SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 6

Philippe Coutinho, a key cog in Liverpool's high-scoring attack, has a nice matchup with Hull City.

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

With a full 10-game slate on tap for Matchweek 6, there is no shortage of options. Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.

Forward

Harry Kane, Tottenham

Price: £12.9 million

Our striker choice last week, Kane found the back of the net on his way to a monster 52.25-point output on FanDuel. A lot of the things that made Kane attractive last week also apply this weekend as Spurs hit the road to take on Middlesbrough.

Tottenham, who is fourth in the Premier League with a 55.6% possession rate, is likely to control the ball against a Boro side averaging just 9.2 shots per game. In his breakout campaign last year, Kane netted 15 of his league-best 25 goals away from home, and he has scored a goal in each of Tottenham’s last two league matches.

Middlesbrough just allowed Everton to rack up three goals and six shots on target in Matchweek 5, and Kane should have a few cracks at goal in this one.

Midfielder

Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool

Price: £13.5 million

Coutinho has been a key cog in the high-powered Liverpool attack, averaging 23 FanDuel points per match. He tallied 21.5 points in Matchweek 5 without scoring a goal, dishing out an assist and getting credited with two chances created.

Hull City have been a nice story early on, but Liverpool should generate plenty of offense in this one. Hull is coming off a 4-1 home drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, and they’re sporting a 47.5% possession rate while allowing the most shots on goal per contest (21.4).

Liverpool, meanwhile, has netted 11 goals in five matches, and the Reds have possession 56.1% of the time, the third-best clip in the league. Liverpool’s 17 shots per match rank fourth in the league, and they are a 1.5-goal favorite in a match with an over/under of 3.

You’re going to want to target the Reds, and Coutinho is at the top of the list.

Defender

Curtis Davies, Hull City

Price: £10.1 million

Sticking with the same game, everything that makes Coutinho and Liverpool’s attackers attractive also makes Davies a good play. The Hull City backliner has been a star this season -- so much so that the 17.5 FanDuel points he scored last week was his worst single-game output by 11.5 points.

That season-worst match -- which was still a very productive performance -- came against Arsenal, but in Davies’ two other matches against top-tier teams, he totaled 32.75 points against Leicester City and 36.25 points versus Manchester United.

As we covered with Coutinho, Liverpool’s high-octane attack should keep Hull’s defense extremely busy. Davies has thrived in that role this season, averaging 9 clearances, 7 interceptions, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 tackles, and 44.2 passes per match.

The allure of getting him at a low price is gone -- as he’s now the second-most expensive defender -- but he’s still a worthwhile play, especially when Hull is taking on one of the Premier League’s top sides.

Goalie

Lukasz Fabianski, Swansea City

Price: £8.1 million

Admittedly, it’s a little scary to roster a goalie against a red-hot Manchester City side, but the ceiling here is too high to ignore.

Make no mistake -- Manchester City should control this match. The Citizens lead the league in possession (61%) and are third in shots per game (17.6) and second in shots on target per match (6.4). The Swans, on the other hand, allow the allow the fifth-most shots per game (16.4).

All signs point to Fabianski being a very busy man against City. He has been in good form this season, scoring at least 17 FanDuel points per game over his last three outings. Overall, Fabianski has totaled fewer than 17 points just once, and he is averaging 16.2 points per match.

If Fabianski can limit the damage to just one or two goals, he should be able to amass enough saves to rack up a big point total. In his two matches against top-level sides, Fabianski gave up two goals apiece to Leicester and Chelsea, but he still averaged 17.75 points in those two fixtures.