SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 17

Jamie Vardy had the performance DFS players have been waiting for in Matchweek 15 but struggles away from King Power Stadium. What other players should we avoid for Matchweek 17?

Matchweek 17 sees all the clubs competing in their third match in a week, as the the Premier League's first midweek set of matches wrapped up Tuesday and Wednesday. DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available as clubs may look to rest players due to the busy week.

As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When making an investment into any player, it is important to determine which players will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists and shots on target). It's also just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups. We should look to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away while also looking at Vegas favorites and over/under totals

FanDuel made their Premier League DFS games available to U.S. players starting in Matchweek 10, and this article will be geared toward the main slate for the U.S.-based FanDuel site. The main slate for Matchweek 17 features five Saturday matches, which include zero of the top five clubs.

Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $8,700

Vardy finally had the impact fantasy players have been waiting for in Matchweek 15 against Manchester City, scoring three goals. Then in Matchweek 16, as he has done so many matches this season, Vardy was ineffective and disappointed DFS players who may have started once again to believe in the forward. Vardy is the second-highest priced forward for Matchweek 17, and he has averaged 12.17 FanDuel points.

Vardy and Leicester travel to bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City. The Foxes' struggles, especially on the road this season, have been well documented, earning only one point in eight away matches.

The Potters are a slight favorite over the Foxes, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. The Potters maintain 47.9 % of the possession at bet365 Stadium while allowing their opponents to take 12.9 shots per match.

Vardy's Splits Home Away
Goals 4
1
Assists 1 1
Chances Created 5 6
Shots on Target 4 4
Average FanDuel Points 15.03 9.31


Looking at Vardy's home and away splits shows a difference of more than five points per match, although neither average has likely been helpful for DFS players. Vardy's away average is a bit deceiving, as he has only performed well in one match away from King Power Stadium.

Vardy scored 32.5 FanDuel points against Liverpool in Matchweek 4 at Anfield. Vardy's other seven matches away from King Power Stadium have been an extreme disappointment, reaching 10 FanDuel points once, while averaging six FanDuel points. In those seven matches, Vardy has produced one assist and six chances created and has taken one shot on target.

Leicester have maintained the Premier League's fourth-worst possession percentage, maintaining 43.5% of the possession away from King Power Stadium. Vardy showed in Matchweek 15 that he is always capable of tournament-winning-performances, as DFS players became accustomed to last season, but Leicester and Vardy have not shown any reason to be trusted on the road -- and Saturday's match is no different.

DFS players should not be fooled by Vardy's stellar performance and look elsewhere in favor of forwards that have consistently produced this season.

Midfielder

Manuel Lanzini, West Ham

FanDuel Price: $7,200

Lanzini is the 10th-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 17, and he has averaged 15.9 FanDuel points this season. Lanzini and West Ham host Hull City at London Stadium, and the Hammers enter Saturday's match as a large favorite.

The Hammers maintain 52.7 % of the possession on their home pitch while scoring eight goals at London Stadium. Lanzini generally plays an attacking midfield role along side Dimitri Payet and has scored three goals this season, all away from London Stadium with two of the three goals having come from the penalty spot.

Lanzini's SplitsHomeAway
Goals03
Chances Created109
Shots on Target24
Tackles210
Average FanDuel Points9.82
21.1


Lanzini has extremely drastic home and away splits, as the midfielder has performed better this season away from London Stadium. When Lanzini travels to his opponents' home pitch, he averages over 20 FanDuel points. However, the midfielder has yet to reach that point total in front of his home fans and has averaged under 10 FanDuel points at London Stadium.

Lanzini, for an attacking midfielder, is not a great scoring option for the Hammers. In 13 matches this season, Lanzini has only produced six shots on target, with two of those shots coming from the penalty spot. The midfielder has created 18 chances this season but has yet to record an assist, and his defensive prowess decreases as well at London Stadium.

Along side Payet, Lanzini will undoubtedly produce awe-inspiring performances. However, against a Tigers squad that likes to pack it in defensively, averaging 46 % of the possession away from KCOM Stadium, DFS players should avoid Lanzini and wait until the midfielder travels away from London Stadium, in order to roster him in a more favorable matchup.

Defender

Calum Chambers, Middlesbrough

FanDuel Price: $6,000

Chambers is the second-highest priced defender for Matchweek 17 and has averaged 19.98 FanDuel points. The Boro enter Saturday's match against Swansea City as the slight favorite. Chambers has scored over 20 FanDuel points twice since joining the Boro, both times coming against clubs in the top half of the table.

Chambers and Middlesbrough host Swansea City Saturday at Riverside Stadium. The Swans maintain 48.8 % of the possession away from Liberty Stadium while taking 9.6 shots per match, fourth-worst in the Premier League. The Swans have been atrocious this season away from Liberty Stadium, earning only four points in eight matches.

Chambers' FanDuel performance has dropped this season when Boro competes against clubs in the bottom half of the table. Chambers averages 20.33 FanDuel points in matches against clubs in the top half of the table while failing to reach that score in matches against clubs in the bottom half of the table, averaging 15.94 FanDuel points in those matches.

Chambers is a central defender who relies solely on defensive statistics -- tackles, clearances and interceptions -- to score fantasy points on FanDuel as the defender has produced zero offensive stats other than four inaccurate crosses, which all occurred in one match. Chambers has a high floor as he has not produced under 12 FanDuel points all season, but his ceiling is limited in matches against clubs in the bottom half of the table.

As the second-highest priced defender for Matchweek 17, Chambers should be avoided in favor of defenders who expect to see a large amount of defensive opportunities.

Keeper

Ben Foster, West Brom

FanDuel Price: $6,700

Foster is tied with Stoke City's Lee Grant as the highest-priced keeper for Matchweek 17, and he has averaged 11.7 FanDuel points. Foster and West Brom host Manchester United at the Hawthorns. The Red Devils enter Saturday's match as a large favorite and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. The Red Devils possess the ball 54.5 % of the match away from Old Trafford while the Baggies have struggled all season in that category, possessing the ball 39.8 % of the match at the Hawthorns.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Foster has kept three clean sheets this season. Since his last clean sheet in Matchweek 12 against Burnley, Foster has conceded one goal in each match and has averaged three saves per match. The Baggies have allowed 14.3 shots per match on their home pitch while the Red Devils' are able to produce 4.4 shots on target per match away from Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have been shut out twice this season away from Old Trafford, but both matches came against top five squads that dominate possession on their home pitch. Over their last three away matches, the Red Devils have scored six goals and earned seven points. In those three matches away from Old Trafford, the Red Devils have only been able to produce 11 shots on target while dominating the pitch, averaging 60% of the possession.

The Baggies will likely struggle to sustain possession, as they have shown all season, allowing the Red Devils to put heavy pressure on the Baggies' back line. West Brom has allowed the most goals on their home pitch for any club in the top-half of the table and allow the fifth-most shots per match. The Red Devils' attack has not been in great form over their last three away matches, averaging fewer than four shots per match.

With a clean sheet being highly in doubt for Foster and the Red Devils' recent inability to produce a high number of shots on target makes Foster a great keeper to avoid, especially given his price tag.