viewed in a different light. United's defense did a good job against Neymar and Kylian Mbappe -- to the surprise of literally everyone -- but this is a unit that has struggled all season. With United coming off an emotional victory in Paris, this is a possible let-down spot for the Red Devils, who will likely have an eye on a more impactful fixture against RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Axel Tuanzebe ($5) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka ($14) were tremendous in United's victory on Tuesday and will likely be popular this weekend as a result, especially Tuanzebe, whose salary is one of the best values of the season thus far. Thankfully for Mount, this dynamic duo plays on the right and will be Christian Pulisic's ($17) problem to deal with. Mount will likely tangle with Luke Shaw ($10) and Alex Telles ($12), which is the easier of the assignments for Chelsea's wingers.

Mount himself has struggled for most of the season, producing just one goal in five starts, but he has been a consistent part of Chelsea's squad, averaging 80.8 minutes per game. He was subbed off after 62 minutes on Tuesday, which may allow him to play deeper into this match. His one productive game of the season was a 44.6 FanDuel-point performance against West Brom with seven shots, three on targets, and one goal.

United have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season and are conceding an average of three goals per match. It's possible their result against PSG galvanized their backline and the group can remain solid, but it's just as likely they fall back on old habits this weekend, making Chelsea's attackers solid options.