SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 33

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel are top targets to avoid as the Foxes will likely focus their effort on the Champions League quarterfinal. Which other players should we avoid on the main slate?

FanDuel split Matchweek 33 into four slates, with the main slate including six Saturday matches. FanDuel’s newly-introduced late swap is available for every slate.

This article will focus solely on FanDuel’s main slate, which includes four 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

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $9,800

Vadry is the third-highest priced forward for Matchweek 33 and has averaged 13.72 FanDuel points this season. Vardy is priced quite a bit lower than the top two forwards on the slate but enters Saturday’s match is good form. Since Matchweek 26, Vardy has been the fifth-highest scoring forward and has averaged 32.15 FanDuel points, scoring 5 goals and tallying 2 assists in that span, although he was only able to produce 3.75 FanDuel points in his previous match.

Vardy and Leicester travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the middle of a busy stretch for the Foxes as they traveled to Madrid on Wednesday to battle Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. The Foxes are the Premier League’s fourth-worst squad at maintaining possession in road matches while the Eagles are not much better, maintaining the sixth-worst possession percentage on their home pitch. The Foxes enter Saturday's match as the slight underdog, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

Both the Foxes and the Eagles have played well over their last six matches as both squads have beaten teams near the top of the table while picking up 15 out of the maximum 18 points available in that span. Palace have maintained three straight clean sheets at Selhurst Park while the Foxes have scored five goals in their last three road matches.

Since Matchweek 25, the Eagles have been one of the best back lines in the Premier League against forwards. They have allowed the second-fewest shots on target (4) and fifth-fewest shots (21) while not allowing a goal or assist to a forward.

Vardy is in great form, but the Foxes are in the midst of a busy schedule. With their Champions League matches being more important than their Premier League matches at this point in the season, Vardy may not play the entire 90 minutes. Vardy may not be the highest-producing forward on the pitch as Christian Benteke has a better matchup as the Foxes have allowed the second-most shots on target (17), third-most shots (36) and have allowed three goals to forwards since Matchweek 25.

Midfielder

Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $8,600

Sterling is the fourth-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 33, along with Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson, and he has averaged 16.72 FanDuel points this season. More recently, Sterling has averaged 11.25 FanDuel points in his last five matches, recording only 1 assist and producing under 10 FanDuel points twice.

Sterling and Manchester City travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton in Saturday’s late match. It should be a really good match.

The Citizens are the Premier League’s top club at maintaining possession in road matches and average the second-most shots. The Saints are the league’s sixth-best club at maintaining possession on their home pitch while allowing the sixth-fewest shots. The Citizens have scored the most goals in road matches this season while the Saints have allowed the sixth-fewest scores on their home pitch. \

The Saints have been even better this season defending their opponents attack down the right side, which is where Sterling plays. They have allowed the fewest shots on target (6), fifth-fewest shots (33), fifth-fewest chances created (30), fifth-fewest crosses (97) while allowing the fewest goals (1) and sixth-fewest assists (6) by attackers down the right side this season.

The Saints are one of the better defenses against attackers on the right side, and if the last match between these two squads is any indication (1-1 draw in Matchweek 9) there shouldn’t be much scoring, which limits Sterling’s upside. Along with the tough matchup, Sterling is in bad form, making him a top target to avoid.

Defender

Alfie Mawson, Swansea City

FanDuel Price: $6,100

Mawson is tied as the eighth-highest priced defender for Matchweek 33 (along with three other defenders), and he has averaged 18.18 FanDuel points this season. Mawson has scored under that season-long average in six of his last seven matches, averaging 14.14 FanDuel points in that span.

Mawson and Swansea travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford. Away from their home pitch, the Swans maintain 47.2% of the possession and make the seventh-fewest tackles (13.9). The Swans enter Saturday’s match as the slight favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

The Hornets are not a great matchup for defenders, especially center-backs. They are in the bottom-five of the league table in interceptions (113), tackles (47) and blocked shots (35) allowed to center-defenders this season while allowing the fifth-most clearances (500).

There are other high-priced defenders -- Ben Mee, for one -- in much better matchups this week.

Keeper

Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $6,700

Schmeichel is the fifth-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 33, and he has averaged 13.58 FanDuel points this season. In his previous match, Schmeichel made three saves against Everton while conceding four goals as the Foxes sat many of their regulars to gear up for their Champions League quarterfinal match against Atletico Madrid. The Foxes are in a similar position for Matchweek 33 as they have their second-leg of the quarterfinal on Tuesday and may again rest some of their normal starters.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Schmeichel has kept six clean sheets this season, only one of which has come on the road. The Foxes allow the Premier League’s sixth-most shots in road matches (15.8) while the Eagles take the sixth-fewest shots on target (4) per match on their home pitch.

The Eagles have allowed nine clean sheets to opposing keepers this season -- including five clean sheets at Selhurst Park -- but they're in fine form. Palace have scored in each of their last three home matches, totaling five goals across those three fixtures. Since Matchweek 25, the Eagles have forced the fewest saves (10) to opposing keepers while scoring the ninth-most goals (10).

The Eagles do not produce a large number of shots on target, but they have been finding the back of the net recently, especially the dangerous Christian Benteke. The Foxes have fallen well short of repeating as Premier League champions and returning to Europe is a longshot, making their quarterfinal match in the Champions League the most important match on their agenda, and they may, as they have done in the past, rest key players.