SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 15

Jamie Vardy led a rejuvenated Leicester in a midweek win over Tottenham, and the Foxes' attack is worth a look this weekend, as well.

The teams get a three-day break between matches in the Premier League as the calendar turns to December. Several of the teams that were in action on Wednesday will play on Saturday as all but four teams will be on the pitch. FanDuel will feature a larger seven-game slate with the Chelsea versus Newcastle fixture being left off.

Matchweek 15
Saturday, December 2nd
Tottenham at Watford
Crystal Palace at West Brom
Swansea City at Stoke
Liverpool at Brighton
Burnley at Leicester City
Huddersfield at Everton
Manchester United at Arsenal


Arsenal hosting Manchester United is the weekend's headline match, and it should get the most attention. It is one of five matches with an over/under of 2.5 goals. Liverpool is the only true favorite, but several teams have been given slight 0.5-goal edges in the early lines.

Although there are some pivotal fixtures for teams near the relegation zone, the focus will be elsewhere. This weekend's focus will be on teams in the top nine, so let's get to it.

Leicester vs. Burnley

Leicester are coming off possibly their best performance of the season after dispatching Tottenham. Burnley have won four of their last five matches, allowing just two goals in that time frame. Both Burnley and Leicester now sit in the top half of the table and have momentum on their side.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are the two top-priced players in this match, as one may expect. They each scored stunning goals in the win over Tottenham and finished with more than 20 FanDuel points, their best outings in three weeks. Leicester's key offensive weapons should both come in with great confidence.



The difference makers when Tottenham began to surge were Vicente Iborra and Wilfred Ndidi. Iborra seemed to pop up everywhere when needed defensively. He led his team with 11 clearances. He added two interceptions and a blocked shot to help push his FanDuel points per game average through eight games to 17.3. He may be able to get more involved offensively at home versus Burnley, a team that tends to win through stout defense and not high possession.

Meanwhile, Ndidi was confident on the ball, adding one key pass and firing two shots on goal. He was awarded an assist on the Mahrez goal while gaining points for eight defensive actions. The 30-point outburst was his best game of the season.

The growing confidence on the ball for Leicester will be a direct contrast to Burnley, which is led by its defense. The top three points per game players in this match are all Burnley defenders, although only two of them are regulars. Both Ben Mee and James Tarkowski average 19.7 points per game. They both have a chance to at least match that total as the last time these teams met at King Power Stadium, Leicester had nearly 60% of the possession. The Clarets' center-back pairing will need to be on their toes again.

The offensive side for Burnley is less clear despite only being blanked once (against Arsenal) in their recent good spell of form. Chris Wood scored from the lone striker spot on Wednesday, but he may be rested this weekend as they cycle through players.

The best offensive option for Burnley right now is not one of their forwards but midfielder Robbie Brady. He also scored on Wednesday and will continue to handle the free kicks for Burnley. He tallied 40 fantasy points against Bournemouth on Wednesday, pumping 14 crosses into the box. His price tag remains reasonable at $6,500.

Two confident teams with different styles will clash in Leicester, and it should make for good fantasy value across the board.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

This is the last game of the day, and despite the star power in it, there is still good value to be had. These teams both feel like they are still fighting for an EPL championship, so there is a lot to prove for these perennial powers.

The history says there will be goals as both teams average over a goal per match in this rivalry. There have been 12 goals scored in the last four Premier League matches between the two powerhouses.


There are nine players in this match who average more than 20 FD points per game, but it is the player the who falls just short of that threshold who is in the best form. Ashley Young scored two goals at Watford in midweek action for a total of 51.5 FanDuel points. It was his second game in the last three with at least 30 points scored. He has played in a left wing back role that has allowed him to get forward. The 32-year-old has played the full match in the last three matchweeks, but there is much on the line, he should keep his spot despite the hectic schedule.

Young will be needed if Nemanja Matic cannot go after limping off against Watford. Ander Herrera came on and recorded an assist while Paul Pogba was finally able to play 90 minutes to help ease any injury concerns for manager Jose Mourinho.

United have won their last three Premier League games and have allowed only half the goals Arsenal have conceded this season. However, Arsenal will not be intimidated. They have won their last three in the league, all of which have been clean sheets. The Gunners' 5-0 victory over Huddersfield on Wednesday was perhaps their most impressive performance of the year.

Mesut Ozil pulled the strings the entire match, scoring a touch more than 54 FanDuel points. He now averages 24 points per match through 11 appearances. He was credited with five key passes and completed more than 86% of his passes against Huddersfield.

Although the Arsenal attack should get most of the attention, Shkodran Mustafi deserves credit for his recent play. He is coming off of four straight games of at least 23 points in central defense. In the match against Huddersfield, he was second on the team in touches and completed over 90% of his passes. He will have to stop a United attack that has scored 32 goals this season.

There are big implications in this match, and it will likely be must-see TV for the soccer fan.



Douglas
Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.