SOCCER
FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 16
There is no reason to get cute with the matches to target in the Premier League during midweek action, which means zeroing in on the matches featuring big favorites Chelsea and Tottenham.

There are eight games on the FanDuel slate on Wednesday. This is the biggest Premier League slate the site has offered, which provides many more choices for players. However, there is no reason to try to get cute with the midweek games. There are three games with an over/under of at least three, so that is where to start.

Form and standing in the table are used to cut out one of those games. Watford sit in seventh place and comes into the game with Manchester City off a win. Meanwhile, City have lost their last two matches creating an air of uncertainty. That means targeting an offensive outburst from two London sides and waiting for Pep Guardiola to get the ship righted as they play without Sergio Aguero.

Sunderland vs. Chelsea

It is worst versus first at the Stadium of Light with Chelsea as the clear favorite to take the three points. Diego Costa is likely the chalk pick across the board this week. He will also likely be the player to captain the most season-long teams during the midweek action. At $13,400 Costa is the most-expensive forward, but it will be hard to avoid him.


Costa has the best odds to score this week. Thierry Henry thinks that Costa is the best striker in the Premier League. He has even made the discussion for one of the best front men in the world.

In most cases, Costa needs someone to provide service. Cesc Fabregas has had limited playing time, but he has impressed in the last two matches.

Chelsea will likely win the possession battle easily, so it could be a chance to get John Terry back in the lineup. Terry is only $4,200 and could rack up some easy passing points as well as a few heading clearances on searching balls into the box. Marcos Alonso is the safest bet in the back line as he plays more of a wingback role that has allowed him to rack up nearly 22 FanDuel points per match.

If anyone on Sunderland do score, it is likely to be Jermain Defoe. He has scored against Chelsea for four different teams. Sunderland do have three wins in their last five and a good record against Chelsea of late.

This matchup has averaged 3.7 goals per game over the past 30 meeting. Sunderland have just one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League matches and will be trying to stop Chelsea from winning their 10th straight. Chelsea also have a chance to distance themselves from Arsenal after the Gunners' loss to Everton on Tuesday. Look for Chelsea to make a statement.

Tottenham vs. Hull City

Tottenham would also like to regain their post as a top team against a side that has allowed 16 goals in their last five away fixtures. Despite only losing two games, Tottenham has looked ordinary in many matches. This should be a dominant Spurs win as they have taken five of the last seven matches against the Tigers and as a two-goal favorite, Tottenham are the biggest favorites on the slate.

Harry Kane is the only player that could be more chalky than Costa with five of his seven goals coming at White Hart Lane. That can be narrowed down to five in his last three at home. Considering Hull have conceded 32 goals this season, the second-worst in Europe's top five leagues, Kane should have plenty of chances to continue his hot streak.

Mousa Dembele and Vincent Janssen will be unavailable for Spurs. That puts the pressure on Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-Min to help out Kane. They will all cost over $7,500, so more value may sit with the defenders that get forward for Tottenham.

Danny Rose is the most expensive Tottenham defender at $5,800, but he has created eight chances in his last four matches. He has averaged seven defensive actions with the majority of them being clearances. Rose has registered six tackles in back-to-back games.

For Hull, Robert Snodgrass has been involved in half of the goals scored by the Tigers thus far. He is also their main set piece taker.

Michael Dawson is an interesting play as he played the majority of his career at Tottenham. Although this appears to be an easy win for Spurs, Dawson could rack up the defensive stats. He has averaged 11 defensive actions and 24.2 FanDuel points thus far. He has 24 clearances in the last three matches. Dawson is also averaging a little over two blocks per game over the last five fixtures. Remember, clean sheets and goals against have little impact on defense scoring, so Dawson's work ethic could be rewarded.

There is no reason to work to hard to find the games to target on Wednesday to go along with the value plays in your lineup. Look to Chelsea and Spurs, two teams that should dominate, and possibly take a chance on being rewarded with defensive efforts by the respective back lines of Hull and Sunderland.

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