SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 35

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in fine form, and Arsenal are in a plum spot as home favorites. Which other high-priced players should you look to on Sunday's three-match main slate?

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 8:30 a.m. EST Sunday and features three matches.

Matchweek 35
Sunday, April 22nd
Swansea City at Manchester City
West Ham at Arsenal
Burnley at Stoke City


Manchester City are going to be insanely popular on this three-game slate. The Citizens are 2.5-goal home favorites versus Swansea with a whopping 3.0-goal implied total. Arsenal are 1.0-goal favorites against West Ham, and the Gunners own a 2.0-goal implied total. Surprisingly, 7th-place Burnley are a 0.5-goal road underdog at 19th-place Stoke City, and that match boasts a measly 2.0-goal over/under.

Let's get to it.

Forward

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal

FanDuel Price: $11,500

With Sergio Aguero out, City's Gabriel Jesus ($11,000) will likely be very popular, but given the makeup of this slate, it makes sense to target Arsenal up top -- Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette ($10,500) -- while getting exposure to City in midfield.

Since the Gunners aren't in the race for the top four, Arsenal has kind of slipped off the radar over the latter portion of the season, so Auba's stellar run of form hasn't gotten much publicity. Well, dude is ballin' out over his last five.

OpponentGoalsAssistsShots on GoalFanDuel Points
Brighton10 234.25
Watford11238.75
Stoke City2 0351.25
Southampton1 0232.00
Newcastle01019.00


Yes, his recent onslaught has come against some pretty shoddy competition, but Sunday's match against West Ham falls right in line. The Hammers have conceded 59 goals in 33 matches, including a league-worst 38 goals in 17 away contests.

Arsenal have a 2.0-goal implied total and are 1.0-goal home favorites. You'll want a piece of the Gunners, and Auba is the top choice -- he's got the best odds to score -- as long as you can budget him into a lineup that has at least one City stud in the midfield.

Midfielder

Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $10,500

Sterling has the reputation of a guy who bottles easy chances -- and he's certainly missed some clear ones -- but his conversion rate (21.8%) is right in line with that of City's other two top goal scorers (Aguero at 22.3% and Jesus at 22.2%).

Aguero being out gives Sterling's value a boost, and he's already been one of the EPL's best DFS producers this season, averaging 25.3 FanDuel points per match while scoring 17 goals with 8 assists in 25 league starts.

City are in a mouth-watering spot as commanding 2.5-goal home favorites with a 3.0-goal implied total against Swansea. City put four past the Swans in the reverse fixture earlier this season, and Sterling has the second-best odds to score in this match (behind only Jesus).

Defender

Federico Fernandez, Swansea

FanDuel Price: $6,500

Fernandez has put up at least 16.0 FanDuel points in five straight matches, deriving almost all of his DFS value from his high-volume ways along Swansea's back line. The match at Manchester City sets up perfectly for him.

The Swans average 46.0% possession, which ranks 15th in the EPL, while City lead the league with a possession rate of 65.9%. The Citizens average 18.4 shots per match at home and should have Swansea pinned back for most of this fixture.

Fernandez has at least 7 clearances in each of his past five outings, including a 15-clearance performance at Huddersfield. He scored 22.5 FanDuel points at Liverpool and 17.5 FanDuel points at Manchester United, and Fernandez has the best floor this weekend among top-priced defenders. If you need to save cash, Kyle Naughton ($5,500) and Martin Olsson ($5,000) are expected to start in defense for Swansea and should offer pretty safe floors, as well.

Goalie

Lukasz Fabianski, Swansea

FanDuel Price: $5,500

Swansea own a 0.5-goal implied total, so Ederson ($5,000) has the slate's best shot at a clean sheet. However, the upside isn't really there for the Brazilian because he's unlikely to be very busy (just five total saves over his last four matches).

Fabianski is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. The clean-sheet odds are almost non-existent on the road at City, but he'll likely be peppered with shots, which gives him a decent floor and a chance at some upside if he can make stops.

In the reverse fixture against Manchester City, Fabianski gave up 4 goals, but he made 6 saves and finished with 16.0 FanDuel points. In a similar type of match at Liverpool, he was beaten for 5 goals earlier this season but still had 8.5 FanDuel points thanks to a 4-save day.

Admittedly, Fabianski could give up four goals and make just one or two saves, which would result in a miserable DFS day. But the volume of shots he's likely to see -- City average 8.3 shots on target per home match -- gives him a good chance at producing a respectable output, and if he can stand on his head, the upside is there for a big day.



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.