4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 34

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.

With Liverpool and Manchester City coming off their midweek Champions League clash, those two squads could opt for some squad rotation this weekend, so, as always, it'll be vital to check team news Saturday morning. While FanDuel does allow for late swaps, City and Liverpool play late matches, so any unexpected lineup changes by the Reds or Citizens could really alter the outlook of this slate given that six of the nine most expensive players are on those two teams.

As things stand now, four matches are pick'ems and one has a 0.5-goal favorite (Palace). The other match has Liverpool as a 2.0-goal favorite with a slate-best 2.75-goal implied total, so the Reds will be popular. The slate's other two elite sides, Spurs and City, play each other in a match that's listed as a pick'em. The matches between Spurs-City and Liverpool-Bournemouth are the only two with more than a 2.0-goal over/under.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Roberto Firmino, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $12,000

As we just mentioned, the Reds are whopping 2.0-goal home favorites against Bournemouth with a slate-leading 2.75-goal implied total. That alone puts Firmino in a stellar spot, but things could look even rosier for him if Mohamed Salah sits, which isn't too far-fetched considering Salah is dealing with a knock and is coming off the colossal midweek UCL match.

Regardless of what happens with Salah, this is a money spot for Firmino. The Brazilian is in the best form of his career this season, notching 14 goals and 7 assists in 28 EPL starts. Over his last six domestic starts, Firmino is averaging 32.37 FanDuel points per match. His willingness to track back and defend boosts his floor -- at least 17 FanDuel points in all six games in that span -- while his spot at the center of a high-powered attack gives him huge upside as he's gone for at least 38 FanDuel points in three of those six matches.

Bournemouth have given up 12 goals in their last six EPL contests, and Liverpool put four past them on the road in the reverse fixture. The Reds have bagged 12 goals in their last five matches across all competitions, and that includes a goal-less draw versus Everton in which they rested several key players.

There are several enticing forwards at the top of the pricing spectrum, but it's hard to make a case for any of them being in a better spot than Firmino is.

Midfielder

Christian Eriksen, Tottenham

FanDuel Price: $10,000

You'll want some exposure to the City-Spurs clash given all the star power and the 3.0-goal over/under. Unless we get some definitive team news out of the Manchester City camp prior to the kickoff of the 10 a.m. EST matches -- something that's not likely to happen -- it'll be simpler to build around Tottenham's high-priced studs and adjust from there depending on who City start.

Eriksen has been in deadly form, and City are ripe for the picking right now, having conceded eight goals in their last three matches across all competitions. Tottenham is trending the other way, winning four in a row and scoring 12 goals in that stretch.

Eriksen is averaging 26.5 FanDuel points per outings this season, but he's upped his game of late, posting FanDuel totals of 43.5, 39.25 and 35.25 points over his last three. He's got two goals -- including the belter below -- two assists and six chances created in that three-game tear, and his set-piece duties give him additional opportunities to deliver the goods.

🚨 GOAL OF THE SEASON CONTENDER 🚨 Go on Christian Eriksen!! #CHETOT pic.twitter.com/BLCC7il8XL
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2018

This slate is loaded with top-notch midfielders, but the over/under in this match combined with the form of both Eriksen and City's defense makes the Danish international a superb play.

Defender

Andrew Robertson, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Robertson worked his socks off against Manchester City in midweek European action, so if Jurgen Klopp opts for squad rotation -- something he may do with Liverpool 10 points clear of fifth-place Chelsea -- Robertson may get the weekend off. But if he's in there, Robertson offers as much upside as any defender of the slate thanks to his bombing runs down the left side.

The former Hull City man is averaging a pedestrian 15.1 FanDuel points for the campaign, but he's put up games of 24.25 and 29.25 FanDuel points in his last six matches. As a refresher, Liverpool are a 2.0-goal favorite with a 2.75-goal implied total, and they've netted eight goals in their last two matches at Anfield.

Admittedly, with all the attacking talent available, it's not a great slate to pay $7,000 for a defender, but it's not a bad move in GPPs as a way to differentiate your lineup.

Goalie

Nick Pope, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Pope has kept a clean sheet just once in his last 11 matches, but he's still scored at least 15.0 FanDuel points five times during that span, including three times in his last five outings.

Teams fire off a lot of shots against Burnley -- the Clarets give up 15.3 shots per game, the most in the EPL -- and that's where Pope's nice floor comes from. He's made at least four saves in four of his last seven outings.

Pope should be fairly busy against Leicester, a side with the most goals (48) outside of England's big-six clubs. In addition to his floor, Pope also has some decent upside thanks to solid clean-sheet odds. The Burnley-Leicester match is a pick'em with a 2.0-goal over/under, and the Foxes' 1.0-goal implied total ties for the second-worst clip on the slate (Brighton have a 0.75-goal implied total).

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.