SOCCER

3 FanDuel Premier League Trends to Exploit for Matchweek 17

Romelu Lukaku has been off form, but he gets a tasty home matchup against Bournemouth, the type of side on which he's feasted. What other trends can we take advantage of for Wednesday's main slate?

Spotting trends is one way to stay ahead of the crowd in Premier League DFS. Here, we're going to try to hone in on recent occurrences across the EPL DFS landscape that appear to be a sign of things to come.

This article is geared toward FanDuel's main slate, which begins at 2:45 PM. 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


Here we go.

1. Flat-Track Bully Lukaku Back to Haunt Bournemouth

Romelu Lukaku ($10,500) came in for some stinging criticism after Manchester United's home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. The charge leveled at him once again is that he does not do enough in big games, having only scored 5 times in 36 games against the "top-six clubs" in the past three and a half seasons.

He may be able to redeem himself slightly against Bournemouth on Wednesday. The last time Lukaku faced the Cherries, he rammed four home in a 6-3 rout whilst playing for Everton last season. This coupled with United hoping to make amends after the footballing lesson they were given on Sunday should see an angry Manchester United ready and able to put Eddie Howe's Bournemouth side to the sword in a match in which United is a 1.5-goal home favorite.

2. Arsenal's Happy Hunting Ground

After a disappointing 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday, Arsenal return home to the London Stadium to play West Ham on Wednesday. OK, I'm kidding about them being at home at West Ham, but one could be mistaken for thinking so, considering the only trip the Gunners have made to West Ham's relatively new home has resulted in a 5-1 away win, with Alexis Sanchez ($11,000) coming away with the match ball.

Sanchez has now scored three in his last five matches for Arsenal, and although West Ham secured a well-deserved win against a below-par Chelsea at the weekend, the Hammers may be a bit gassed coming into this midweek fixture.

West Ham have clearly been revitalized under David Moyes, but if history is anything to go by, Arsene Wenger's men should control things Wednesday, and they're installed as a 1.0-goal road favorite.

3. Say Yes To Yaya

It will be interesting after Sunday's key 2-1 away win against Manchester United to see what side Pep Guardiola puts out on Wednesday at Swansea.

One eye will likely be on their Saturday game against Tottenham Hotspur, and with this in mind, we should expect some squad rotation. Fernandinho profiles as one of the more likely players to get a rest. He played a full 90 on Sunday, and he's one booking away from a suspension, meaning a card against Swansea would force him to miss the match with Spurs.

Guardiola has options. He can move Fabian Delph ($5,000) into midfield and bring in Danilo at left back, or he can choose from either Ilkay Gundogan ($7,000) or Yaya Toure ($6,500) as a like-for-like replacement.

The latter is the most intriguing option simply because the Ivorian has a much higher ceiling than either Delph or Gundogan. Yaya also has a good track record at Swansea, scoring three times in his last four Premier League trips to the Liberty Stadium.

If that fails, there is always Sergio Aguero, another City player who has haunted the Swans.

Regardless of who Guardiola starts in midfield, you're going to want exposure to City, who are 2.0-goal favorites with a 2.5-goal implied total -- both of which are tied with Liverpool for slate-high marks.