SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 23

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​Nathan Ake, Defender, Bournemouth

Salary: $7,000

Ake is tied with two other players as the top-priced defender on the slate, and he has averaged 17.2 FanDuel points this season -- the second-lowest average among defenders priced at or above $6,500. Over the past three matches, Ake has averaged 27.7 FanDuel points, scoring two goals but has only averaged 11.46 FanDuel points over his last three matches without scoring a goal.

In the previous match between these two clubs, van Dijk scored 9.1 FanDuel points, and the Cherries won the match 2-1. Bournemouth, on their home pitch, have an 42.6% chance of beating the Hammers, per oddsmakers, while the match has a 60.3% chance of totaling over 2.5 goals.

West Ham, who currently sit in ninth, have scored the ninth-most away goals this season, and have a 81.1% chance of scoring at least one goal. If the Cherries are unable to keep a clean sheet -- a feat they have accomplished in one of their last five home matches, Ake will likely struggle to produce a reasonable score, based on his salary, as the Hammers do not allow a large number of defensive actions. They have allowed the 10th-most tackles (1.75), 10th-fewest blocked shots (0.51), 5th-fewest interceptions (1.39) and 4th-fewest clearances (3.7) per 90 minutes to defenders this season.

Ake has shown over the last three weeks that he is capable of finding the net, which would drastically increase his point production, but at the top-priced range, both Jose Holebas and James Tarkowski seem like better options while Sol Bamba ($6,500) has averaged 22 FanDuel points this season.