SOCCER

Premier League: 4 FanDuel Value Plays for Matchweek 28

On loan at Newcastle, Kenedy has hit the ground running and makes for a nice play versus Bournemouth. Which other low-cost options are in a good spot?

Less than three months remain in the Premier League season, but with teams still active in cup and European competitions the schedule is not uniform. Two teams will have this matchweek off and a total of five games have no set date. Regardless, FanDuel will still have a six-game main slate on Saturday.

Matchweek 28
Saturday, February 24th
Newcastle at Bournemouth
Swansea at Brighton
Southampton at Burnley
West Ham at Liverpool
Huddersfield at West Brom
Everton at Watford


Liverpool players lead the way in the pricing this week with their three top attackers priced above $10,000. With many top teams not on the slate, only eight players are priced at or above $9,000.

Christopher Schindler and Virgil Van Dijk lead the defenders at $7,500. Given that the teams in action are mainly in the bottom half of the table and they are generally lacking possession, 40 defenders are priced at or above $6,000. That is expected with this type of slate.

The expected starting keepers again range from $5,500 to $4,500 with Lukasz Fabianski by himself at the top of the range.

With the lay of the land complete, let's get started.

Forward

Gerard Deulofeu ($7,500): If narratives are of importance to you, Deulofeu is your man this week. He made a name for himself at Everton and now gets to take on his former team in a fixture that has a history of goals.


Deulofeu has played great since coming over to Watford. He was the highlight of Watford's 4-1 victory over Chelsea. He finished that game with 36.75 FanDuel points, helping to push his average up to 20.9 per match. He is playing so well that he is eyeing a spot on the Spanish World Cup squad this summer.

Deulofeu has created eight chances in his three games for Watford. He has drawn a foul in each game and even chipped in six defensive actions. He should take on Everton defenders with his speed and potentially add to Everton's 46 goals allowed.

Midfielder

Kenedy ($7,000): Kenedy has appeared in three games for Newcastle after moving there in January and now averages close to 19 FanDuel points per game. He has been marauding down the left side of the field, willingly taking on defenders.

Kenedy has yet to score for Newcastle, but he did register an assist and averages more than two shots per game. He is also getting fouled more than two times a game while contributing 1.7 key passes. While he seems more likely to drive at opponents, Kenedy is also averaging 1.3 crosses per match with Newcastle.

The 4-4-1-1 that Newcastle employs does mean that Kenedy has some defensive responsibilities. He is averaging 3.3 defensive actions per match with most coming in the form of tackles.

Bournemouth allows a touch more than 14 shots per match and commits nine fouls per game. They also give up an absurd 13.8 shots per game at home. Kenedy will gladly take his chances at the Vitality Stadium.

Defender

Ezequiel Schelotto ($5,000): There are plenty of defenders who can provide value on a slate that is generally priced lower, but Brighton's Schelotto presents an interesting case. He is averaging only 9.2 FanDuel points per game, but he is coming off his joint-best game of the season with a 20.5-fantasy-point performance against Stoke. He had a season-high eight clearances in that match.


For much of the beginning of the season, Schelotto was used as a sub. He was also used in the midfield rather than the right-back position that he has settled into lately. As he has received more playing time, his efforts have stabilized.

The Italian defender is averaging nearly five defensive actions and an 80% pass success rate. He will send nearly two long balls forward a game looking for a breaking attacker. A searching ball is likely this weekend as well against a Swansea team that is dealing with injuries along the back line.

Swansea averages a mere 8.4 shots per match and wins less aerial balls than Brighton. It is a good game for Schelotto to continue his improved form.

Keeper

Alex McCarthy ($4,500): The games on this slate involve a lot of teams fighting for their Premier League lives, so uncertainty is guaranteed. Still, the key is to find the keeper with a great shot at a shutout. McCarthy fits that bill among the six expected starting keepers priced at $4,500.

Southampton have been struggling, but Burnley's form is not much better. Burnley have not won any of their last 11 matches across all competitions after a red-hot start to the campaign. They have been held without a goal in six of those matches and have scored more than one goal only once during that stretch. Burnley have managed only 21 goals all season.

This fixture has finished 1-0 in three of the last five league matchups between these two teams. There is no reason to expect a lot of goals in this fixture, either.



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.