SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 38

After conceding six goals Thursday against Spurs, Kasper Schmeichel is the top keeper to avoid. What other players should we limit our exposure to in Matchweek 38?

The final Matchweek of the season features every club and all matches kick off at 10:00 am ET, making FanDuel’s late swap irrelevant.

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 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

Anthony Martial, Manchester United

FanDuel Price: $9,800

Martial is the 11th-highest priced forward for Matchweek 38, and he has averaged 14.72 FanDuel points this season. He's started six straight matches for the Red Devils, since Zlatan Ibrahimovic went down with a knee injury, and has recorded one goal and two assists -- all on the road -- while averaging 17.96 FanDuel points in that span.

Martial and the Red Devils host Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The Red Devils maintain the fifth-best possession percentage (56.5%) while taking 18.3 shots per match on their home pitch. The Eagles maintain the fifth-worst possession percentage (45.3%) while allowing 15.6 shots away from Selhurst Park. The match is listed as a pickem although the Red Devils are a slight favorite on the money line, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals (tied for the lowest total on the slate).

The Eagles have allowed 36 goals this season away from Selhurst Park, but have actually performed well against forwards this season. They have allowed the ninth-fewest assists on target (8), seventh-fewest goals (19), ninth-most shots on target (56) and fifth-most shots (163) to forwards this season.

Martial has not recorded a shot on target in his previous two matches and both squads will enter Sunday’s match with not much to play for. With every squad available on the slate, there are a lot of excellent forwards to choose from, making Martial -- against a tough Eagles defense -- a risky play.

Midfielder

Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $8,400

Mahrez is tied for the 19th-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 38 (along with two others), and he has averaged 16.23 FanDuel points this season. Mahrez has only reached his average in two of his last seven matches, scoring over 20 FanDuel points once in that span.

Leicester host Bournemouth at King Power Stadium, and the Foxes have an implied team total of 1.75 goals with an over/under is set at 3 goals.

Mahrez is not in good form -- he has only contributed on the Foxes' score sheet in two of his last nine starts and has recorded over two chances created once in that span. He's also struggled to produce shots on target, recording only four shots on target in his last eight matches.

The Foxes maintain the league's fourth-worst possession percentage on their home pitch (44.2%), while the Cherries maintain 50% of the possession on the road. The Cherries allow the 10th-fewest assists (10), 8th-fewest crosses (47), 3rd-fewest chances created (11), 8th-most shots on target (6) and 3rd-most goals (2) to midfielders on the left side this season.

The Cherries are not a horrible matchup for midfielders on the left side but are not a great matchup, either. Couple that with Mahrez's struggle and Leicester's embarrassment Thursday against the Spurs, and he's a top target to avoid.

Defender

James Milner, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $7,200

Milner is the top-priced defender for Matchweek 38, and he has averaged 23.56 FanDuel points this season, the highest average among defenders. He's only contributed once on the Reds’ scoresheet in his last 15 matches while averaging 19.55 FanDuel points in that span.

Liverpool host Middlesbrough in a must-win match at Anfield that is tied for the highest over/under on the slate, but the Reds are a 2.5-goal favorite and have the highest implied total (2.75 goals).

The Boro are not a good matchup for opposing backlines. They have allowed the fifth-fewest blocked shots (65), fifth-fewest interceptions (232), third-fewest tackles (198) and second-fewest clearances (590) to defenders this season.

The Reds should be in full-blown attack mode -- which could allow Milner a chance to send in a high number of crosses -- meaning Boro, who already struggle to possess the ball in road matches, could see their 47.1 possession percentage drop. Milner is the top defender on the slate, and his attacking upside makes him an intriguing option, but he may struggle to pick up defensive actions against Boro, which ultimately makes him a risky option.

Keeper

Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $7,500

Schmeichel is the top-priced keeper for Matchweek 38, and he has averaged 14.21 FanDuel points this season. He's made three or more saves in five straight matches while keeping two clean sheets and averaging 18.65 FanDuel points in that span.

Leicester host Bournemouth at King Power Stadium, a match that has the Foxes as a 0.5-goal favorite, and the over/under is set at 3 goals. The Cherries have scored 19 goals away from Dean court this season and have an implied team total of 1.25 goals.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Schmeichel has kept eight clean sheets this season, including six at the Stadium of Light and has averaged four saves in those eight matches.

The Cherries have forced the ninth-most saves while allowing the eighth-fewest clean sheets to opposing keepers this season. They have been held scoreless in six matches on the road this season, including 3 of their last 10 matches away from Dean Court and average the 10th-fewest shots on the road.

Neither club has much to play for and the Foxes are coming off short rest as they played Thursday against Tottenham. The Cherries’ Josh King is in great form (36.4% anytime goal scorer odds) and keeping a clean sheet may be difficult for Schmeichel, making his price hard to justify.