SOCCER

3 FanDuel Premier League Under-the-Radar Plays for Matchweek 24

With Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United in action, Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri will likely go under-owned despite a nice matchup with Huddersfield.

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 seven matches.

Matchweek 24
Saturday, January 20th
Crystal Palace at Arsenal
Manchester United at Burnley
West Bromwich Albion at Everton
Watford at Leicester City
Huddersfield Town at Stoke City
Bournemouth at West Ham United
Newcastle at Manchester City


Coming off their first loss of the season, Manchester City are the largest favorites on the slate with a spread of 2.5 goals at home against Newcastle. They also boast the highest implied total on the slate at 3.0 goals. The remaining elite sides are Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal are 1.0-goal favorites at home against Crystal Palace, while Manchester United are 1.0-goal favorites on the road versus Burnley.

In the other four matches, the home sides – Everton, Leicester City, Stoke City, and West Ham – are 0.5-goal favorites. All of these matches have an over/under of 2.5 goals, with the exception of Everton-West Brom, which has the lowest over/under on the slate at 2.0 goals.

As they do on every slate they’re featured on, Manchester City will carry heavy ownership. Despite the expected high ownership, they still need to be given extreme consideration for large-field tournaments this weekend, as the other elite sides on the slate are either struggling (Arsenal) or on the road against a stingy opponent (Manchester United).

With that in mind, here are three under-the-radar players to consider for Matchweek 24.

Andre Gray, Watford

FanDuel Salary: $7,500

With the numerous high-priced options available, most lineups will look to find value at the second forward spot. To that end, new Everton forward Cenk Tosun could be a popular option at only $8,000 at home against West Brom. For $500 less, Gray is a pivot off of Tosun, and he has been in excellent form lately.

Over his last two matches, Gray has racked up six total shots, four shots on goal, two goals, and two chances created. As the lead forward in Watford’s 4-2-3-1 formation, he has performed well. Watford actually average more shots per match on the road (11.8) than at home (11.2), and they have scored 17 goals on the road compared to 16 goals at home. Traveling to Leicester City shouldn’t dim Watford’s outlook.

While Leicester City are 0.5-goal favorites, Watford have the second-highest implied total of any of the underdogs. At home this season, the Foxes are allowing 13.3 shots per game to their opponents, the fourth-most in the Premier League. As a low-priced option who should carry low ownership, Gray slots in well next to a lineup centered on multiple Manchester City options.

Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke City

FanDuel Salary: $9,000

A frequent inclusion in this article, Shaqiri usually represents a nice alternative to similarly-priced midfielders on elite sides. This weekend, he is a pivot off of Leroy Sane ($9,500), Jesse Lingard ($8,500), and the Arsenal trio of Granit Xhaka ($8,500), Aaron Ramsey ($8,500), and Jack Wilshere ($8,000).

While Stoke City are currently in a terrible run of form with four losses in their last six matches, they are 0.5-goal home favorites this weekend against Huddersfield. With an implied total of 1.45, they have a similar expectation to an in-form West Ham side, who have an implied goal total of 1.52 goals. If not for their massive price increase, West Ham would have been very popular this weekend in a similar spot, and Stoke City are likely to go overlooked due to their recent struggles.

Shaqiri is currently in a goal-scoring drought, with his last league goal coming in early December. However, in his seven starts since then, he has still managed to produce more than 19 FanDuel points four times. His floor is still there, and his chances of breaking his goal-scoring drought are improved against a Huddersfield side that has conceded 16 goals in their last six away matches. Consider opting for a midfield pairing of Shaqiri and Eric Choupo-Moting instead of similarly-priced Arsenal or Manchester United options.

Jordon Ibe, Bournemouth

FanDuel Salary: $6,500

Ibe’s excellent counter-attacking performance against Arsenal last weekend highlights his recent form, which has seen him score 26.5, 16.25, 37.75, and 29.5 FanDuel points over his last four matches. At only $6,500, Ibe’s ownership would be higher this weekend if he wasn’t going against a West Ham side that exploded for four goals during last week’s main slate. Ibe’s performance against Arsenal came early on Sunday morning and may have slipped under the radar a bit.

If public perception is that an in-form West Ham are going to easily handle Bournemouth, Ibe should carry low ownership despite his recent form. The Hammers are only 0.5-goal favorites, and Bournemouth’s implied goal total of 1.16 is the highest of any underdog on the slate.

While West Ham are in excellent form in the final third, they have still allowed an average of 1.5 goals per match over their last six matches. In their last two home matches, they allowed one goal to West Brom and three goals to a struggling Newcastle side. Similar to Andre Gray, Ibe is a low-priced option who can fit with a trio of Manchester City players.