SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 6

David de Gea hasn't kept a clean sheet in his last five matches against Leicester City. What other players should we avoid in this weekend's Premier League fixtures?

Matchweek 6 sees four of the top five squads play away from their home grounds while all of the bottom five squads play on their home pitch.

DFS players, when picking their lineup, should look to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away, while also looking at Vegas favorites and over/under totals.

As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When making an investment into any player, it is important to determine which players will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists, and shots on target).

It's just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups. Three of our four players to avoid from Matchweek 5 under-performed based on their salary. Let's take a look at four players who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Álvaro Negredo, Middlesbrough

FanDuel Price: £7.9 million

In the last three matchweeks -- after scoring 27.75 and 20.25 FanDuel points in the first two matchweeks -- Negredo has been extremely inconsistent, averaging 6.58 points. Negredo's one goal and two assists came in the first two matchweeks for Boro. Negrado's production has dropped in almost every category except aerials won, which is not scored on FanDuel.

Stat First 2 Games Last 3 Games
Goals 1 0
Assists 2 0
Shots on Target 1 1
Key Passes 4 1
Aerials Won 12 18


The Boro face the Spurs at Riverside Stadium Saturday, where they have averaged 52.2% of the possession. The Spurs have controlled 54.9% of the possession away from White Hart Lane and should have a slight edge over Middlesbrough. Tottenham has conceded one goal in two matches away from their home pitch and should look to contain Negredo. Tottenham's manager, Mauricio Pochettino, confirmed that defender Danny Rose is very close to returning and could play a role against Middlesbrough.

Negredo is a value play who DFS players should employ throughout the season in order to spend up on studs. However, we should wait until Negredo has a better matchup and is playing more consistently.

Midfielder

Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: £13 million

Mahrez is the fifth-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 6, as Leicester faces Manchester United at Old Trafford in Saturday's early match. United is a fairly large favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5.

Mahrez has been a stud for DFS players in the past, especially with his consistent crossing numbers, 21 in five matches. The major issue with selecting Mahrez on FanDuel is his strength, crosses, is not scored on FanDuel unless it leads to a chance created.

In the first two matchweeks, Mahrez averaged 31.38 FanDuel points while scoring one goal. In the past three matchweeks, Mahrez averaged only 13.25 FanDuel points, which certainly burned DFS players who spent a large percentage of their salary on the midfielder.

StatFirst 2 GamesLast 3 Games
Goals10
Shots on Target32
Chances Created36
Tackles 42


Both squads will enter this match struggling to maintain possession. The Red Devils have possessed the ball 44.3% of the match on their home pitch, while the Foxes have possessed the ball 44.7% of the time away from King Power Stadium. The inability by both squads to possess the ball indicates a match where both squads will likely get up and down the pitch. However, these squads squared off in the Community Shield where the Red Devils possessed the ball 58% off the match and earned the victory 2-1.

Mahrez should continue to have a high floor, and DFS players should expect Mahrez to continue sending in crosses. Mahrez, as an outcome of those crosses, will undoubtedly have huge fantasy weeks. However, we should wait until Leicester and Mahrez return to better form and have a more inviting matchup.

Defender

César Azpilicueta, Chelsea

FanDuel Price: £9.1 million

Azpilicueta is no stranger to the avoid list, appearing on the players to avoid list for both Matchweek 2 and Matchweek 3. Azpilicueta is the third-highest priced defender for Matchweek 6 and has averaged 12.10 FanDuel points. The defender has not scored more than 18 points in any week and is not heavily involved in the attack, certainly not as much as DFS players would hope for in a defender at his price.

The Blues travel to Emirates Stadium in Saturday's late match to face the Gunners. Chelsea has possessed the ball 56.9% of the match away from their home fans, while Arsenal has possessed the ball 52.9% of the match on their home pitch. Both squads this season have shown the ability to score goals as well as the inability to stop their opponent from scoring. This match will likely follow that same script, giving Azpilicueta the ability to earn a few defensive statistics -- but not enough to justify his price.

Defenders on squads that are at or near the bottom of the table, or on squads that easily relinquish possession -- such as Hull's Curtis Davies or Palace's Scott Dann -- should be targeted on FanDuel Chelsea does not fit in either of those categories. Azpilicueta should be avoided until his price drops or Chelsea decides to involve the defender in their attack.

Keeper

David de Gea, Manchester United

FanDuel Price: £8.3 million

de Gea made one save while conceding one goal in United's 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the Community Shield. Although he faced only two shots, he was unable to maintain a clean sheet. When forking over the cash for a goalie on a top team -- which means he's probably not going to rack up many points for saves -- clean sheets are a must. The Foxes have struggled this season, especially away from King Power Stadium, conceding six goals and only possessing the ball 44.7% of the match. The Red Devils will likely -- as they did in the Community Shield -- easily control possession.

United enters this match as the Vegas favorite, although Leicester's attack looked better with Islam Slimani. The Foxes will likely continue to struggle placing shots on net, limiting de Gea's upside, especially if Leicester is able to find the net. As one of the best goalies in the world, de Gea is always capable of a huge performance, but he's not an ideal play against Leicester, especially at this price.