SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 2

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Aug 19th, 2016
The matches to target in fantasy soccer this week can be described as special narratives and the search for the right team composition.

Only three teams managed to score more than two goals last week during the opening weekend of the Premier League. At the same time, there were only two teams that kept clean sheets. In other words, there were points to be found across the league from every team except Crystal Palace and Burnley.

Matchweek 2 features a Friday night game between Manchester United and Southampton. It is not available on all slates but is an option to play on FanDuel. The top prizes are much lower if you add in the Friday match, but target the United forwards if you are adding it to your games.

Here is a look at a few games on Saturday and Sunday that can help you take home the big prize.

Leicester City vs. Arsenal

Arsenal allowed four goals to Liverpool last week but scored three of their own. Arsenal continue to have injury issues on defense with debutant Rob Holding getting the start alongside Calum Chambers last week. If you add in Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi, who picked up injuries last weekend, the squad is dealing with seven injuries.

Ramsey is out for at least the next two Premier League matches and will join Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck with long-term injuries. With the injuries piling up, manager Arsene Wenger is thinking about gambling on some of the players that are still regaining fitness after long runs at Euro 2016.


The injuries and the potential absence of Mesut Ozil means that Santi Cazorla is in a good spot. He recorded two assists in the second half last week. Coming on as a sub last week, Cazorla was successful on 94% of his passes and also recorded points for a clearance and an interception. His FanDuel pricing of £10.9 million makes him the ninth-most expensive midfielder this weekend. His value will increase if Olivier Giroud is restored to the starting lineup. Cazorla could take corner kicks if Ozil cannot go. Pay close attention to the Arsenal team sheet before finalizing your lineup.

Regardless of the team sheet on Saturday, Arsenal is still in a bit of disarray defensively. That means Leicester could have a field day after suffering a loss in Matchweek 1. The defending champions will want to shake off the bad start at home in the King Power Stadium. There is another narrative at play as well with both Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy possibly spurning the Gunners to stay with Leicester. It is clear that Vardy turned down Arsenal, but there has not been confirmation that Mahrez snubbed Arsenal before signing his new contract earlier this week.

Mahrez is always going to be expensive, and he will cost £13.2 million this week. However, he took a penalty last week to add to his value. He will also take direct free kicks for Leicester City.

Vardy may go relatively low-owned this week as some are saying the party is over for the speedy striker. He had a bad game against Hull last week, but the Arsenal defense is in shambles. Vardy will still cost over £10 million, but the potential for two goals is there against the Gunners.

A couple more important notes for this match stand out. Alexis Sanchez has scored four goals in his two previous league games at Leicester, and the Gunners have failed to score in only one of the 27 most recent league matches with LCFC.

West Brom vs. Everton

This match could go largely overlook by daily fantasy players this weekend, but the game at The Hawthorns should provide good value. Last year's early season match finished with five goals scored along with three yellow cards. According to Bovada the odds are on a 1-1 draw, so expect some goals in this one.

Ross Barkley may be the most used player in this match, but for good reason. He scored a goal last week to start the season off well, much like he did last year. Barkley is taking direct free kicks in some cases so his £9.8 million price tag is well worth it.


What makes Everton more enticing is the possible return of Romelu Lukaku and new signings Yannick Bolasie and Ashley Williams making the trip to West Brom. Williams looks least likely of the three to start the match. If Williams does start it will bolster the Toffees' defense that looked good last week.

Maarten Stekelenburg made two huge saves in the second half last week while Idrissa Gueye was everywhere in the midfield. Stekelenburg is only £5.6 million on FanDuel. If he continues to be Ronald Koeman's first choice, the cost will raise, so this may be as good a time as ever to take a chance on the veteran keeper.

Even with Everton bolstering their defense, West Brom's Salomon Rondon brings value. He is on Barcelona's radar after scoring the winning goal last week with a header in the box. Rondon is a good finisher and a threat on aerial balls with his 6'2" frame. West Brom captain Darren Fletcher had nothing but praise for "Salo" following last week's match. His £7.4 million price tag is very intriguing in this match up with Everton.

Other potential plays in this match up include WBA midfielder Claudio Yacob, who had six tackles last week, and Everton defender Mason Holgate. Holgate got the start last week and his price is only £4.2 million on FanDuel.

West Ham vs. Bournemouth

The fantasy potential for this match is through the roof, partially due to the dynamics surrounding the game. The Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will have 57,000 people in attendance for the first Premier League match in the new ground.


New signing Andre Ayew is out for four months, but Dimitri Payet should be fully healthy. Payet will be looking for Andy Carroll, who has a similar frame to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Bournemouth struggled with Ibrahimovic last week, so Carroll could be in for a good day. Carroll will cost just £7 million.

If you are a fan of narratives, this may be the best one of the weekend with the stadium hosting its first Premier League match. It is also valuable to note that over two-and-a-half goals have been scored in Bournemouth's last five away league matches. Also, both teams have scored in the last five league matches that West Ham has hosted between these sides. West Ham also played a Europa League match on Thursday in Romania. Some of the players could be dealing with a bit of fatigue. The Olympic Stadium should be full of fireworks before, during and after the game.

Good luck in your games this weekend.