SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 37

Riyad Mahrez has a dope home matchup with a slumping West Ham side. Which other high-priced players should you zero in on?

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 10:00 a.m. EST Saturday and features five matches.

Matchweek 37
Saturday, May 5th
Tottenham at West Brom
Swansea at Bournemouth
West Ham at Leicester City
Newcastle at Watford
Southampton at Everton


This is a pretty wonky slate with just one really good team on it. That one team -- Tottenham -- is the slate's biggest favorite as Spurs are a 1.0-goal road favorite with a slate-best 2.0-goal implied total. Leicester and Bournemouth are both 0.5-goal favorites while the two other matches are pick'ems.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Harry Kane, Tottenham

FanDuel Price: $12,500

This is as poor of a slate as we've had all year in terms of top-end stars, so you'll have no problem paying up for the players you want. With Spurs the slate's biggest favorite (1.0-goal) and boasting the top implied total (2.0 goals), you'll want exposure to them for their match at West Brom.

Kane is very goal-reliant in DFS, but we can stomach that for a player who's got 27 goals and 2 assists in 32 EPL starts this season. Kane has bagged goals in each of his last two outings, totaling 32.5 and 29.5 FanDuel points in those games.

West Brom are the Premier League's worst team, although they haven't been horrible defensively, conceding 54 goals in 36 matches. They sit last in average possession (43.0%) and should have very little of the ball against a Spurs team looking to cement its place in the top four.

Kane had a goal and 33.75 FanDuel points in the reverse fixture at the start of the season, and he's got the most upside on the slate.

If you prefer to fade Kane and get access to Tottenham via their midfielders, Leicester's Jamie Vardy ($9,500) is worth peeping for his home date with West Ham.

Midfielder

Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Speaking of the Foxes, that matchup with West Ham is a delightful one. On the road, the Hammers have allowed the most shots per match (17.9) and goals (42) this season, and they've given up 17 goals in their last six road matches.

The only concern here is that Leicester -- who are safe from relegation and not fighting for a European place -- have nothing to play for while West Ham have it all to play for as they sit just three points above the drop zone. Leicester just slept through a 5-0 beatdown at Crystal Palace last time out, so it's hard to feel great about their current state.

With that said, it's an ugly slate, and the matchup is so nice. Mahrez has 10 goals and 8 assists in EPL play this season, and the Foxes are a 0.5-goal favorite with a 1.5-goal implied total. As a plus, Mahrez handles a lot of Leicester's corners and free-kick duties, giving him additional chances to get in on the creation of a goal.

Defender

Kieran Trippier, Tottenham

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Tripper is an upside play at defender. As we mentioned with Kane, West Brom are last in possession (43.0%), so Spurs should see a lot of the ball, which will allow Tripper to get forward down the wing. He gave an assist to Kane in his last outing on his way to 34.0 FanDuel points, and he's a fantastic stacking option with Kane.

If you want a high-floor play, look to Craig Dawson ($6,500). He's expected to start for West Brom, and he should be very busy. His defensive volume has made him a very safe play. Here's his recent FanDuel game log: 21.25, 18.25, 16.75, 16.75 and 16.5.

Dawson is the prefered cash-game choice, but Trippier's upside is ideal for GPPs.

Goalie

Jordan Pickford, Everton

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Everton are hosting a Southampton side that's in a fight to stay in the top flight and desperately need a result from this game.

The Saints have been a great team to play keepers against this season. They're 14th in goals but 9th in shots per game. So they generate a good amount of shots but have trouble converting their chances -- that's perfect.

While Everton are safe, Pickford has plenty to play for in his battle to be England's starting keeper in this summer's World Cup. He's coming off two clean sheets and has scored at least 14.0 FanDuel points in four consecutive appearances.



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.