4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 2

The main slate for Matchweek 2 features six Saturday matches, two of which include clubs that finished last season’s campaign in the top five and both of those squads --Arsenal and Liverpool -- scored three or more goals while conceding three goals in Matchweek 1.

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 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. DFS players, as always, should check out injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available.

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

Forward

Josh King, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $8,000

King is the eighth-highest priced forward for Matchweek 2, although three of the players priced above King did not appear in their squad’s starting XI in Matchweek 1. King scored 5.5 FanDuel points in Matchweek 1, creating only 1 chance and taking 2 shots, both of which were off target.

Bournemouth hosts Watford at Dean Court. The Cherries enter Saturday’s match as a 0.5-goal favorite, tied for the second-largest favorite on the slate, and have an implied team total of 1.5 goals.

The Cherries dominated the ball in their Matchweek 1 fixture against West Brom, maintaining 71% of the possession, and were only able to produce 9 shots -- 2 on target -- while conceding 16 to the Baggies.

King is largely a goal-dependent forward. Last season, he placed 31 shots on target, scoring on 16 of those shots, but he only created 30 chances while recording 2 assists. The Cherries should expect to have less control of the ball than they did in their previous match, although the match could produce more open play than the clash against West Brom did.

King does not have a high floor, and although the Hornets conceded three goals in Matchweek 1 against Liverpool, a team challenging for the title, DFS players should invest their money into a forward with more consistency, especially in cash games.

Midfielder

Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $8,000

DFS players will want some exposure to the Liverpool match as it boasts the highest/over under total on the slate (3 goals). The Reds enter Saturday’s match as a 1.5-goal favorite over Crystal Palace, and they have an implied team total of 2.25 goals, the largest on the slate.

Wijnaldum, however, is not the best investment in that match despite the salary relief he offers. DFS players should attack Liverpool’s front three --- Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah -- with Firmino producing the highest WhoScored rating as well as the most FanDuel points in Matchweek 1, although the majority of those points came off a penalty conversion. Daniel Sturridge is also a possibility in the attack if he is fit for Saturday's match.

Last season, Wijnaldum scored 6 goals on 60 shots, with 20 of those shots on net. He created 43 chances -- 1.19 per appearance -- and sent in 13 crosses. The Eagles were defeated 3-0 by newly promoted Huddersfield in Matchweek 1, but Palace conceded both goals to their forward (the other was an own goal) and limited the chances created that came from the midfield.

Wijnaldum is generally not involved in the Reds’ set pieces responsibilities, and given the likelihood that the Reds’ goals come from their front three, investing in Wijnaldum is a risky strategy for both cash and tournaments.

Defender

Miguel Britos, Watford

FanDuel Price: $7,000

After stealing a point in Matchweek 1 against Liverpool, the Hornets travel to Dean Court to face Bournemouth. They should, as most away squads set up, be a bit more defensive in Saturday’s match away from their home pitch as they would be content in earning a point on the road.

Britos is tied as the top-priced defender for Matchweek 2, along with three other defenders, and he scored 33.3 FanDuel points against Liverpool, the third-highest FanDuel output for a defender. However, most of those points came from the attack (one goal with two shots on target).

Last season, Britos produced only 18 shots with 5 of those shots on target while scoring once. It is likely that Britos’ Matchweek 1 performance will be his top attacking performance of the season. Britos averaged just over 5 clearances in his 27 matches last season but struggled in the other defensive categories (tackles, interceptions and blocked shots), averaging fewer than two in each of those actions.

The Cherries will likely win the possession battle at home but shouldn’t dominate, which will limit the amount of defensive actions available to Britos. Last season, the Cherries were fifth in clearances allowed to central defenders but were in the bottom half of the table in blocked shots, tackles and interceptions allowed to central defenders.

DFS players may try to fit two of Liverpool’s attackers and possibly even Leicester’s Jamie Vardy into one lineup, forcing them to find salary relief at the other positions. Avoiding Britos, especially as the top-priced defender in a questionable matchup, could offer DFS players that salary relief.

Goalie

Ben Foster, West Brom

FanDuel Price: $5,000

The Baggies travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley, who stunned Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Matchweek 1. The Clarets were surprisingly strong on their home pitch last season, producing the ninth-most points in home matches. However, they scored the eighth-fewest goals in those matches.

The Clarets are a slight favorite over the Baggies (-140), and both squads have an implied team total of 1.0 goal as the match boasts the lowest over/under on the slate.

Last week, the Baggies continued their possession struggles from the 2016-17 season, allowing the Cherries to maintain 71% of the possession, but they only conceded 2 shots on target.

The Clarets may struggle to place shots on target against a West Brom squad that consistently packs in their defense. Unless Foster maintains a clean sheet, he may find it hard to produce value at his price tag as the Baggies do not produce many save opportunities, giving him a low floor.