SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 22

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Jan 20th, 2017
The oddsmakers do not see a game that stands out above the rest on Saturday's FanDuel slate, but there could be fireworks at the Etihad Stadium.

The odds for matchweek 22 in the Premier League say that goal scoring will be down overall. None of the six games on the FanDuel slate have an over/under above 2.5 goals. Only half of those games have a clear favorite.

Among the games not worth fully targeting is West Brom hosting Sunderland. There is value to be had in this match but limited upside from Sunderland.

Manchester United and Bournemouth both have under-the-radar plays who can help your lineup. However, the first match to target takes place at Selhurst Park in London.

Crystal Palace vs. Everton

Palace are coming in off of three straight losses while Everton are riding a high of back-to-back wins including last week's impressive 4-0 victory over Manchester City. Everton's last two wins have been clean sheets. The teams are separated by 17 points with Crystal Palace only outside the drop zone based on goal differential.

Tom Davies has been a catalyst for Everton, which have won five of the seven matches he has played. Davies had his best game of the season last week, tallying 30.5 points on FanDuel and earning man of the match honors. Everton played more of a flat midfield that allowed Davies to get forward. He still put in an impressive defensive effort with one block, a clearance, three fouls drawn, two interceptions, and one tackle. Davies is only $4,100.


It is unclear how manager Ronald Koeman will integrate recent signee Morgan Schneiderlin into the midfield. He provides tremendous value at $3,700 should he start. Schneiderlin's value comes on the defensive end.

Of course the big names like Ross Barkley, Leighton Baines, and Romelu Lukaku are in play. Lukaku has scored four of the last five Premier League goals for Everton against Palace. Barkley has created 47 chances. Baines has been great from the spot but is battling an injury. Kevin Mirallas is also in a good spot, especially if he continues to play alongside Lukaku.

Palace have not been shut out in back-to-back games since the opening two weeks of the season. Despite being near the bottom of the table, they are in the top half in goals scored. Everton concedes close to 12 shots per game, so Palace should be able to get a few good attempts on goal.

Christian Benteke scored in midweek action and has good odds to score this weekend. He is $8,000 and is a better tournament play.

Yohan Cabaye is still averaging over 18 points per game at just under $6,000. The biggest value pick may be Julian Speroni. If Sam Allardyce surprisingly picks Speroni to start in goal after his FA Cup play then he would be in line for plenty of save points. Speroni is just $5,000.

Everton should be able to keep their momentum going, but Palace are fighting for their Premier League life. They will not just fold under Allardyce.

Manchester City vs. Tottenham

This is the showcase game of the weekend with the second-place team traveling to the home of the fifth-place team. The last three meetings have all been Spurs victories with 10 combined goals scored.

Tottenham's defense will take a hit as Jan Vertonghen is out for up to 10 weeks. Ben Davies or Kevin Wimmer will slot in the back line. Both players are under $5,000 and will be challenged by the City attackers. Davies has made more appearances and averages close to 10 FanDuel points per game in limited action.

City are near the top of the tackled category indicating they have the ball often, which could help Davies or Wimmer rack up the defensive action points. Please check the lineups Saturday morning to see who gets the first chance to take Vertonghen's place.

After the hole in the defense, the rest of the Spurs lineup should be familiar names like Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose, and Harry Kane. Victor Wanyama will also be asked to put in a big shift defensively.


High-priced players on the City side will also be the ones to target with Sergio Agüero and Kevin De Bruyne leading the way. The interesting player to watch will be Gabriel Jesus. If Pep Guardiola rolls out the Brazilian, he could be a game changer after making a vow to City. It is unclear where he will fit in, but he will be asked to go forward. Jesus is $8,600 on FanDuel.

Spurs have three straight clean sheets, but the loss of Vertonghen will cause stress. City have three Premier League clean sheets dating back to the end of October. Both teams are in the top four in shots on the season. City does not want to fall out of a European play spot and can tie Tottenham with a win. Tottenham are trying to stay close to Chelsea at the top of the table. Needless to say, there is a lot to play for in the final game on Saturday's slate.