SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 11

Exposure to Manchester City is vital this weekend, so finding value in other matches -- like Chelsea against West Ham -- will be the key to success in Premier League DFS.

A five-game FanDuel slate on Saturday in the Premier League features four teams from the top half of the table. Two of those teams face one another and will be featured later in this post.

Three of the five games have clear favorites, with Manchester City as the biggest of them all. Exposure to some City players is vital, and it will be crucial to find value in these games to maximize your lineup.

West Ham vs. Stoke City

Stoke travels to London Stadium looking for their fourth consecutive win, which would be their first four-game winning streak since 2009. Meanwhile, West Ham are hovering just above the drop zone. Still, the two teams are separated by only two points in the bottom half of the table. The match has a strange aura as a recent fracas at the Olympic Stadium resulted in seven arrests while Andy Carroll was chased by armed motorcycle riders. It is hard to say just what the vibe will be inside West Ham's home ground.

West Ham have won three of their last four matches across all competitions, but they have only beaten Stoke twice in their last 12 league meetings. However, Aaron Cresswell is back to solidify the wing back position. Cresswell is $5,200 and provided an assist in his first game back from injury.


While Cresswell can serve up crosses from the outside, the concern in the back line is the absence of Winston Reid through suspension. James Collins is expected to take his place. Collins has not played in the last three Premier League matches.

While West Ham will have concerns about Collins in the back, the team still has potent attacking players. Dimitri Payet will cost $10,200 on FanDuel despite the up-and-down nature of his season. He comes off a 16-point performance that followed a 38-point game. Payet is expected to be joined in the front three by Manuel Lanzini and Andre Ayew. Both are finally healthy and should be considered value plays at around $6,000 on FanDuel.

West Ham's attacking trio will look to take advantage of the absence of Geoff Cameron in central midfield. The versatile USMNT player has formed a good partnership with Glenn Whelan. Stoke will also be without Marko Arnautovic, and Xherdan Shaqiri's status remains unclear.

This means that Charlie Adam and Ramadan Sobhi will likely be on the pitch at the opening whistle. Both are under $4,000. They provide understandable value in an attack led by Joe Allen and Wilfried Bony. Allen has been involved in half of Stoke's Premier League goals while Bony is coming off a two-goal performance. Allen is averaging almost 30 FanDuel points per game at a $7,700 price tag. Bony's 51 points against Stoke was his best effort of the season.

The injury news, an unfortunate run of violence, and teams needing to recover from slow starts makes for a very tumultuous situation in London on Saturday. Expect hectic play and goals on both sides, and check the teamsheets before locking in your lineup.

Chelsea vs. Everton

Chelsea and Everton are separated by four points, but the home team holds a decided advantage when this match takes place at Stamford Bridge. The match ended 3-3 the last time the two faced off in Chelsea's home ground. Not too long ago, these teams tallied nine goals in one affair. Goals are expected again this week as, aside from Manchester City versus Middlesbrough, this is the only other Saturday match with an over-under above 2.5.

Chelsea is just one point out of the top spot in the league. They have four consecutive wins by a combined score of 11-0. Many players have been flourishing and gaining confidence under Antonio Conte. Diego Costa currently leads the league in goals scored. Eden Hazard has rebounded from a poor season while Victor Moses has found new life and Marcos Alonso is proving his worth.


Moses is one of the best value midfielders this week as only Hazard has had more touches in the final third for Chelsea over the last three weeks. At just $5,000, Moses is just the sixth most-expensive Chelsea midfielder.

Despite Chelsea's form, Everton should prove to be a good test. Romelu Lukaku will be motivated against his former club. He has goals in three of his last four games, and his form has some suggesting he could break the all-time Premier League goal-scoring record. He has five games of at least 30 FanDuel points on the season and is over $1,000 less than Costa. Lukaku has just one fewer goal than Costa on the season.

Everton will have the services of Marten Stekelenburg back in goal. However, Leighton Baines, James McCarthy and Idrissa Gana Gueye will all miss the match. Stekelenburg, who will likely have a chance to prove his worth with Chelsea fifth in the league in total shots, as well as the midfielders that fill in for the injured or suspended players will be interesting, contrarian plays on Saturday.