4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 16

Matchweek 16 is the Premier League's first midweek set of matches for the season, meaning DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available as clubs may look to rest players due to the busy week.

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. 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

The midweek matches were split into two slates -- Tuesday and Wednesday -- with Tuesday's slate only containing two matches. This article will focus on Wednesday's slate for Matchweek 16, which features eight matches, including four 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

Pedro, Chelsea

FanDuel Price: $8,100

Pedro is the 11th-highest priced forward for Matchweek 16, and he has averaged 14.86 FanDuel points this campaign. He has been in the starting XI every match for Chelsea since Matchweek 8, helping the Blues rise to the top of the table.

Pedro and Chelsea travel to the Stadium of Light Wednesday to face Sunderland. Although the Black Cats have played better of late, they still find themselves at the bottom of the table, battling relegation. The Black Cats have conceded 14 goals in front of their home fans while controlling 46% of the possession in those matches. The Blues are a large favorite over the Black Cats, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

Pedro's home and away splits are extreme opposites, with the forward regularly involved in the attack at Stamford Bridge while being completely absent on his opponents pitch.

Pedro's teammates --- Eden Hazard and Diego Costa --- have contributed (goal or assist) on 12 of Chelsea's 21 away goals since Matchweek 8 while Pedro has only taken one shot on target and has created two chances in those eight fixtures. Pedro has not played a full match since becoming a regular piece in the starting XI, and he has averaged 69 minutes in three matches away from Stamford Bridge, playing no more than 63 minutes in his previous two matches (home and away).

The Blues have won nine straight matches while maintaining 52.4 % of the possession and averaging 15.4 shots per match away from Stamford Bridge. You're going to want some exposure to Chelsea, but Pedro is not the guy in which you want to invest.

Pedro has proven this season that he is an extremely skilled player, especially with the ball at his feet, but he seems to be more comfortable at Stamford Bridge. With better priced options --- both above and below his price range --- and the possibility of being subbed off, Pedro is player to avoid.

Midfielder

Etienne Capoue, Watford

FanDuel Price: $7,200

Capoue is the 19th-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 16, and he has averaged 23.22 FanDuel points this season. Capoue entered the season under new manager Walter Mazzarri in spectacular form. Through the first five matches, Capoue scored 5 goals, had 1 assist and averaged 30.3 FanDuel points. Since his surprising start, Capoue has scored only one goal while taking five shots on target.

Capoue's production away from Vicarage Road -- compared to his production at Vicarage Road -- has dropped significantly since Matchweek 5, only producing more shots on target, which all came in Matchweek 11 against Liverpool's less-than-stellar defense.

Capoue has proven that he can be productive without scoring, contributing in all aspects on the pitch --- crosses, tackles and interception --- to produce a high floor. However, even against Liverpool -- who boast 62.5% of possession at Anfield -- Capoue struggled to earn any significant statistics other than his three shots on target.

Capoue and Watford travel to Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. The Sky Blues are the Premier League's best-squad at maintaining possession on their home pitch (62.6 %), while being the second-best squad at limiting their opponents shots per match. The Hornets possess the ball 46.4 % of the match away from Vicarage Road while averaging 4 shots on target. The Sky Blues are a large favorite, and the over/under is set at 3.5 goals.

The Hornets have struggled this season away from home and now face one the Premier League's top squads. Capoue's statistics, other than shots on target, have dropped nearly 50% away from Vicarage Road. The midfielder proved earlier in the season that he is capable of a putting forth tournament-winning performances, but his recent form away from home makes him tough to trust in this matchup.

Defender

Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $6,300

Otamendi is the highest-priced defender for Matchweek 16, and he has averaged 22.77 FanDuel points per game. The Sky Blues enter Wednesday's match against Watford as a large favorite. Otamendi has been extremely productive this season, scoring over 20 FanDuel points seven times while never scoring below 10. The defender's production this season has consisted of mostly defensive statistics -- tackles, interceptions, and clearances -- as Otamendi is not greatly involved in the attack, taking only one shot on target while creating five chances.

The Sky Blues have maintained 62.6 % of the possession at Etihad Stadium while the Hornets have possessed the ball 46.4 % of the match away from Vicarage Road. Manchester City have been dominant on their home pitch, limiting opposing squads to 6.6 shots per match. Otamendi's FanDuel production has slightly declined during matches at Etihad Stadium, averaging 20.75 FanDuel points at home, while averaging 23.93 FanDuel in away matches.

Otamendi's main stats have also decreased in home matches, averaging 4.75 clearances at Etihad Stadium, while averaging 7.57 clearances in away matches. The defender's involvement in the attack has also shrunk, taking one shot on goal and creating four chances away from Etihad Stadium, while only producing one chance created on his home pitch.

Otamendi has been a solid piece in the center of Manchester City's back line and should continue to produce defensively. However, priced as the top defender coupled with his low ceiling in home matches and his ineffectiveness in the Sky Blues' attack makes him a defender who DFS players should avoid in favor of players with higher upside.

Keeper

Ben Foster, West Brom

FanDuel Price: $6,800

Foster is tied with Sunderland's Jordan Pickford as the second-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 16, and he has averaged 11.73 FanDuel points this year. Foster and the Baggies host Swansea City at the Hawthorns. The Baggies enter Wednesday's match as the slight favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. The Baggies possess the ball a league-worst 39.1 % of the match at the Hawthorns while the Swans possess the ball 47.8 % of the match away from Liberty Stadium.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Foster has kept three clean sheets this season. Since his last clean sheet in Matchweek 12 against Burnley, Foster has conceded one goal in each match and has averaged three saves per match. The Baggies have allowed 15.1 shots per match on their home pitch while the Swans' are able to produce 4.3 shots on target per match on their opponents' home pitch.

The Swans have been shut out twice this season away from Liberty Stadium but should be able to control possession against the Baggies, who struggle in that category. The Swans' Gylfi Sigurdsson is in magnificent form, scoring three goals and assisting on four other goals in his last six matches. Sigurdsson has also proven his sublime ability to place set pieces in dangerous areas on the pitch, causing havoc for opposing keepers.

The Baggies, despite entering Wednesday's match as the favorite, will likely struggle to sustain possession, allowing the Swans to put more pressure on the keeper than they normally would away from Liberty Stadium. Couple that with threat of Sigurdsson's masterful set pieces and the possibility of a low number of saves, and Foster isn't in a great spot in this match.