4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 22
Virgil van Dijk, Defender, Liverpool
Salary: $7,000
Van Dijk is tied with three other players as the top-priced defender on the slate, and he has averaged 15.75 FanDuel points this season -- the lowest average among all defenders priced at or above $6,500.
In the previous match between these two clubs, van Dijk scored 10.2 FanDuel points, and the Reds won the match 1-0. Brighton, on their home pitch, have an 11.1% chance of beating the Reds, per oddsmakers, while the match has a 60% chance of totaling over 2.5 goals.
The Seagulls, who currently sit in 13th, have been a top-10 squad on their home pitch and have a 52.4% chance of finding the back of the net -- a feat they have accomplished in all 10 matches at Falmer Stadium. If the Reds are unable to keep a clean sheet, van Dijk will likely struggle to produce a reasonable score, based on his salary, as the Seagulls do not allow a large number of defensive actions. They have allowed the ninth-most interceptions (1.53), third-fewest tackles (1.46) fewest clearances (2.49) and fewest blocked shots (0.34) per 90 minutes to opposing defenders this season.
Van Dijk was held out of Monday’s FA Cup match against Wolverhampton, but he should be fit for the match against Brighton, though not the best matchup for defenders. At the top-priced range, both Shane Duffy and Ricardo Pereira seem like better options while Sol Bamba ($6,500) should be in a plus matchup against Huddersfield.
