4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 13

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.

This is the fourth week that FanDuel here in the U.S. is offering DFS for the Premier League (it was previously only available in the U.K.). This article is geared toward the U.S.-based Premier League DFS, and it is for the main slate. That slate starts at 10 a.m. EST on Saturday and features five matches.

Forward

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

FanDuel Salary: $9,200

Vardy is incredibly goal-reliant, so he's not a safe play by any means. With that said, he possesses tournament-winning upside, and he's in a superb spot this weekend.

Facing Middlesbrough, Leicester are a one-goal favorite in a match with an over/under of 2.5 goals. Playing at home, the Foxes should see more possession than usual against a Boro side that averages 47.6% of the possession and is allowing the fifth-most shots per game. As an added bonus, fellow Leicester attacker Islam Slimani is questionable after missing each of the Foxes' last two matches, meaning Vardy could be relied on even more.

Harry Kane and Diego Costa, two other top-end strikers, have tough matchups, while Liverpool's Roberto Firmino should see hefty ownership. Vardy -- who has two goals and two assists in 10 appearances -- will likely be a tad contrarian, and he should be a key cog in Leicester's attack.

Midfielder

Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool

FanDuel Salary: $12,100

Liverpool has been a DFS dream this season, and they may not be in a better spot than this all year as they host bottom-of-the-table Sunderland this weekend. This is a match to target, and the Reds will be very chalky. They'll be chalk for good reason as Liverpool is a massive 2.5-goal favorite, and the match boasts an over/under of 3.5 goals.

Fellow Reds James Milner ($9,800) and Sadio Mane ($8,800) are both good options, but if you can swallow the salary, it doesn't get better than Coutinho.

The Brazilian has been in excellent form this season, and he's been a fantasy monster. Coutinho is averaging a whopping 31.1 FanDuel points per match, and he's scored at least 40 points in three of his last four games. He doesn't need to get a goal to produce a big day, totaling 51.75 FanDuel points in Matchweek 10 without the boost of a goal.

There's also the not-so-small matter of Sunderland being terrible. The Black Cats are surrendering the third-most shots per game (18.8) and possess the ball just 41.2% of the time. Liverpool is primed for an explosion, and Coutinho's high floor -- under the 20-point mark just once in his last eight matches -- and massive ceiling make him a near-perfect play.

Defender

Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool

FanDuel Salary: $5,000

Clyne loves to get forward and with the huge discrepancy in possession numbers between these two teams -- Sunderland are at 41.2% while the Reds are at 58% -- he should have plenty of chances to do just that.

The Reds' fullback has proven to be a very safe DFS options, scoring at least 9.5 FanDuel points in every match. Sending in crosses from outside, he has been credited with creating three chances over the past three games.

For the year, Clyne is averaging 48.3 passes, 2.5 tackles, 2.0 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per match -- all of which contribute to said safe floor.

Goalie

Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea

FanDuel Salary: $7,700

The matchup against Tottenham is a little intimidating, but Chelsea and Courtois are rolling. The Blues haven't allowed a goal in any of their last six Premier League matches.

For Courtois, the clean sheets haven't always resulted in big fantasy days as he's averaging just 10.5 FanDuel points per match and has only surpassed the 15-point mark once in his last five matches. The main reason behind the low DFS output is Courtois simply hasn't faced many shots, which limits his ability to rack up saves.

Today, Spurs should keep Courtois busy. Tottenham own the league's third-best possession rate (56.4%) and fire off the second-most shots per match (17.4%). Despite all the offensive firepower, Spurs have netted just two goals in their last three away fixtures, and Courtois is in a great spot to have a big day.