SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 32

N'Golo Kanté reliance on defensive statistics makes him a player to avoid this weekend. Who else should you keep off your Premier League DFS lineups?

FanDuel split Matchweek 32 into two slates, with the main slate including six Saturday matches and the other spanning both Saturday and Sunday. FanDuel’s newly-introduced late swap is available for both slates.

This article will focus solely on FanDuel’s main slate which includes five clubs in the top half of the table.

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

Joshua King, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $7,700

King is the 11th-highest priced forward for Matchweek 32 and has averaged 18.47 FanDuel points this season. He's been in spectacular form over his last 10 matches, averaging 29.9 FanDuel points while scoring nine goals and tallying one assist.

King and Bournemouth host Chelsea at Dean Court in Saturday’s late match. The Cherries maintain 51.6% of the possession at Dean Court while averaging the 10th-most shots per match at home. The Blues enter Saturday’s match as a one-goal favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

The Blues have one of the Premier League’s best back lines, conceding the second-fewest goals this season. Their defense has been just as stingy on the road, conceding 13 goals, the league’s fewest goals allowed. Chelsea has only conceded more than one goal on the road three times this season while conceding one goal or less in their last five matches away from Stamford Bridge.

Along with being one of the overall top defenses, the Blues have also been one of the league’s best back lines against forwards and attacking midfielders -- the two positions King plays. They have allowed the fifth-fewest shots (120), fourth-fewest shots on target (45), third-fewest goals (14) and fifth-fewest assists (9) to forwards/attacking midfielders this season.

Despite his form, King has been held under 10 FanDuel points twice in his last 10 matches and now faces one of the league’s best defenses, especially against his position. The Blues should make King’s chances hard to come by, making him, even as a value play, a top forward to avoid.

Midfielder

N’Golo Kante, Chelsea

FanDuel Price: $7,800

Kante is the 12th-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 32, although two midfielders priced above him have been ruled out for Saturday’s matches, and he has averaged 17.93 FanDuel points this season. More recently, Kante has averaged 15.9 FanDuel points in his last 10 matches, including two straight performances of not scoring more than 80 FanDuel points.

Kante has only scored one goal on six shots on target this season for the Blues, and despite playing well recently, has not had any breakout fantasy performances as he relies heavily on defensive statistics as his main source of production.

The Cherries are not a good matchup for center-midfielders trying to pick up defensive statistics -- they have forced the ninth-fewest clearances (62), ninth-fewest blocked shots (9), fifth-fewest tackles (60) and sixth-fewest interceptions (54) to center-midfielders this season.

Kante’s best performances have mostly come when the midfielder produces a high number of defensive statistics, and the Cherries do not concede enough defensive stats for DFS players to justify their investment in him, even as a mid-priced midfielder.

Defender

James Milner, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Milner is the top-priced defender for Matchweek 32, and he has averaged 24.33 FanDuel points this season. Milner has scored under his average in seven of his last nine matches, producing 19.36 FanDuel points in that span.

Milner and Liverpool travel to bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City. Away from their home pitch, the Reds maintain the league’s third-best possession percentage (56.7%) and make the fourth-most tackles (19.9) on the road. The Reds enter Saturday’s match as the favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

The Potters are in poor form, losing four straight matches while scoring only one goal in that span. The Potters are near the middle of the table when it comes to matchups against left-backs, allowing the third-most interceptions (62), fifth-most clearances (93), eighth-most blocked shots (10) and ninth-fewest tackles (40) to left-backs this season. They have yet to allow a goal this season to a left-back while allowing the 10th-fewest crosses.

DFS players can find better value than Milner and save a little money by not investing in the top-priced defender on the slate. Milner has made three or more tackles in four of his last five matches, but now faces a Stoke club that does not concede a high number of defensive actions, making Milner a risky investment, especially at his price.

Keeper

Tom Heaton, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $7,100

There are a lot of high-priced keepers on Saturday’s slate that are projected to see a high number of shots and possible save opportunities. Heaton is not one of those keepers.

Heaton is the second-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 32, and he has averaged 15.65 FanDuel points this season. Heaton and Burnley travel to Riverside Stadium to face relegation-battling Middlesbrough. The Clarets enter Saturday’s match as a slight underdog and the over/under is set at 2 goals, the lowest over/under total on the slate.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel and Heaton has kept eight clean sheets this season, with only two coming on the road. The Clarets allow the Premier League’s most shots in road matches (20.1), while the Boro take the fewest shots on target (2.7) per match on their home pitch.

The Boro have allowed 13 clean sheets to opposing keepers this season -- including five clean sheets at Riverside Stadium -- but all of them have come against clubs in the top 11 of the Premier League table. The Clarets are currently four spots shy of the drop zone but have been the league’s worst squad on the road, earning only three points in 15 matches.

If DFS players are investing in Heaton, they are investing with the hopes of a clean sheet as Middlesbrough does not produce enough shots on target to justify his price. While a clean sheet is a possibility, the Clarets are not a good squad on the road and are likely to concede a goal. Other top-priced keepers will likely see a large number of shots, giving them a possibility of a high floor and an extremely large, yet unlikely, ceiling if they pull off a clean sheet.