4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 25

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This is especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.

This article is geared toward Saturday's main slate, which starts 10:00 a.m. EST and features six matches.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United

FanDuel Salary: $12,000

Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane ($11,800) and Romelu Lukaku ($11,800) all make some sense here, but Manchester United's reliance on Ibra makes him a very enticing option anytime the Red Devils are in action. That's especially the case when Manchester United are favored, and they're a 1.5-goal favorite against Watford, making them the only team favored by more than half a goal. The match also boasts a three-goal over/under, the highest of the slate.

Watford have allowed 40 goals in 24 league matches, including 22 in 12 road fixtures. Even though the Hornets won the reverse fixture 3-1, Manchester United finished the match with 15 shots and a possession clip of 60%.

The Red Devils are third in the league in shots per game (17), and they hold a significant edge in possession -- 56.3% to 46.4% -- over the Hornets. Those numbers should be magnified at Old Trafford, where United averaged 19.2 shots per contest.

Ibra is tied for second in the league in goals with 15, and he's also added 3 assists. He's been directly involved in exactly half of Manchester United's 36 goals, and no other Red Devil has more than 5 goals. With an implied total of 2.25 goals, Ibrahimovic should have plenty of chances to add to his tally.

Midfielder

Ross Barkley, Everton

FanDuel Salary: $8,400

Lukaku, fresh off a four-goal masterclass, will likely see hefty ownership this week, so pivoting to his midfield teammate could give you a leg up in tournaments.

Incredibly, all of the seven most-expensive midfielders come from the Liverpool-Tottenham matchup. It's hard telling exactly how that game will play out, although it should be a lung-busting affair. Despite both teams' willingness to get forward, there have only been four total goals in the last three matches between the Reds and Spurs. As such, if you're willing to fade those midfielders, Barkley is a great consolation prize. He gives you some savings over the other top midfielders, and he's been in great form lately.

Barkley has scored at least 18 FanDuel points in six straight matches. He's averaging 32.87 points in that span, totaling 2 goals, 3 assists and 15 chances created.

Everton are just a half-goal favorite for their road matchup at Middlesborough, but that actually ties them with Southampton as the second-biggest favorite on the slate. The Toffees have netted a whopping 17 goals over their last six league fixtures, 4 more than any other team, and Boro are surrendering the seventh-most shots per match (14.1).

Defender

Calum Chambers, Middlesbrough

FanDuel Salary: $6,100

Chambers has been an extremely consistent producer on Boro's back line. He's scored at least 16 FanDuel points in 14 of 17 matches, and he's doing it almost solely on defensive actions, totaling just 1 assist and no goals this year.

Chambers is averaging 8.0 clearances, 2.2 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per match. He's been credited with at least 9 clearances in three of his last four appearances, and he's averaged 44 passes per game over his last four matches. All of that gives him an incredibly safe floor.

If it's a high ceiling you're after, James Milner ($8,000), Seamus Coleman ($6,400) and Kyle Walker ($6,100) have some appeal, but none of them boast a floor as high as what Chambers does.

Goalie

Vito Mannone, Sunderland

FanDuel Salary: $6,800

This feels a little like point chasing, but Mannone and Sunderland are in a pretty good spot for their home match against a struggling Southampton side.

Mannone has been standing on his head in his past two matches. At Crystal Palace, he registered an 8-save clean sheet, posting 36.5 FanDuel points. In the match prior to that, a home fixture against Spurs, he blanked Tottenham's high-powered attack with a three-save clean sheet.

With that said, he's certainly not the safest play behind the Black Cats' porous defense. In the four games prior to his recent two-match tear, Mannone allowed 11 total goals. However, in one of those matches, he amassed a remarkable 13 saves and scored 37.5 FanDuel points despite giving up 2 goals.

Southampton is the better side here, and they are listed as a half-goal favorite. But the Saints are in very poor form, losing five of the past six matches with just six goals in that stretch. Over their last two games, the Saints have turned 31 total shots into 2 goals. Mannone should be busy, and he'll have a chance for a third straight clean sheet unless Southampton get more clinical in front of goal.