SOCCER

Premier League: 4 FanDuel Value Plays for Matchweek 17

With Aaron Ramsey out, Jack Wilshere may have a chance to regain his starting spot on Wednesday, making him one of the best value options for Matchweek 17.

Matchweek 17 begins just two days after the last set of fixtures in the Premier League, which included two excellent derby matches. The midweek slate does not include as many enticing matchups -- at least on paper -- but there are good values on FanDuel.

The focus of this matchweek will be the seven-game main slate that starts at 2:45 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

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


Many of the top teams have favorable matchups, leading to five players being priced above $10,000. Five others are priced at or above $9,000. Six defenders are priced at $7,000. David De Gea becomes the first keeper to reach $6,000 this season, with all but one expected starting goalie priced at or above $4,500.

Let's get to the value plays.

Forward

Dominic Calvert-Lewin ($7,000): Everton have turned their season around in just three short weeks, and they have another good matchup with a struggling Newcastle team on Wednesday. Calvert-Lewin should line up as the sole striker and threaten the Newcastle back line with his speed.

Calvert-Lewin is one of the top 20 in-form forwards on WhoScored.com. He has two goals and two assists in his last six Premier League matches. He has also won two penalties in that time span. He continues to be the outlet for his Everton team to relieve pressure and then apply pressure on the counter attack.

Calvert-Lewin helped England win the Under-20 World Cup and is now impressing his new boss Sam Allardyce after having started the last four matches for Everton. The 20-year-old striker is getting a chance to show that he can replace Romelu Lukaku. The failure of Everton to sign a replacement for Lukaku over the summer was often cited as the reason for their early-season woes. Calvert-Lewin is taking this chance under Allardyce to silence the critics.

Midfield

Jack Wilshere ($6,000): Aaron Ramsey is out, which may finally allow Wilshere to start for Arsenal. While Wilshere has already started thinking about life after soccer, he may have a large role for Arsenal during the holiday season.

Wilshere went on loan last year, but that was cut short by a serious injury. Now he is playing out the last few months of his contract and needs to show everyone in the Premier League that he can be a quality first team player. Reportedly, he has kept a very positive attitude and seems to keep his head in the game any time he gets a chance. He still has hopes of playing for England next summer, as well.

He should get the chance to show his worth against West Ham on Wednesday. Arsenal have scored 11 goals in the last three Premier League games against West Ham. They also average close to 59% of possession this season, which should allow Wilshere to pick out a pass and try to spring a long ball into the West Ham box.

West Ham have some confidence after beating Chelsea, but Wilshere will likely be in a great position to shut down their advances and switch the ball back to the Arsenal attack.

Defender

Danny Simpson ($4,500): Leicester's last visit to Southampton did not go so well for Simpson and the back line. It finished 3-0 to the Saints as Leicester spiraled toward the bottom of the standings.

This time around, Leicester come in on a three-game winning streak, one that includes a win over Tottenham and a clean sheet against a tough Burnley team. Simpson has been consistent in these recent matches and now averages 13.6 FanDuel points per game.

Simpson will start at right back for Claude Puel, who will want a good showing against his former side. Leicester are unbeaten in their last six away games and will come into this match with confidence. That should help Simpson and company stop an in-form Charlie Austin and be in contention for a fourth straight win.

Keeper

Hugo Lloris ($4,500): Tottenham had the game against Stoke this past weekend well in hand, but Lloris allowed a goal off a set piece. That means that Tottenham have allowed at least one goal in eight straight Premier League matches. Lloris did not start in the clean sheet Champions League victory over APOEL Nicosia on December 6th.

However, if there was a time for Lloris to break the trend and get a clean sheet, it is Wednesday against Brighton. Brighton are next to last in the league in shots on target. They are averaging less than a goal per game and have scored only two goals in the last four matches.

Tottenham should dominate the game in Brighton's half and control possession. Lloris might not have much to do, but a clean sheet seems probable, with oddsmakers predicting a shutout for Tottenham.



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.