4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 5

Romelu Lukaku, Forward, Manchester United

Salary: $10,500

Lukaku is tied with Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the fourth-highest priced forward on the slate, and he has averaged 26.73 FanDuel points per game. That includes a 62-point performance in Matchweek 4 against Burnley.

Lukaku’s lowest point total when appearing in the Red Devils’ starting XI this season was 16 FanDuel points which (against Tottenham), and he has scored over 20 FanDuel points in two of his three starts.

The Hornets, who, according to Paddy Power, enter the match with a 23.1% win probability, have opened the season with four wins and are currently tied with Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the table with 12 points. Saturday’s late match has an implied 50% chance of scoring over 2.5 goals while boasting a 57.9% chance of scoring under that total.

Lukaku has a 43.5% chance of scoring (anytime goalscorer odds), the highest percentage of any player in the match, but has struggled against top-clubs in recent memory. Last season, Lukaku scored just three goals against clubs that finished in the top-half of the table while scoring just once against a club that finished in the top-five.

Predicting a top-five finish for the Hornets is obviously a stretch, but they have played extremely well against forwards to start the season. They have allowed the fourth-fewest chances created (0.53), second-fewest shots (1.59) and second-fewest shots on target (0.35) per 90 minutes to forwards.

Lukaku is always capable of a tournament-winning performance and offers one of the highest-ceilings on a weekly basis, but his performance against clubs in the top-half of the table should make DFS players cautious especially with the upside available through the other top-priced forwards.