The 2026-27 English Premier League season gets underway with Matchweek 1 kicking off Friday when Arsenal starts its title defense against Coventry City. On Saturday, five more games are on the board as 10 teams kick off their seasons. For DraftKings DFS fantasy soccer contests, the early and late games are omitted from the main slate, which focuses on the three games that each kick off at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 22.
Special contests are available in the lobby to mark the start of a new campaign, and it should be an exciting way to get top-level soccer back as a regular part of your DFS routine. Whether you’re new to following the Premier League after getting into soccer during the World Cup or a seasoned fan with plenty of experience, the start of a new season is a great time to get in on the DraftKings action. Let’s dive into this three-match slate and highlight some strong EPL DFS picks for your fantasy soccer lineups.
In the three games that are the focus of these contests, Everton is the heaviest favorite at (+125) as they host Crystal Palace, based on the current odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Nottingham Forest is also a strong favorite (+133) as they take on Leeds. Sunderland (+165) is slightly favored on the road over Ipswich, who are back in the Premier League after earning promotion by finishing second in the English League Championship. Of the six teams on the board, Sunderland had the highest finish last year, ranking seventh in the final EPL Table. Each of the three games has a very similar goal total, with no smash spot apparent to use as a stack.
This article was written before starting lineups were announced, so check back once lineups are set and adjust your squad as needed. With plenty of high-priced superstar options and some great value plays, it should be a great Saturday morning start to the season for these top EPL Cup DFS picks this Saturday.
Make your DraftKings World Cup DFS picks here: EPL $60K Season Kickoff [$20K to 1st]
Forward
Stud
Iliman Ndiaye, Everton, $7,400 — Ndiaye is lined up to be the leading attacker for Everton this season. The 26-year-old had a solid run with Senegal in the World Cup, making just one start but contributing a goal and two assists in three appearances. Last year, he averaged 9.3 FPTS per game in his 32 appearances for the Toffees with six goals and three assists.
Everton will be without midfielders Christian Norgaard (undisclosed) and Tim Iroegbunam (groin), along with forward James Garner (hernia). Their absence will leave more work for Ndiaye in both scoring and creating. Ndiaye brings the potential to contribute with his scoring or his passing, and he brings a great ceiling at this salary at home in Saturday’s season opener.
Value
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Leeds United, $5,700— Calvert-Lewin is a very affordable option for a player who is expected to be the main target of his team’s offense on Saturday morning. He had a brace (two goals) in last week’s practice match against Liverpool, showing he’s over the injury that sidelined him earlier in the build-up to the season.
Calvert-Lewin led The Whites with 14 goals in his 35 games last season, while no other player had more than eight goals. The striker is a big target in the middle and offers strong goal-scoring upside on a salary under $6,000. He surged to the finish last season with three goals in the final four fixtures, and he’s stayed very productive this preseason.
Leeds made some upgrades to their offense this season, while Nottingham Forest was one of the better defenses to attack last season. Forest ranked in the bottom six teams in the Premier League in shots against, chances created against, big chances created against and in-the-box shots per game. Even though he’ll be leading his squad on the road, Calvert-Lewin is a great value play with excellent upside.
Midfielder
Stud
Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest, $9,800 — Especially with plenty of value options available if you know where to look in this week’s Premier League DFS picks, paying up for Gibbs-White is a great way to get a top option with both a high ceiling and a high floor. Last year, Gibbs-White averaged 11.8 FPTS per contest, but he finished with 18+ FPTS in four of his last five matches, highlighted by a massive 43.6 FPTS against Burnley when he registered a hat trick on April 19.
The 26-year-old is entering his fifth season with Forest and brings plenty of playmaking and finishing impact out of the midfield. He totaled a career-high 15 goals in his 37 Premier League games last season, ranking fifth among midfielders in shots (83) and third in shots on target (32).
