4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 9
Matchweek 9 sees the top squads returning from Matchday 3 of the European tournaments (Champions and Europa), meaning DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI, when they become available.
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. Matchweek 9 features eight Saturday matches, with the remaining two matches wrapping up Sunday. Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.
Forward
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United
FanDuel Price: £14.8 million
Ibrahimovic is the second-highest priced forward for Matchweek 9 and is averaging 25.03 FanDuel points. Ibrahimovic entered the season in great form, scoring four goals and tallying 125.5 FanDuel points over the first four matchweeks. In the last four matchweeks, Ibrahimovic has not recorded a goal and has tallied a total of 74.75 FanDuel points. Over the last six matchweeks, Ibrahimovic's home and away splits have been drastic, and this week, the Red Devils travel to Stamford Bridge.
| Stat | Last 3 Away Matches | Last 3 Home Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 9 |
| Chances Created | 2 | 3 |
| Clearances | 1 | 5 |
| Average FanDuel Points | 10.25 | 27.91 |
Ibrahimovic is not completely absent in away matches, but his production -- especially shots on target -- has diminished. The Red Devils face the Blues in the final match of Matchweek 9. Chelsea are tied for third in home goals allowed this season (3) and have one of the top keepers in the world, Thibaout Courtois. The Blues have maintained 56.4% of the possession at Stamford Bridge while the Red Devils possess the ball 52.6% of the match away from Old Trafford. The marquee match of the weekend should create great drama for fans and DFS players. However, United's manager, Jose Mourinho, has the ability -- as we saw against Liverpool -- to pack it in defensively, severely limiting the Red Devils' attack.
Being the top attack option on a top Premier League squad has its statistical advantages, and Ibrahimovic will likely score many goals this season. However, with such a high price tag, DFS players should avoid Ibrahimovic, especially in a match that a "classic Mourinho" defensive showcase is likely.
Midfielder
Dusan Tadic, Manchester United
FanDuel Price: £9.6 million
Tadic has had some great performances this season, including 41.75 FanDuel points in Matchweek 8 against Burnley. The Saints face their toughest competition of the year Sunday, when they travel to Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. Tadic has averaged 23.28 FanDuel points but has a drastic (10 points) home and away split, averaging 28 FanDuel points at St. Mary's stadium and 18.56 FanDuel points away from his home fans.
| Stat | Matchweek 6 | Three Other Away Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 1 |
| Chances Created | 3 | 5 |
| Total FanDuel Points | 45 | 29.25 |
Tadic's FanDuel points seem to look acceptable but digging into the numbers shows that Tadic has one away outlier -- Matchweek 6 against West Ham -- scoring 45 FanDuel Points. Tadic, in his other three matches away from St. Mary's Stadium has averaged 9.75 FanDuel points, a dramatic drop compared to his averages.
Digging deeper into Tadic's away numbers, shows that two of the four away matches played have come against top seven squads -- Manchester United and Arsenal -- while two have come against squads in the bottom 10: Leicester City and West Ham. Tadic has struggled in the two matches against top squads, averaging 8.63 FanDuel points.
The Saints face the first place Sky Blues in Sunday's early match. Manchester City lead the league in home possession, possessing the ball 64.3% of the match, while Southampton (7th) have possessed the ball 52.7% of the match away from St. Mary's Stadium. Tadic is an extremely skillful player, especially with the ball at his foot, but he should be avoided, especially against a top-club on the road.
Defender
Seamus Coleman, Everton
FanDuel Price: £6.5 million
Coleman is a mid-tier priced defender and has averaged 20.45 FanDuel points over the last five matchweeks, after not playing in the first three. In the last two matchweeks, Coleman's production has dropped, averaging 10.38 FanDuel points. Coleman, over the last two matchweeks, has sent in five crosses that have all been inaccurate, not leading to any chances created.
The Toffees face the Clarets at Turf Moor in Saturday's main slate of matches. Burnley, especially without Andre Gray, have packed it in defensively, hoping to take advantage of a few counter attacks. The Clarets have only possessed the ball 39.7% of the match, greatly limiting the opposing squad's ability to earn defensive statistics. The Toffees possess the ball 51.5% of the match away from Goodison Park and will likely easily control the possession against Burnley.
There is a possibility that Coleman -- with the extended possession -- will continue to send in a limited number of crosses. However, over the last two matches, Coleman has been unable to send in any accurate crosses. With the likelihood that Everton's back line will not see consistent pressure from the Clarets' attack, Coleman should be avoided in favor of defenders with higher ceilings.
Keeper
Lukasz Fabianski, Swansea City
FanDuel Price: £7.4 million
Fabianski is the seventh-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 9 and has averaged 13.41 FanDuel points. The Swans have struggled this season at Liberty Stadium, conceding a league-worst nine home goals and earning only one home point. The Swans have had a tough home schedule so far, facing three -- Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal -- of the top five clubs in the Premier League. It is not surprising that Fabianski has conceded a league leading number of home goals. What is concerning is that Fabianski and the Swans did not dominate in their lone home match against a squad in the bottom half of the table, Hull City, conceding two goals.
Swansea face Watford in Saturday's main slate of matches. The Hornets have scored six goals in their four matches away from Vicarage Road, maintaining 44.6% of the possession. Watford have averaged 8.5 shots per away match, fourth-worst in the Premier League.
Although Fabianski faces Watford, who have not produced many shots, he has not kept a clean sheet since his opening match against Burnley, while also facing a club that averages fewer shots than the Hornets (Hull). The Hornets and the Swans both struggle taking charge of possession, which should lead to both squads getting opportunities. The Hornets, although not producing many shots, have only been shut out once this season. With saves and clean sheets being highly important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, DFS players should avoid Fabianski in a match where the keeper should not expect many shots on target but has proven his inability to maintain a clean sheet.
