4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 33

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 seven matches.

It's an odd slate. Only three top teams are in play, and there's some uncertainty with Manchester City, one of those three, in terms of who they'll start and who they might rest. On one hand, City has a chance to clinch the Premier League title at home with a win over their biggest rivals. On the flip side, City has a crucial Champions League date with Liverpool next Tuesday, so their starting XI is very much up in the air.

To make things worse, City-United is the late game, so we may not have any clarity on City's lineup until after the six 10 a.m. EST games get going. That makes Tottenham, a 1.5-goal favorite at Stoke, super appealing. As of now, Spurs are the largest favorite by 1.0 goal, and their 2.0-goal implied total is a slate-best mark.

Brighton, Leicester, Watford and Manchester City are all 0.5-goal favorites, but the line in the City-United match could grow if Pep Guardiola says beforehand that he'll play his top players.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Harry Kane, Tottenham

FanDuel Price: $11,000

For all the reasons we mentioned above, Tottenham are likely to be a very popular target. Kane is expected to return to the starting lineup after an injury layoff, and Spurs are massive 1.5-goal favorites over Stoke on a slate where -- as of now -- no other team is favored by more than a 0.5-goal clip.

Prior to hitting the shelf, Kane was shredding the Premier League, scoring 24 goals in 28 starts. He is awfully goal-reliant in DFS -- he has a mere two assists in EPL play -- but we can stomach it for a guy who scores close to a goal per start.

Stoke has given up a total of seven goals in their last three matches, and Spurs have scored at least four goals in their last four outings against Stoke in all competitions. Spurs offer a slew of enticing options, and it makes sense from a game-theory perspective to think about a Kane fade in GPPs. But he's the clear top play this week in cash games.

Midfielder

Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $9,500

This is really just a placeholder for any City midfielder, and it depends on who Pep Guardiola starts. Sterling, David Silva ($11,000), Kevin De Bruyne ($10,500) and Leroy Sane ($9,000) all have huge appeal if they're in the lineup.

KDB is averaging 30.3 FanDuel points per game for the year, and Silva is at 25.5, with at least 26.0 points in five straight. Sane is the most volatile of the bunch, but he also has a nice ceiling with two goals and an assist over his last four EPL matches.

Sterling, however, is probably the best GPP play due to his combination of a fairly safe floor and big-time upside. He's got 16 goals and 7 assists in 27 league appearances. He's put up at least 19 FanDuel points in six straight, and he owns five outings of at least 30 FanDuel points over his past 12 games, including a 57.25-point outburst.

United are one of the better defensive teams in the league, so the ceiling for City's players is lowered a bit this week. With that said, City saw 63% of the possession and fired off 14 shots (7 on target) in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.

Defender

Eric Bailly, Manchester United

FanDuel Price: $6,000

Bailly has been limited to 10 EPL matches this season due to injury, but he's healthy now and has been good when he's played, averaging 15.6 FanDuel points per game for the season.

He's scored 17.75 and 25.5 FanDuel points in his last two games, and those contests were versus Chelsea and Liverpool. With United on the road at the Etihad, Bailly should be very busy and can produce a similar fantasy output.

We all know City have run roughshod through the EPL this season -- they lead the league in goals (88 in 31 matches), possession (66.6%) and shots per match (17.5) -- and Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho will likely do everything in his power to prevent Guardiola and City from winning the title against United. That may mean parking the bus, and it should leave Bailly with a very high floor, making him ideal for cash games.

Goalie

Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Depending on the team news we get prior to the six early games, it may not be a bad slate to pay up for David de Gea ($6,000). He's the best keeper on the slate, and he's in a spot where he should get peppered with shots unless City deploy heavy squad rotation.

But Schmeichel is in a nice situation, too, as Leicester host Newcastle United. The Magpies have struggled in attack this campaign, bagging a mere 31 goals in 31 matches. Newcastle has played well lately, likely securing their place in the EPL for next season by taking 11 points from their past six matches, but even in that span, they've netted just 8 goals.

Leicester have conceded only four goals in their last six matches across all competitions, and they haven't allowed more than one goal in any of those outings. Schmeichel is in a decent spot for a clean sheet, which gives him upside, and Newcastle are tied for the ninth-most shots per match (11.9) so the floor is decent, too.

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.