4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 11

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 features five matches.

This is one of the oddest slates of the year so far. There are no players priced above $9,500, meaning you shouldn't have much trouble finding a way to plug in the couple studs you want, and there's only one top-six club (Liverpool) in action.

Oddsmakers don't expect many goals, with three matches toting a lowly 2.0-goal over/under. The biggest favorites on the slate are Liverpool and Southampton, both of whom are 1.0-goal favorites, with Newcastle United a 0.5-goal favorite. The other two matches are installed at pickems.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Joselu, Newcastle United

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Liverpool will probably be pretty popular for their date with a struggling West Ham side. I can't blame you for going with the Reds' Roberto Firmino ($9,500) or Daniel Sturridge ($8,000) here, but it may be best to get exposure to Liverpool in midfield with Mo Salah (hold that thought).

If we want a high-priced forward on a favorite -- usually the preferred route -- and aren't going with Liverpool, that leaves us with Newcastle or Southampton, both of whom are at home. The Saints' Manolo Gabbiadini is a safe bet to play the full 90 minutes, something he's done in Southampton's last three Premier League matches, but Burnley, their opposition, have allowed only nine goals in 10 EPL matches this season. We want to avoid Sean Dyche's bunch if possible.

So Newcastle it is, which means the choice is between Joselu or Ayoze Perez ($8,000). Joselu is pretty goal-dependent, but he's the Magpies' lead man in attack, pacing the squad in shots per match (2.7) while tying for the team lead in goals (2) this season. He's bagged both his goals at home and has put up at least 25 FanDuel points in four of his nine appearances, although he's been under 12 FD points in all five of his other outings.

Joselu probably won't do much without a goal, but he's got pretty decent odds to score (4 to 1) against Bournemouth, a side that's allowed eight goals in their five away EPL fixtures.

Midfielder

Mo Salah, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $9,500

It's pretty easy to argue Salah has been the Reds' best player this season -- his WhoScored rating trails Philippe Coutinho's, but the Brazilian has played in half as many matches as Salah -- and he's in a prime spot this weekend.

West Ham have been pretty awful in league play. The Hammers have allowed 19 goals in 10 matches, and they've conceded 7 goals in their last 3 matches across all competitions -- including a 3 spot in an ugly home loss to Brighton, who has 7 goals in their other 9 league matches.

Salah has been a revelation in his return to the EPL, scoring five goals with two assists in nine starts. He averages 3.4 shots per match and has recorded 21.25 and 27.75 FanDuel points, respectively, in his last two outings. In addition to the fine league form, Salah has tallied four goals and an assist in four Champions League clashes, including this goal on a sweet little touch Wednesday against Maribor.

Liverpool have a 2.0-goal implied total, the highest of the slate, and this match's 3.0-goal over/under is also a slate-high mark. The only concern with Salah is he'll likely be extremely popular, especially if Coutinho sits, which looks like the likely outcome.

Defender

Ben Mee, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Burnley's back line has been DFS gold all season. The Clarets are off to a flying start, sitting seventh in the league table, but their style -- conceding possession and soaking up pressure -- makes their defenders high-floor plays.

Mee, the highest-priced defender on the slate, is the best of the bunch. Mee is averaging 21.8 FanDuel points per match, and he's posted at least 14 FD points in 9 of his 10 games this season.

Southampton have struggled to score goals, making the net bulge a mere nine times through 10 matches, but that's down to poor finishing more than anything. The Saints are fifth in possession (56.9%) and sixth in shots per game (14.4). Up against a Burnley outfit that's 16th in possession (44.2%) and allowing a league-worst 18.2 shots per match, Southampton should keep the Clarets' back line busy.

Goalie

Nick Pope, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $5,000

A whopping 6 of the 10 teams in action boast a 1.0-goal implied total, so there are a lot of goalies who are in a nice spot for a clean sheet. Pope is one such keeper, and none of the other goalies match his upside.

For all the reasons we just listed when discussing Mee, Pope offers a nice floor (save volume) and big-time upside (clean sheet odds). Since taking over for Tom Heaton, Pope has averaged 20.2 FanDuel points per match, 4.4 more than any other keeper on the slate. He's scored at least 16 FD points in six straight and is in a nice spot to continue his DFS production.

Austan Kas is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austan Kas also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username akas247. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.