4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 12

Matchweek 12 sees players returning from international duty as the Premier League resumes after the international break, as well as clubs that qualified for European tournaments (Champions and Europa) gearing up for Matchday 5. This means, especially with the top clubs, that players may be rested in preparation for a busy week. DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XIs when they become available.

We 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 also just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups.

FanDuel made their Premier League DFS games available to U.S. players starting in Matchweek 10, and this article will be geared toward the main slate U.S.-based FanDuel games. The main slate for Matchweek 12 features seven Saturday matches, which include three of the top five clubs.

Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Christian Benteke, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Benteke is the ninth-highest priced forward for Matchweek 12, and he has averaged 18 FanDuel points. Crystal Palace faces Manchester City Saturday at Selhurst Park, where Benteke has averaged 7.13 FanDuel points. Benteke has scored all four of his goals away from Selhurst Park while averaging 26.7 FanDuel points in his travels.

Benteke has faced three squads that are currently in the bottom half of the table -- Bournemouth, Stoke City and West Ham -- at Selhurst Park, and he has struggled in those three matches, not producing a shot on goal. Benteke has produced shots on goal in only one match at Selhurst park, those three came against Liverpool's subpar back line.

The Sky Blues have conceded five goals away from Etihad Stadium, third-best in the Premier League, while the Eagles have scored seven goals on their home pitch. The Eagles have done well this season controlling possession at Selhurst Park, possessing the ball on average 53.7% of the match. However, hosting three squads in the bottom half of the table is inflating those possession numbers. Manchester City, on the other hand, have been the second-best squad in terms of possession away from their home pitch, averaging 58% of the possession.

Benteke has struggled this season at Selhurst Stadium and will now face a tough Manchester City squad that should limit the Eagles' possession, diminishing Benteke's upside. DFS players should avoid Benteke in a tough matchup and look to spend their money on forwards with higher upside.

Midfielder

Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $8,100

Mahrez is the 14th-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 12 and has averaged 13.73 FanDuel points. The Foxes enter Saturday's match against Watford as a slight Vegas favorite. The Foxes' struggles this season have been across the entire pitch and even more prevalent away from King Power Stadium, where the Foxes have recorded only one point in their five road matches.

Mahrez started the season in good form, scoring once and averaging 31.38 FanDuel points, through the first two matchweeks. Since Matchweek 2, Mahrez's DFS value has plummeted, averaging a meager 9.81 FanDuel points. Digging deeper into those numbers shows Mahrez struggles even more while playing away from King Power Stadium.

The Foxes' play has been atrocious this season away from King Power Stadium, maintaining the third-worst possession percentage, 41.8%. The Foxes' struggles this season have affected not only Mahrez, but the entire squad's fantasy value.

The Hornets have been anything but spectacular at Vicarage Road this season, earning seven points in five matches while maintaining 45.6% of the possession. However, the Hornets still find themselves in the top half of the table, competing for a spot in Europe. With the match unlikely see a dominant squad -- limiting Mahrez's ability to earn defensive statistics (interceptions and tackles) -- and the fact the Foxes' struggle to score goals on the road, Mahrez an easy player to avoid.

Defender

Curtis Davies, Hull City

FanDuel Price: $8,300

Davies is tied with Leicester's Christian Fuchs as the top-priced defender for Matchweek 12. Davies has averaged 23.3 FanDuel points and has been one of the top DFS defenders this season. He started the season in great form, averaging 35.13 FanDuel points and benefiting from the Tiger's determination to sit back defensively -- which allowed Davies plenty of opportunities for clearances, tackles and blocked shots. However, since Matchweek 4, Davies' interceptions and blocks have dropped, lowering his average to 16.5 FanDuel points in Matchweek 5 through Matchweek 11.

The Tigers travel to the Stadium of Light Saturday to face Sunderland. The Black Cats have been the Premier League's worst squad this season and likely the most disappointing. Sunderland have maintained 45% of the possession this season at the Stadium of Light. The Tigers have been slightly better than the Black Cats this season, maintaining 46.2% of the possession away from KCOM Stadium.

The Black Cats average 10 shots per match on their home pitch, third-worst in the Premier League. With neither squad likely to control possession, Davies' opportunity to earn a large amount of defensive statistics just won't be there like it usually is. Davies has a high floor as he consistently makes clearances, averaging 7.4 per match. But the Tigers' match against Sunderland will likely see Davies struggle to earn a large number of defensive statistics (other than clearances), and with the defender seemingly absent from the Tigers attack -- six shots and one assist all year -- Davies should be avoided as the top-priced defender.

Keeper

Artur Boruc, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $5,600

Boruc is the fourth-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 12, and he has averaged 12.66 FanDuel points per match. The Cherries travel to Bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City, where the Potters have been shut out once (Matchweek 4 against Tottenham). The Potters possess the ball 49% of the time in their home matches while averaging 14 shots.

Clean sheets are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Boruc has maintained three, including Matchweek 9 against Tottenham. However, all three of Boruc's clean sheets have come at home as the Cherries have struggled away from Dean Court, allowing 10 goals. Bournemouth controls 48.3% of the possession away from Dean Court and are an underdog (+325) against Stoke.

The Cherries have struggled in their travels this season, making Boruc a risky play anytime he is not playing at Dean Court. In a match that does not set up for Boruc to see a lot of shots, DFS players should avoid Boruc in favor of keepers who are likely to see more shots, giving them the possibility of a higher ceiling.