4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 26
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 is 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 article is geared toward Saturday's main slate, which starts 10:00 a.m. EST and features six matches.
| Matchweek 26 |
|---|
| Saturday, February 25th |
| Sunderland at Everton |
| Bournemouth at West Brom |
| West Ham at Watford |
| Swansea City at Chelsea |
| Middlesbrough at Crystal Palace |
| Burnley at Hull City |
Let's get to it.
Forward
Romelu Lukaku, Everton
FanDuel Salary: $12,300
There are a pair of really attractive high-end forwards this weekend with Lukaku playing at home against Sunderland and Diego Costa ($11,800) at home versus Swansea City. Both the Toffees and Blues are favored by 1.5 goals, so each star striker is in a great spot.
Costa isn't as goal-reliant as Lukaku, so he's a better cash-game option, but Lukaku has that dreamy tourney upside. The Belgian has scored at least 45 FanDuel points in 3 of his past 11 games, including a ridiculous 89.75-point, 4-goal outing two matches ago.
Chelsea are running away with the title, but Everton are the in-form team in the Premier League at the moment. Ronald Koeman's side is unbeaten in their last eight league matches, and they've netted 15 goals across their past six Premier League fixtures.
Sunderland's boasts the third-worst possession rate (42.6%) and are allowing the second-most shots per match (18.2). It's even worse when they hit the road, as the Black Cats are giving up 20 shots per game with a meager 40.6% possession clip.
All signs point to Everton controlling this match, and anytime that's the expectation, Lukaku -- who passed a fitness test Thursday and is expected to play -- is going to be an enticing option.
Midfielder
Michail Antonio, West Ham
FanDuel Salary: $7,300
With striker Andy Carroll ruled out for this weekend, West Ham is in desperate need of an offensive centerpiece. That could result in Antonio moving up from midfield and playing in more of a striker role, and the Hammers' clash with Watford is one to target this week.
Watford rank in the bottom half of the Premier League in both possession (46.2%) and shots allowed per match (14.1). West Ham hasn't fallen to pieces without Dimitri Payet, winning three of their last six league fixtures, and they've become a DFS dream. Over those last six matches, the Hammers have scored 11 goals while conceding 10 times.
Antonio, who has played all over the pitch this season, leads West Ham with eight goals, and he's added three assists. A move up into more of an offensive role would ostensibly make him even more dangerous.
Amazingly, six of the seven highest-priced midfielders this week are Chelsea players, with Swansea's Gylfi Sigurdsson the lone exception. So instead of taking a shot in the dark with the Chelsea-Swans match, you can fade it altogether and zero in on West Ham. In addition to Antonio, freshly-signed Robert Snodgrass ($7,200) makes some sense, as well.
Defender
Seamus Coleman, Everton
FanDuel Salary: $6,900
The home date with Sunderland is actually Everton's third game in a row against an inferior opponent.
Coleman is averaging 26.75 FanDuel points per game over his last four matches, and in each of the past two matches against lesser sides (Middlesbrough and Bournemouth), Coleman has been a big-time producer, scoring 30.5 and 26.5 FanDuel points, respectively.
| Opponent | Goals | Assists | Chances Created | Clearances | Passes | FanDuel Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 30.5 |
| Middlesbrough | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 26.75 |
Coleman has done it without doing a ton in attack, totaling just two chances created and one assist over the past two matches. Sunderland, though, rank 18th in possession, so he should have more chances against the Black Cats to come forward from his right-back spot and get involved in the attack.
Swansea's Alfie Mawson ($6,400) is in a good spot, as well. He's actually netted three goals in his past six matches, although the goal-scoring opportunities will likely be few and far between this week against Chelsea. What he should have going for him, though, is the likelihood of being a very busy man defensively, which should give him plenty of chances to rack up defensive actions.
Goalie
Eldin Jakupovic, Hull City
FanDuel Salary: $6,700
Jakupovic is averaging a 17.3 FanDuel points per match this season, which leads the slate among keepers with at least 10 starts this campaign.
He had a rough day against Arsenal in Matchweek 25, allowing 2 goals and totaling a mere 8.75 FanDuel points. In the two weeks prior, however, he scored 26.5 and 29.25 FanDuel points, respectively, making a total of 11 saves across the two matches while keeping a pair of clean sheets.
Hull City is allowing 18.1 shots per match, the third-most in the league, so Jakupovic should still be fairly active at home against Burnley. On top of that Burnley is in a bit of a rut, scoring just six goals over their last six Premier League matches, and the over/under on this game is a lowly two goals. Not only is the over/under the lowest of the slate, Burnley's 0.75 implied total is also a low mark for the slate, making another Jakupovic clean sheet a real possibility.
