SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 17

Several of the Premier League's top teams are in delectable spots on Wednesday. Alexis Sanchez and Arsenal are no exception. Which other high-priced players should you check out?

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This is especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.

This article is geared toward FanDuel's main slate, which begins at 2:45 p.m. EST Wednesday and features seven matches.

Matchweek 17
Wednesday, December 13th
Brighton at Tottenham
Bournemouth at Manchester United
Everton at Newcastle United
Manchester City at Swansea City
Arsenal at West Ham
Leicester City at Southampton
West Brom at Liverpool


This slate is loaded as it features five of the Premier League's "big six" clubs, with all five of them installed as at least a 1.0-goal favorite. As has been the case often this year, Manchester City -- a 2.0-goal road favorite at Swansea -- is very appealing. Liverpool, a 2.0-goal home favorite over West Brom, ties City as the slate's biggest favorite, with Manchester United and Tottenham each listed as a 1.5-goal home favorite. Lastly, Arsenal is a 1.0-goal road favorite against West Ham.

With all of the big boys in attractive matchups, it means we have a plethora of options this week. We shouldn't have to worry too much about ownership, because it should be spread around fairly well amongst the top-tier sides, with Liverpool and Manchester City likely to be the most popular squads.

With everyone having a quick turnaround after last weekend's matches, it's imperative to check starting lineups for squad rotation.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal

FanDuel Price: $11,000

There may not be another slate this year with so many top-priced strikers in favorable spots. Sanchez is one such player as Arsenal are a 1.0-goal road favorite with a 2.0-goal implied total for their date with a struggling West Ham side.

A lot of this slate's top-notch forwards offer sky-high ceilings, but Sanchez differs from a lot of them because he pairs his upside with a sturdy floor. The former Barcelona man has put up at least 20 FanDuel points in 9 of his last 10 outings, including a scorching run over his last 5 matches.

OpponentGoalsAssistsShots on GoalChances CreatedFanDuel Points
Tottenham104351.25
Burnley101438.00
Huddersfield101125.25
Manchester United002527.75
Southampton011328.25


Sanchez has averaged 34.10 FanDuel points per match over those five fixtures, and Arsenal were a comfortable favorite -- like they are against West Ham -- in two of those matches (Huddersfield and Burnley).

West Ham have allowed the second-most goals in the league (32) through 16 matches, and they allow the fifth-most shots per game (14.1). Arsenal is second in possession (58.7) while the Hammers are 12th (47.4%). This is a match Arsenal should control.

Sanchez figures to be heavily involved in the Gunners' attack, and he probably won't turn in a total dud even if he doesn't find the back of the net -- something you can't feel quite as good about for guys like Harry Kane ($13,500), Sergio Aguero ($11,000) and Romelu Lukaku ($10,500).

Midfielder

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $11,500

Salah has been incredible in his first season at Liverpool. Despite playing out wide, Salah leads the league in goals (13) and is second in both shots (3.8) and shots on target (2.0) per match. Salah was subbed off after 66 minutes at the weekend, but that didn't stop him from scoring a goal, taking 7 shots and creating 6 chances on his way to 40.25 FanDuel points.

The early exit last time out should mean Salah will be good to start Wednesday versus West Brom. Liverpool boasts a 2.5-goal implied total and is a 2.0-goal favorite, both of which tie Manchester City for slate-best marks.

West Brom's defense isn't a total pushover, but let's not kid ourselves, with this contest at Anfield, Liverpool should dominate. In EPL home matches this campaign, the Reds average 61.1% possession and take a league-high 21.4 shots per game. On the flip side, West Brom are giving up 16.1 shots per match on the road while seeing a league-low 40.7% of the ball in their travels.

You're clearly going to want exposure to Liverpool, who have scored 16 goals across their last four matches in all competitions. Even though Salah will likely see a lot of ownership, it's hard to fade him in the form he's in, and he has the best odds to score, per bet365. If you're worried about ownership, pivoting to Sadio Mane ($8,500) has its positives, although Mane played a full 90 minutes on Sunday, so he may not do the same midweek.

Defender

Alfie Mawson, Swansea City

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Admittedly, this isn't the best week to spend up on defense. With so many lopsided underdogs as well as inevitable squad rotation, it shouldn't be too hard to find cheap defenders who offer a safe floor because their teams figure to be under siege for most of the match.

Mawson is one of the few top-priced defenders this week who has a very safe floor as the Swans are huge underdogs to Manchester City. The Citizens are tied for the most shots per game (17.8), and their 66.0% possession rate dwarfs Swansea's 48.0% clip. Mawson -- who is averaging 7.1 clearances per match -- is going to be a busy, busy dude.

Tottenham's Kieran Tripper ($7,000) and Ben Davies ($6,500) offer more in attack -- therefore giving them more upside -- as Spurs host Brighton in a match in which Tottenham is a 1.5-goal favorite with a 2.25-goal over/under, so no one will blame you for going that direction. But those two also have a lower floor if they don't contribute a goal or assist.

Goalie

Fraser Forster, Southampton

FanDuel Price: $5,000

It's a tough slate for keepers. All of the keepers on the five big underdogs should see save volume, but they don't have a decent chance at a clean sheet. The goalies for the favorites have much better clean-sheet odds, but their upside is severely capped by a probable lack of saves.

That takes us to the two matches we haven't talked about -- Newcastle hosting Everton and Leicester at Southampton.

Both matches are pretty even -- Everton-Newcastle is a pick 'em while the Saints are a 0.5-goal favorite over Leicester -- and Southampton's Forster gives us the dreamy combination of solid clean-sheet odds and decent save volume. Leicester's 1.0-goal implied total isn't too scary, and the Saints' defense -- which allows 12.8 shots per game -- should keep Forster fairly active.



Austan Kas is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austan Kas also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username akas247. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.