SOCCER

3 FanDuel Premier League Under-the-Radar Plays for Matchweek 9

With the Manchester clubs likely to hog ownership, Swansea City's Tammy Abraham could go underowned despite being in a good spot versus Leicester.

If you have played daily fantasy sports for a while, you know the importance of being contrarian in large-field tournaments. Recognizing which players are going to be owned by the masses and finding others who you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership can really separate yourself from your opponents.

The same goes for DFS Premier League. Even though the large-field tournaments aren't quite as large as they are for other sports, there is still value in identifying quality under-the-radar plays.

This article will discuss FanDuel's main Saturday slate, which starts at 10:00 a.m. EST and features six matches.

Matchweek 9
Saturday, October 21st
Manchester United at Huddersfield Town
Bournemouth at Stoke City
Burnley at Manchester City
Crystal Palace at Newcastle
Leicester City at Swansea City
Southampton at West Bromwich Albion


With only two elite sides in action, this slate is highlighted by the league's top two teams. Both have great matchups, but Manchester City are at home and have a massive implied goal total of 2.69 goals, compared to Manchester United’s implied goal total of 1.99 goals on the road.

The over/under for Burnley at Manchester City is 4.0 goals, the largest on the slate and the largest on any main slate this season. Manchester United at Huddersfield Town has a pedestrian over/under of 2.5 goals. Manchester City will be higher owned, but beware fading them. At an absolute minimum, try to include one of Gabriel Jesus or Sergio Aguero (if he plays).

With that in mind, here are three under-the-radar players to consider for Matchweek 9.

Joselu, Newcastle United

FanDuel Salary: $10,000

Why would you ever pay $10,000 for a Newcastle striker when for only $1,000 more you can have Romelu Lukaku? That’s the question the majority of people will ask themselves when looking at the high-priced attacking options. At first glance, $10,000 seems like an absurd price for Joselu, but he has scored 25-plus FanDuel points three times in seven appearances, including his recent 27.25-FanDuel-point display against Liverpool. Playing at home against Crystal Palace, he offers surprisingly similar upside to some of the Manchester options, but at significantly lower ownership.

Crystal Palace shocked the world last week with their win over Chelsea, but that was at home. They have lost all four of their road matches and they haven't scored at all, while allowing 11 goals. Three of those matches were against Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs, but they also lost 1-0 to a Burnley side that has only scored two home goals all season. Crystal Palace may have shown signs of life, but they are still one of the best matchups for opposing strikers in the Premier League.

Newcastle have had an excellent start to their Premier League campaign, and their home form is a huge part of that. Through four matches, they have done well against the two lesser opponents they faced in West Ham United and Stoke City, while losing to Tottenham and tying Liverpool. Crystal Palace will be the worst side they have faced at home this season, and with five of their six home goals coming against lesser sides, they should have no problem adding to that goal tally. If they do, Joselu should be heavily involved.

Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke City

FanDuel Salary: $9,000

At a price of $9,000, Shaqiri may go slightly underowned for the same reasons as Joselu -- he’s surrounded by similarly priced options on Manchester United and Manchester City. As the focal point of Stoke City’s attack, Shaqiri has more upside than almost any other midfielder on this slate. He has 91% of Stoke’s crosses and 66% of their shots from deadballs this season through eight games and has stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 21.25 FanDuel points per match. With matches against elite sides removed, that average goes up to 29.06 FanDuel points. He’s producing at a rate similar to what Gylfi Sigurdsson did last season, except his ownership hasn’t fully caught up to his production yet.

Despite their current standing on the table of 17th, Stoke City have had a decent start to their season. They have nine goals scored in eight matches, and that includes fixtures against Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea. They have been a noticeably better team at home, where they have a win over Arsenal, a draw against Manchester United, and a win over Southampton. Their only blemish is a 4-0 loss to Chelsea.

Against Bournemouth this weekend, they should be able to play on the front foot, which can only benefit Shaqiri.

Tammy Abraham, Swansea City

FanDuel Salary: $8,500

Outside of the Manchester sides, Swansea City have the highest implied goal total on the slate at 1.57 goals. Coming off a 2-goal, 46.25-FanDuel-point performance against Huddersfield Town, Abraham is in fine form. He has the eighth-best odds to score of anyone outside of the elite sides, and in a matchup against Leicester City, he should have every opportunity to do so.

Leicester City had a brutal fixture list to the start the season, and despite performing admirably against the numerous elite sides they faced, they didn't come out the other side better for it. In their last two matches, they have had timid draws against lowly Bournemouth and West Brom. They only have two points in four road matches this season and just let go of manager Craig Shakespeare this past week.

Swansea City haven't done much to inspire confidence this season, but coming off their first home win, they have a chance to keep their momentum going. Of their five goals, three have come at home, and those three came in their last two matches. Two of them where scored by Abraham, bringing his season total to four. Abraham has accounted for 80% of Swansea's goals, and their high implied goal total bodes well for him. With ownership likely to be on high-priced forwards, paying down for Abraham and up at a third midfield spot is a great way to create a unique lineup.