SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 28

Mo Salah and Liverpool are going to be the slate's most popular team. How should we handle the Reds, and which other high-priced players are in a good spot?

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 10 a.m. EST Saturday and features six matches.

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 are the belles of the ball on this slate. The Reds are comfy 2.0-goal home favorites with a 2.75-goal implied total as their match with West Ham has a tasty 3.5-goal over/under. No other game on the slate is installed with an over/under of more than 2.5 goals, and no other teams are more than a 0.5-goal favorite -- so Liverpool will be very popular.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Oumar Niasse, Everton

FanDuel Price: $8,500

As you might expect given the teams playing on this slate, Liverpool's front three are pricey, each costing at least $10,500. Roberto Firmino ($12,500) is on fire -- and we'll discuss the Reds more in a minute -- but we need to touch on other options, as well.

When Niasse has been in the starting XI, he has offered a nice ceiling, totaling 23.25 and 43.5 FanDuel points in his last two starts, registering two goals and an assist in those outings. Everton's match with Watford is one to target, as it should be an open affair between two teams with lengthy injury lists.

Depending on how Everton set up, Wayne Rooney ($8,500) and Gylfi Sigurdsson ($9,000) make some sense, too, as does Watford's Abdoulaye Doucouré ($9,500) for the host Hornets. There have been five total goals in two of the past three EPL meetings between these clubs, and it's the match to hone in on once you figure out how you want to handle Liverpool.

Midfielder

Mo Salah, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $13,000

As we've touched on, you're going to want exposure to Liverpool, and how you deal with the Reds will determine what you can do with the rest of your lineup. There are a lot of value options available -- especially at defender -- with so many lesser-known squads on this slate, so you should be able to roster two of Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane ($10,500) if you so choose.

Salah is going to see a ton of ownership. He's put up at least 40 FanDuel points in four of his past six EPL games, and he hasn't scored fewer than 16 fantasy points in a run of nine games. In that stretch, Salah has racked up at least 29 FanDuel points seven times, totaling nine goals and four assists.

Anytime someone is going to see immense ownership, it's always worthwhile to consider fading them in large-field tourneys, and that's the case here, especially with Mane presenting a nice pivot option who still allows you to get exposure to the slate's top team. With that said, if you fade Salah and he continues doing what he's been doing, your lineup is likely toast. In cash games, you pretty much have to plug in Salah and build from there.

Defender

James Collins, West Ham

FanDuel Price: $7,000

It is not the week to pay up at defender since you'll probably need coin to get the Liverpool guys you want. At the same time, since spending up at defender won't be popular, doing so will give your lineup a lot of differentiation in GPPs.

Collins is averaging 19.7 FanDuel points per game this season, and he should be very busy at Anfield. West Ham have been in fine form lately, but they will likely spend large chunks of this match defending. Collins has a whopping 19 clearances in his last game, which was a home match versus Watford.

He's not a lock to start -- with his status possibly depending on Winston Reid's availability -- but if Collins is in the lineup, he offers a great floor. If Collins doesn't start, whoever the Hammers deploy at center-back will be worth checking out.

Keeper

Nick Pope, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $13,000

Burnley have slowed their pace after a red-hot start, but the Clarets still offer a pretty ideal situation for Pope's DFS value as they give up plenty of shots while not conceding many goals. For the season, Burnley have allowed 24 goals in 27 matches, the fifth-fewest in the league, but they are giving up 16.0 shots per match, the most in the EPL.

Southampton's place in the drop zone is pretty misleading. Not only is their goal differential (-12) indicative of a mid-table side, the Saints are taking 12.1 shots per match, the eighth-most in the league and their 52.4% possession rate checks in seventh. Southampton should keep Pope busy, but the Saints' lack of clinical finishing -- they have just 28 goals, the 12th-most, despite all the shots and possession -- gives him a good chance at a clean sheet.



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.