4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 27

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

Fernando Llorente, Swansea City

FanDuel Salary: $8,000

The headline match of the slate -- and one that may draw a lot of attention in DFS -- is Liverpool's home matchup with Arsenal. The five highest-priced forwards all come from that match, but Llorente is in a really nice spot in a home clash with Burnley.

Burnley allow the most shots per game (18.4) in the Premier League, and they are next to last in possession (41.7%). The fact the Clarets have allowed only 37 goals in 26 matches speaks volumes about their keeper, Tom Heaton.

After a miserable start to the season, Swansea have improved their form of late. Over their last six matches, the Swans have scored six goals and picked up three wins. Swansea are a half-goal favorite in a match with a 2.5-goal over/under. No team on the slate is more than a half-goal favorite, and the over/under is tied for the highest across the six matches.

Without an assist this year and without a chance created over his last three outings, Llorente is incredibly goal-reliant. He doesn't profile as a great cash-game play, but he makes sense as a tournament option, especially because the Liverpool-Arsenal game should keep his ownership down.

Midfielder

Sadio Mane, Liverpool

FanDuel Salary: $9,900

Mane has become a pivotal player for Liverpool, which was evident in how the team played without him when he was away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Reds' matchup with the Gunners has a 2.5-goal over/under, but the first matchup this season, which was played in Matchweek 1, was an up-and-down affair. In that match, a 4-3 Liverpool win, Mane erupted for 36.25 points and scored a sweet solo goal.

Le 1er #JoueurFrisson de l'année est Sadio #Mané pr sa percée vs #Arsenal ! Bravo à Salim Koussa sur Facebook ! pic.twitter.com/0BiCzkudHM
— Espace Foot (@EspaceFoot_Off) August 15, 2016

This match will be played at Anfield, and Mane has been on point in Liverpool's home matches. In all, he's appeared in 10 home fixtures, scoring seven goals with three assists.

Llorente's teammate, Gylfi Sigurdsson ($9,900), is a solid midfield play, as well. His passing volume gives him a nice floor -- a lot safer floor than Llorente's -- in the matchup with Burnley.

Defender

Ben Mee, Burnley

FanDuel Salary: $6,400

Mee and teammate Michael Keane, who is also $6,400, have become two of the better defensive options for fantasy. As we touched on earlier, Burnley don't possess the ball much (19th-most in the EPL), and they allow the most shots per match. That keeps their backline busy, giving Mee and Keane a nice floor through their volume of defensive actions.

Mee has scored at least 14 FanDuel points in six of his past seven matches. For the year, he ranks fifth in the league in clearances per game (8.5), and he's had at least 8 clearances in four of his past six outings. Mee is also fifth in the Premier League in blocks per match (1.2) while adding 2.2 interceptions per night.

Goalie

Lee Grant, Stoke City

FanDuel Salary: $6,500

We always want to peep the goalie who is facing Middlesbrough, and this week that's Grant.

Boro have netted just 19 goals in 26 Premier League games, 4 fewer than any other side. Stoke City, meanwhile, have surrendered 15 goals in 13 home fixtures and 8 goals across their last 6 matches -- not great numbers but not bad, either. Stoke are a half-goal favorite with an over/under of 2 goals, so Boro have a measly implied total of 0.75 goals, the lowest on the slate.

Grant has been a steady producer, totaling at least 11 FanDuel points in six of his past seven matches. In that span, he's racked up a pair of clean sheets and made an average of 3.71 saves per match.

After sacking Claudio Ranieri, Leicester came out and took it to Liverpool last week, beating the Reds 3-1. Time will tell if the Foxes can maintain that form, but they have a superb home matchup this week against Hull City, which makes Kasper Schmeichel ($6,300) a decent option, as well.