If you have played daily fantasy sports for a while, you know the importance of being contrarian in large-field tournaments. Recognizing which players are going to be owned by the masses and finding others who you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership can really separate yourself from your opponents.
The same goes for DFS Premier League. Even though the large-field tournaments aren't quite as large as they are for other sports, there is still value in identifying quality under-the-radar plays.
This article will discuss FanDuel's main Wednesday slate, which starts at 2:45 p.m. EST and features six matches.
Matchweek 21 |
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Wednesday, January 2nd |
Brighton at West Ham |
Burnley at Huddersfield |
Crystal Palace at Wolves |
Southampton at Chelsea |
Watford at Bournemouth |
Manchester United at Newcastle |
The 21st main slate of the season features two elite sides in different runs of form. Since Jose Mourinho's departure, Manchester United has been on fire, scoring 12 goals in their last three matches and securing wins in all three. Chelsea has been producing results, with four wins in their last six, but have done so by thin margins, with just eight goals scored in those six matches. This weekend, Chelsea is the largest favorite on the slate, with an implied win probability of 80.39% at home against Southampton, and Manchester United is the second largest favorite, with an implied win probability of 64.28% on the road against Newcastle.
Of the non-elite sides, both West Ham (53.49%) and Wolves (51.22%) are slight home favorites against Brighton and Crystal Palace respectively. Huddersfield and Bournemouth round out the slate as narrow home favorites in pick ems'.
Despite Chelsea playing at home and being the larger favorite, Manchester United will likely carry equal or higher ownership based on their current form. Newcastle has been defensively sound on the road this season and have only conceded seven goals in their last six away fixtures, the sixth fewest in the Premier League. Four of those goals were to Liverpool on boxing day, and on current form, Manchester United could easily do the same, but for tournaments, at same or lower ownership and at home in an easier matchup, Chelsea's players could be the preferred options.
With that in mind, here are three players to consider this weekend -- especially for tournament formats -- who may fly under the radar.