4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 11
The main slate for Matchweek 11 features five Saturday matches, with two of the bottom-four clubs -- Bournemouth and Swansea City -- in action and no clubs currently in the top five of the table.
As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When investing in any player, it is important to determine who will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists, and shots on target). It's also just as crucial not to overspend on players in bad matchups.
We should try to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away, while also looking at oddsmakers favorites and over/under totals. DFS players, as always, should check out injury reports and confirmed starting XIs when they become available.
Let's take a look at four players across the entire pitch who should be avoided.
Forward
Tammy Abraham, Swansea City
FanDuel Price: $8,500
Abraham is the third-highest priced forward for Matchweek 11, and he has averaged 14.28 FanDuel points this season, scoring fewer than 10 FanDuel points in five matches this campaign.
The Swans host Brighton at Liberty Stadium and are a slight favorite over the Seagulls. Both squads struggle at maintaining possession as they both have averaged less than 50% of the possession this season.
The Swans have averaged 0.7 goals per match this year but have scored a total of four goals -- three by Abraham -- in their previous three matches at Liberty Stadium but will now face a Seagulls squad that has played well against forwards this season. The Seagulls have allowed the fourth-fewest chances created (10), third-fewest shots (24) and fewest shots on target (5) to forwards this year.
Saturday’s slate does not feature the top clubs in the Premier League and therefore player selection is limited, especially when it comes to attackers. Abraham has played well recently but is facing a tough Seagulls back line, one that has bottled up forwards, while the two most expensive forwards are facing clubs that have not performed well this season against that position.
Midfielder
Oriol Romeu, Southampton
FanDuel Price: $8,000
Romeu is tied, along with two other midfielders, as the fifth-highest-priced midfielder for Matchweek 11, and he has averaged 17.23 FanDuel points this season. Playing mainly as a defensive-midfielder, Romeu does not have the upside that other midfielders offer. He has scored more than 20 FanDuel points four times this season, but three of those occurrences came from performances with a large number of defensive actions.
The Saints host Burnley at St. Mary’s stadium and are a one-goal favorite over the Clarets. Burnley have an implied team total of 0.5 goals, and the Clarets have not scored more than one goal in their previous four away matches in the Premier League.
The Saints should easily control possession in the match as the Clarets are the Premier League’s worst squad in that category in away matches -- maintaining 36.6% of the possession in their travels -- while Southampton maintains 58% of the possession at St. Mary’s stadium.
Romeu is not highly involved in the Saints' attack, creating 11 total chances -- 5 coming in one match -- and producing only 1 shot on target this season. He could push further into the attack against Burnley as they tend to pack in their back line in road matches, but the lack of possession for the Clarets will likely hinder Romeu from picking up a large number of defensive actions.
Defender
Federico Fernandez, Swansea City
FanDuel Price: $6,000
Fernandez is tied with five other defenders as the 11th-highest-priced defender for Matchweek 11. He has averaged 16.82 FanDuel points this season, the third-highest average among defenders at the $6,000 price point.
As mentioned above, the Swans host Brighton, and both clubs have an implied team total of 1 goal.
The Seagulls have not been a great matchup for opposing center-backs. They have allowed the 10th-fewest blocked shots (18), 7th-fewest interceptions (30), 4th-fewest tackles (26) and fewest clearances (100) to center-backs this season.
Fernandez has not scored below 10 FanDuel points in a match this year but has only scored more than 20 FanDuel points three times, making the defender a consistent -- albeit low-ceiling -- fantasy option. However, Fernandez is now facing a Brighton attack that does not produce a high number of defensive actions to center-backs, which will likely force Fernandez into his lower range of outcomes.
Goalkeeper
Matt Ryan, Brighton & Hove Albion
FanDuel Price: $5,000
Ryan is tied with five other keepers as the top-priced goalie on the slate. He has averaged 11.18 FanDuel points this season, the lowest average among keepers in that price range.
Saturday’s match at Liberty Stadium features the lowest over/under on the slate -- tied with two other matches -- and both clubs have an implied team total of 1.0 goal.
The Swans have scored in each of their previous three matches at Liberty Stadium while the Seagulls have kept two clean sheets in road matches this season, including their last away match against West Ham.
The Swans have produced the lowest number of saves (12) to opposing keepers this season, meaning Ryan will likely need a clean sheet to produce value at his price. Even with a clean sheet, his upside may be limited due to a low number of save opportunities.
