SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 37

Joshua King is in dazzling form, scoring 11 goals over his last 13 matches, and he gets a matchup with Burnley's struggling defense. Which other high-priced players are in a good spot for Saturday's main slate?

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 FanDuel's main slate, which begins at 10 a.m. EST Saturday and include four matches, two of which feature a team that has already been relegated.

Matchweek 37
Saturday, May 13th
Swansea City at Sunderland
Burnley at Bournemouth
Southampton at Middlesbrough
Arsenal at Stoke City


Let's get to it.

Forward

Joshua King, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $10,400

Each of the four matches on the main slate features a 0.5-goal spread, and three of the four -- with Arsenal-Stoke (3 goals) being the exception -- have an over/under of 2.5 goals. That's probably going to lead to a bevy of ownership for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez ($10,600), but King is in better form and has a better matchup.

King has been one of the league's premier strikers down the homestretch. He's netted 11 goals over his last 13 matches, including this sweet bit of skill against West Ham -- a game in which he recorded a hat trick and 71.25 FanDuel points.


As a result, he's seen his salary jump by nearly $2,000 since Matchweek 34, but he's in a pristine spot this week as the Cherries are at home versus Burnley.

For the year, Burnley have allowed 33 goals in 18 away matches, and they give up a league-worst 19.9 shots per game on the road. King missed the reverse fixture back in December, but the two teams combined for five goals in their first meeting this year, with Burnley winning, 3-2.

King is clearly the Cherries' top man as his 15 goals are nearly three times as many tallies as the team's second-highest goal scorers (Benik Afobe and Callum Wilson each have 6). Bournemouth should be able generate plenty of chances, and King will likely be on the end of a few of them.

Midfielder

Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City

FanDuel Price: $10,300

This spot has basically become a placeholder for Sigurdsson as the Swansea star has a floor no other midfielder offers. For the year, he's averaging 25.0 FanDuel points per match, tops among midfielders on this late by a margin of 3.2 points, and he's totaled at least 19.0 FanDuel points in five straight outings.

Opponent Goals Assists Chances Created FD Passing Points FanDuel Points
Everton 0 0 3 3 21.75
Manchester United 1 0 4 5 39.75
Stoke City 0 1 2 4 23.00
Watford 0 0 0 3 23.25
West Ham 0 0 3 4 19.50


The last match -- at home against Everton -- is a perfect example of why we can feel so safe with Sigurdsson. He failed to record a goal or assist, but he still racked up 21.75 FanDuel points thanks to his all-around, workmanlike efforts across the pitch. In fact, he's only bagged one goal and one assist during this sparkling run.

It's not like he's just a safe-floor play -- the dude has eight matches of at least 30 FanDuel points, including a pair of 50-point outings. Sigurdsson's upside is boosted by the fact that he takes corners, penalties and free kicks -- all of which give him additional chances to score, get an assist or create a chance.

Sigurdsson is in a pretty dreamy situation this week. Not only are the Swans facing Sunderland, the worst team in the league and a side which has already been relegated, it's a match Swansea City desperately need to win if they want to avoid the drop themselves. We should get a locked in Swans side against a Sunderland club which allows the second-most shot per match (17.4) and has surrendered 32 goals in 18 home fixtures.

Defender

Calum Chambers, Middlesbrough

FanDuel Price: $6,300

For most of the season, we've made hay targeting defenders on underdogs, and that's exactly what we're getting back to this week. Boro -- a side which had their relegation confirmed with a 3-0 loss at Chelsea last week -- are a 0.5-goal underdog for their home match with Southampton.

The Saints average the fifth-most shots in the league (14.4) and are seventh in possession (52.4%). Middlesbrough, meanwhile, allow the sixth-most shots per match (14.3), and they rank first in tackles per outing (19.4).

Southampton should control this one, which puts Chambers in a great spot to rack up defensive actions. He has averaged 8.3 clearances per match over his last three contests, and he has finished with at least 15 FanDuel points in 13 of his last 14 fixtures (with the exception being the last match against Chelsea).

The only concern here is that both Southampton (safely in the middle of the table) and Boro (already sent down) don't have a ton to play for. The managers may tinker with lineups or tactics, so game script isn't as easy to predict as it would be if they played a couple weeks ago.

Goalie

Artur Boruc, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $7,500

This is a wonky week for keepers. Depending on what you're looking for -- safety in save volume or the upside of a clean sheet -- you could make an argument for most of the goalie options.

If it's a clean sheet you're chasing, Boruc looks like the best mix of talent and shutout upside. Burnley have scored six goals in their last six matches, and they have fired off the second-fewest (10.3) shots per match this season. Boruc has averaged 19.7 FanDuel points per match over his last four appearances, registering a pair of clean sheets in that span.

Fraser Forster ($6,700) has some upside, as well, and he can save you a little cash. Forster has three clean sheets across his last six matches, and he is facing a Boro squad which has really struggled to put the ball in the net. Middlesbrough have scored just 26 times in 36 matches, including 4 goals in their last 6 matches.

If you're targeting save volume, Tom Heaton ($7,400) is a good option. He's made at least four saves in three of his last four matches, and he should be pretty busy at Bournemouth. In that same mold, Jordan Pickford ($7,200) is another goalie who should be in line for a decent amount of saves. He's averaged 4.61 saves per match over his last seven outings, and Pickford plays for a bad Sunderland side which is facing a desperate Swansea bunch.