SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 26

The Swans have conceded the Premier League's most goals to opposing forwards but have yet to concede to non-central forwards, making Chelsea's Pedro a risky option. Which other players should we stay away from this weekend?

FanDuel made their Premier League DFS games available to U.S. players starting in Matchweek 10, and this article will be geared toward the main slate for the U.S.-based FanDuel site. The main slate for Matchweek 26 features six Saturday matches, which includes only one team in the top five due to the postponement of the Arsenal/Southampton match.

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. DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI's, when they become available.

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: $9,900

Pedro is the third-highest priced forward for Matchweek 26, and he has averaged 15.75 FanDuel points per match. He has been in the Blues’ starting lineup 16 times this campaign, averaging 18.64 FanDuel points in those starts.

Pedro and Chelsea host Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues average 14.7 shots per match while maintaining 53.5% of the possession on their home pitch. The Blues enter Saturday’s match as the largest favorite on the slate, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

The Swans have conceded 26 goals while allowing 15 shots per match away from Liberty Stadium and have been the league’s worst squad against opposing forwards, conceding 27 goals. Despite their struggles this season against forwards, the Swans have yet to concede a goal or an assist to a non-center forward, and Pedro has lined up on the right side of the Blues’ attack in all but four starts.

There are four players on Saturday’s slate that cost more than $9,000 on FanDuel. Three play for the Blues -- Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, and Pedro -- while the other expensive player is Everton’s Romelu lukaku. When spending a large portion of their salary (15%) on one player, DFS players want to choose the best option, and all the other players in that price range have perceived better matchups.

PedroCostaLukakuHazard
Goals6151016
Assists5534
Shots on Target9312433
Chances Created20294834


Midfielder

Michail Antonio, West Ham

FanDuel Price: $7,300

Antonio is tied for the eighth-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 26, along with the Blues’ Cesc Fabregas, and he has averaged 20.68 FanDuel points this season. In his last four matches, Antonio has averaged 11.5 FanDuel points while scoring under 10 points in his last two matches.

Antonio and West Ham travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford. The Irons produce 12.1 shots per match in road matches while controlling 45.5% of the possession. They enter Saturday’s match as a slight underdog, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

With Andy Carroll ruled out, Antonio will likely slide up into more of a forward role for this one. Antonio has made seven appearances as a forward for the Irons this season, including four times in his previous six matches. In those seven matches, Antonio has averaged 16.5 FanDuel points with 6 shots on target and 1 goal.

The Hornets control 47.5 % of the possession at Vicarage Road while allowing 11.6 shots per match. They have conceded 18 goals on their home pitch this season and have been one of the best back lines against forwards, conceding 4 goals in their last 10 matches to opposing forwards.

Antonio has proven he has a high ceiling, scoring more than 30 FanDuel points five times this season, but he has also scored fewer than 14 FanDuel points 10 times. Antonio has struggled over his last four matches and will travel to Vicarage Road to face a tough defense against forwards, making him a top target to avoid.

Defender

Michael Keane, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $6,400

Keane is tied for the fourth-highest priced defender for Matchweek 26, along with two other defenders, and he has averaged 17.96 FanDuel points. The Clarets enter Saturday’s match as the underdog, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. Keane has played a full 90 minutes in all 25 matches but has only reached his average in 3 of his previous 10 matches.

Keane and Burnley travel to KCOM stadium to face Hull City. Away from their home pitch, the Clarets maintain the league’s third-worst possession percentage -- 42.3% -- and allow 18.5 shots per match. The Tigers possess the ball 44.3% of the match at KCOM stadium and average the fewest number of shots per match (10).

The Tigers are currently in the drop zone and have earned 15 points in 12 home matches. The Tigers have conceded the league’s fewest blocked shots (20) and fourth-fewest clearances (296) to central defenders this season. The Tigers have allowed the third-most goals (4) to central defenders this season, but Keane is not highly involved in the Clarets’ attack, scoring only once while taking five shots on target this season.

Over the past five matchweeks, Keane has been the 33rd-highest scoring defender on FanDuel, averaging 18 FanDuel points. Against the Tigers, Keane could struggle to pick up enough defensive actions to justify his price, especially given the other defenders in his same price range.

Keeper

Tom Heaton, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $7,300

Heaton is the top-priced keeper for Matchweek 26, and he has averaged 16.36 FanDuel points this season. Heaton has a poor matchup for DFS players, as he faces the Premier League’s third-worst squad, the Tigers, who are fighting to stay up.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Heaton has kept six clean sheets this season, five coming on his home pitch. The Clarets have struggled this season away from Turf Moor, earning only one point in 11 matches.

The Tigers average 3.3 shots on target per match, the fifth-worst average in home matches. Despite leading the league in clean sheets allowed (12), the Tigers have only been held scoreless once in their last seven matches at KCOM Stadium and have forced their opponents into the seventh-fewest number of saves (63) this season.

Despite entering Saturday’s match as the slight underdog, and Burnley’s road struggles, the Tigers do not produce enough shots on target to give the top-priced keeper a high enough ceiling without keeping a clean sheet to justify his price. The Tigers’ recent home performance makes investing in a Heaton clean sheet extremely risky, and DFS players should look to save money by investing in another keeper.