3 FanDuel Premier League Trends to Exploit for Matchweek 9

Defenders' Value Is on the Rise, Again

This was mentioned earlier in the year because defenders were scoring goals. The one-sided matchups imply that the favored teams should own possession. The defenders of Burnley, Huddersfield, and West Ham should all be active on the defensive side while their opponents will get outside backs forward. The ceilings for defenders are high this week.

There are 10 defenders on the slate that average over 20 points and 3 more averaging between 19 and 20. James Tarkowski ($6,000), one of the top scorers on defense, is still listed as a game-time decision on FanDuel, but the international break should have been enough for him to prepare for Manchester City.

Fabian Balbuena ($6,500) is emerging as the key member of West Ham's back line. He is averaging nearly 8 clearances a match and is getting close to averaging 19 FanDuel points.

Benjamin Mendy ($7,000) is healthy again for Manchester City and is an offensive threat from the back line or wing. Matt Doherty ($5,500) also falls into that category for Wolves. There are plenty of options on the back line as they become more and more crucial to landing in the money.

Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.