SOCCER

Premier League: 4 FanDuel Value Plays for Matchweek 23

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Jan 28th, 2017
Sunderland's Billy Jones should be a busy man against Tottenham. Which other low-cost players are in a good spot?

The schedule in the Premier League is going to be fluid in the coming weeks as domestic cup play continues and the Champions League knockout stages begin for several teams. Week 23 takes place over a Tuesday and Wednesday, with FanDuel sticking to the list of fixtures on January 31st for its main slate.

Tuesday's slate includes seven matches. The top four teams in the table are in action, with Chelsea taking on Liverpool in the headline match to round out the day. A number of teams in action could have new looks with players coming and going during the January transfer window, which will come to an end hours after the whistle blows on the games Tuesday.

There are some minor injuries which could impact value on Tuesday. Tottenham's Harry Kane and Danny Rose both should play despite recent injuries. Crystal Palace's Scott Dann is scheduled to undergo a fitness test on Saturday before FA Cup play. Islam Slimani is a doubt after an injury during the Africa Cup of Nations. If any of those players cannot go, then their replacements will up the amount of value available on this slate.

Regardless, there are still good value plays for Tuesday. Let's take a look.

Forward

Andre Gray, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $6,800

Gray has scored five goals in his last five games after nine appearances without one. He has helped Burnley win three of their last five league matches and move 10 points clear of the relegation zone.


Burnley gets to host a Leicester City team that has given up 37 goals, 4 more than Burnley. The Foxes have also given up eight goals in the last three games across all competitions. Leicester has yet to win away from home while Burnley has won eight of 12 at Turf Moor. They have scored 20 goals in those 12 matches.

Gray's strike partner Ashley Barnes is $400 cheaper. Sam Vokes is also in the same price range, so a Burnley striker should be available as a value pick on Tuesday despite the team playing Bristol City in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Midfield

Tom Carroll, Swansea City

FanDuel Price: $4,700

Carroll debuted for Swansea four days after moving from Tottenham and had an immediate impact.

His controlled debut helped the Swans to an improbable victory over Liverpool that moved them out of the relegation zone. Carroll was credited with an assist, four interceptions, a tackle, a chance created, and a clearance on the way to a 20-FanDuel-point outing. The assist was a beauty to Fernando Llorente.


It was only one game, but Carroll showed he can take some of the responsibility for the Swansea attack off of Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson and Llorente will remain important parts of the Swans' attack, but the team may finally have someone that can get them the ball in dangerous positions.

Swansea hosts Southampton on Tuesday and will be rested while the Saints play Arsenal on Saturday in FA Cup action. Southampton has allowed the second-fewest shots on target in the Premier League this season, but they could be without their best defender, Virgil Van Dijk, who was recently added to an eight-man injury list and has been ruled out of Saturday's match. Swansea could be getting a short-handed and tired Southampton team playing their third game in seven days.

Defense

Billy Jones, Sunderland

FanDuel Price: $5,400

There is no reason to believe that Sunderland can stay competitive with Tottenham on Tuesday. However, FanDuel scoring rewards back line players for defensive actions and does not punish them for goals allowed. Jones should have plenty of chances to rack up defensive action points in this one.

Jones was brought back into the starting lineup last week and should continue to see playing time. Papy Djilobodji will begin serving a four-match ban while Patrick Van Aanholt looks to be on the move before the game kicks off. Add in an extensive injury list, and the Black Cats will surely need the services of Jones to thwart Spurs.

Jones has averaged 16 FanDuel points in 12 appearances and comes off one of his top performances of the year. He was credited with seven clearances last week against West Brom, a season high. Jones has yet to commit a defensive error while averaging seven defensive actions per match. He has also created 11 chances this season.

Since Tottenham are expected to own most of the possession, Jones may not get an opportunity to help his team offensively, but he could set a new season high for clearances. It should be noted that Jones has won 71% of his headed duels, which will help on all set pieces against Spurs.

Keeper

Wayne Hennessey, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: $6,100

As has been the case in recent weeks, many of the keepers are priced closely together. Hennessey emerges as a good value pick given his high ceiling for save chances as Crystal Palace has been woeful defensively.

Hennessey was called upon to make seven saves against Everton on January 21st, his best performance of the year. Palace will take on Bournemouth on Tuesday, a team that has scored just one goal fewer than Everton on the season. They have also racked up 258 shots on the year.

Steve Mandanda just returned to training, and Julian Speroni recently picked up a knock. Mandanda will likely take over for Hennessey when he is fit and should be at a lower price tag than the Wales keeper, but for now, it is Hennessey's job.