He’ll get a good matchup against Leeds, who conceded 35 away goals last season with only two clean sheets on the road. Since Forest is likely to find the back of the net, Gibbs-White has a strong chance to be involved, with a high ceiling if he can chip in multiple goal contributions.
Value
Harrison Armstrong, Everton, $3,300 — With Everton shorthanded (as described above), Armstrong is expected to slot into the starting XI and can be a key value option. At just 19, Armstrong has lots of long-term potential and is coming off an impressive preseason. He earned Young Player of the Season honors for Everton last year, playing 15 games with the parent squad while also getting work on loan to Preston North End.
Armstrong could get squeezed for playing time when the team is healthy, but he has a good chance to make a splash in his first start of this season and could force his way into regular time if he continues his steady, composed play from throughout the preseason contests. He doesn’t have to do much to be worth this bargain salary, and the injuries in front of him give him both a high ceiling and a high floor against Crystal Palace.
Stacking him with Ndiaye could be a move that pays off if Everton delivers a big home win to start the season.
Defender
Stud
Leif Davis, Ipswich Town, $5,500 — Davis is worth a look at this salary since he takes most of the set pieces for Ipswich Town. He was impressive in his first year in the EPL before moving to the Championship League with Ipswich last year and returning this year.
Last year in the Championship League, he had two goals and four assists. Still, he significantly underperformed his 8.9 expected assists (xA), indicating he was playing better than those raw numbers indicate. He got lots of fantasy attention as an offensive-minded left back two years ago, but didn’t deliver as much as anticipated. Think of him as a post-hype sleeper for EPL DFS as he leads the Tractor Boys back to the top tier in front of what should be a raucous crowd at Portman Road, ready to see the new-look offense and how Davis can figure into the improved attack.
Value
James Tarkowski, Everton, $3,900 — Since Everton is the heaviest favorite on the board, it makes sense to target their back line for value contributions either with a clean sheet or with increased involvement in the attack. Tarkowski had two goals and three assists last year in his 37 Premier League games, averaging 5.5 FPTS per contest across over 3,000 minutes.
Tarkowski isn’t a primary attack option on the wing, but he’s a safe and sturdy option who typically chips in good production out of the back. He’ll also be celebrating his first game as the team’s new Captain after stepping up after the departure of Seamus Coleman. He doesn’t get any extra fantasy points for wearing the armband, but it shows his value as a key part of the team headed into their new season.
Goalkeeper
Stud
Jordan Pickford, Everton, $5,400 — Everton has the highest salary of the EPL DFS picks for Saturday morning, and he’s the most well-known of the available options coming into a game where his team is the heaviest favorite on the slate. Pickford started all 38 Premier League matches last season and kept 11 clean sheets on his way to 6.4 FPTS per game. He was strong at home and racked up 100 saves in last year’s EPL season and is a great target at home in a favorable matchup against Crystal Palace.
Pickford had a strong World Cup for England and will look to translate that success into another good campaign with Everton. He brings a high ceiling and a solid floor, with a strong chance of a clean sheet bonus, a win bonus, and a few saves in almost every matchup.
Value
James Trafford, Leeds United, $4,200 — Trafford is a new option at keeper for Leeds after joining them this past offseason from Manchester City. Trafford only made four Premier League appearances last season for Man City, but he figured prominently in the team’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs. He kept four clean sheets and conceded 11 goals in his 11 starts across all competitions. Since Man City added Gianluigi Donnarumma as their primary keeper, Trafford became available, and he is a big investment for Leeds since his move set a new record fee for a British goalkeeper.
Trafford gets a favorable matchup against a Forest offense that didn’t do too much to upgrade the offense this offseason after struggling to score goals most of last season. They ranked in the bottom third of the EPL in most key categories, and didn’t have much firepower aside from Gibbs-White.
While he is much higher risk than Pickford, Trafford is a solid way to save some salary and go with a cheaper keeper in your EPL DFS Picks if you need to use the salary in other spots.
