FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 26
After a week off from Premier League play, teams will be back in domestic action this weekend for Matchweek 26. FanDuel will feature a six-game slate, which includes all of the matches that take place on Saturday.
Although it is not a game focused on below, Everton hosting Sunderland has big implications. Everton is chasing a European spot, and Sunderland is trying to get out of the basement. This match is one of two on the slate that have a three-goal over/under. Everton is the big favorite, but they have lost two of their last three against Sunderland at Goodison Park. However, the value in the game is with a small number of players, causing us to look elsewhere.
With some of the league's top teams not in action this weekend, the focus will shift from Merseyside to London as the league leaders are in action.
Chelsea vs. Swansea City
Chelsea versus Swansea City brings some intrigue. Chelsea is trying to cement their place at the top of the table while Swansea is hoping to win their fifth game in the last seven and build more distance away from the relegation zone. Four goals were scored in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. However, this one is being played at Stamford Bridge, so Chelsea is fully expected to come out on top, listed as a 1.5-goal favorite, tied (with Everton) for the biggest favorite of the slate.
It's going to be a big test for the Swans, but the team is in the midst of their best run of the season and each week has resulted in more stability in the domestic league. The Swans have scored eight goals over their last four games in the domestic league. Former Chelsea coach and relatively new Swans' boss Paul Clement will want to show his former club that the form of his current club is no hoax.
Nathan Dyer will be out for Swansea, but he has not had a large role in the team's resurgence. Alfie Mawson and Martin Olsson have been excellent, with Olsson being a new addition to the club.
Mawson scored three goals over six games. He is the most expensive defender in this match on FanDuel at $6,400, but the likelihood of Chelsea having most of the possession is high, giving him a chance to earn massive points through defensive actions. Olsson has averaged 16.8 FanDuel points over his four matches with the club and costs $5,600.
Lastly for the Swans, Gylfi Sigurdsson is averaging over 25 points a game and remains the main taker of all set pieces for Swansea.
Chelsea is expected to field a very strong team on Saturday, but Thibaut Courtois is battling a stomach bug. Marcos Alonso and Diego Costa are getting plenty of attention in fantasy circles as their phenomenal play throughout the year should continue against Swansea.
Alonso has more shot attempts than any other defender this year while playing in the wing back role for Chelsea. In his career, Costa has scored seven goals in four games against Swansea City, including a brace the last time the teams met. Costa is the most expensive player in the match at $11,800 while Alonso is at $7,900.
N'Golo Kante ($8,500) is an interesting play as he has averaged over 18 points per match and has played the full match in 95% of the games he has appeared in. He averages four defensive actions per match and continues to be an integral part of the Chelsea team on both sides of the ball. He is averaging over two interceptions and tackles per match and continues to be one of Chelsea's most prolific passers.
Signs point to a Chelsea victory, but the odds of three total goals are pretty good as well, making this match a good one to target.
Watford vs. West Ham
The pivot away from the Everton game is one that takes place to the northwest of London at Vicarage Road. Currently the odds are that both teams score in a match that ends in a draw. Six goals were scored in the reverse fixture back in September, and the last meeting between these teams last year resulted in four goals.
The value available in this match is hard to overlook. Troy Deeney is the most expensive active player at $7,400 with Andy Carroll ruled out.
Deeney and M'Baye Niang have been integral pieces to the Watford attack in recent weeks. Deeney has scored in three of his last four league games while Niang has a goal and an assist since joining on loan. Niang is averaging 20.6 points over three games and costs just $6,400.
On defense, Younes Kaboul has 21 clearances, 2 tackles, 2 blocks and 1 goal in his last three games. He is coming off a 25.25-FanDuel-point performance and will cost $6,000.
Meanwhile, West Ham player Arthur Masuaku has said that his side are out for revenge this weekend. Masuaku is back in full training as the West Ham back line gets healthy. Aaron Cresswell and many of the other West Ham back line players are less than $5,500, so there could be great value in the back four depending on the starting lineup.
With Carroll out, someone has to take over as the key cog in the Hammers' attack. Manuel Lanzini has two goals and two assists in his last five Premier League matches after a quiet spell. Michail Antonio could line up as the main striker, providing a shiftier option up top. Robert Snodgrass has created more chances than any other West Ham player over the last four matches. Lanzini, Antonio, and Snodgrass are the most costly available West Ham players on FanDuel, but each costs $7,300 or less.
Pay close attention to the starting XI for each side in this match as it should be full of value.
