SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Value Plays for Week 1

In his first start for Crystal Palace, Steve Mandanda gets a nice matchup against offensively-challenged West Brom.

The Premier League hits the ground running this weekend with a 10-game schedule.

The opening weekend can be a little crazy for DFS. With new signings arriving, stars reporting late because of international duties, and roles far from set in stone, there are a lot of variables at play.

We already looked at some high-priced players who are worth the large investment, but let’s shift to some low-cost assets who could deliver with some solid production, highlighting one value play at each position.

Goalie

Steve Mandanda, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: £6.5 million

Newly-promoted Palace drew a great matchup for their reintroduction to the Premier League, getting a home meeting with West Bromwich Albion. It’s a particularly tasty setting for Mandanda. Among teams that were not relegated a year ago, West Brom ranked last in goals scored per game at 0.89. Not only did West Brom fire off a league-low 10.2 shots per match, but just 2.8 of those shots were on target, which was another league-worst clip.

The Baggies were really poor on the road, too, managing just 8.8 shots per match. The game is tied for the lowest over/under on the slate, and Mandanda -- who had 9 clean sheets in 36 matches last season for Olympique Marseille -- has a great chance to start his Crystal Palace career with a bang.

Defender

Damien Delaney, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: £6 million

If you're looking for a defensive stack, you could do a lot worse than pairing Delaney with Mandanda. All of the positives working for Mandanda also apply to Delaney, who has been a regular in Palace's starting XI since the 2012-13 campaign. Delaney averaged 1.8 interceptions, 6.3 clearances, and 1.2 blocks per game last season. He does enough going forward -- scoring 2 goals with 3 assists last year while dishing out 33 passes per game -- to be a solid fantasy asset. It's worth repeating: West Brom are a poor offensive team. With that said, Palace, who ranked 15th a year ago with a 46.8% possession rate, aren't going to overpower the Baggies, so Delaney should be busy enough defensively to rack up some solid numbers.

Midfielder

Alex Iwobi, Arsenal

FanDuel Price: £6.5 million

Iwobi got some extended run for the Gunners at the end of last season, and he flashed enough ability to get everyone all sorts of hot and bothered. He’s kept it going with a good preseason, as well. Oozing with pace, the 20-year-old Iwobi may not start regularly this season, but he appears to be in line to get the nod for the season opener against Liverpool with Mesut Ozil out. Obviously, if Iwobi doesn’t start, he’s not worth rostering, but if he’s in the starting XI, he could pay off in a big way in a game featuring a pair of attack-minded sides that should be fairly open (2.5 over/under).

Forward

Gerard Deulofeu, Everton

FanDuel Price: £5.7 million

In a match between two of last season’s most offensive sides, Deulofeu has considerable upside. Both Everton and Tottenham ranked in the top three in shots per game a year ago, and if Deulofeu can secure a role taking corners, he’d be very difficult to pass up at this price. The Spaniard scored 2 goals with 8 assists in just 16 appearances (10 starts) a year ago, his first with the Toffees. Spurs conceded just 35 goals last season, tying for a league-best clip, but it shouldn’t scare you off Everton, who were sixth in open play goals and third in goals off counter attacks.