FanDuel Premier League Trends to Know for Matchweek 2
The next Premier League main slate hits FanDuel at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday and features six matches. FanDuel continues their format from the Women's World Cup, asking contestants to select four players from forward/midfielder, two defenders, and one keeper.
There has only been one week of action, but several of last year's top teams are on this slate. Four of the seven teams that picked up a win in week one are also featured.
| Matchweek 2 |
|---|
| Saturday, August 17th |
| Bournemouth at Aston Villa |
| Watford at Everton |
| Newcastle at Norwich |
| Liverpool at Southampton |
| West Ham at Brighton |
| Tottenham at Manchester City |
Let's look at the teams and players that are rising and falling this week.
Hot
Team: Liverpool
The Champions League holders fell short of the Premier League title a campaign ago, but they sent a message in the first week of the season by destroying Norwich. They did allow a goal, but all of their key parts looked good. Mohamed Salah ($24) scored a goal, had an assist, and created three scoring chances. Virgil Van Dijk ($18) scored a strong headed goal and joined Salah and Divock Origi ($16) with more than 30 FanDuel points. Two other players scored between 20 and 30 FanDuel points.
Liverpool have a 73% implied win probability this week and have scored three goals in three of the last four games against Southampton. The only concern is that Alisson is out with a calf injury, but Adrian ($14) is an experienced keeper who should fit in well in the short term.
Player: Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa ($16)
As expected, the Villa defense was under fire last weekend at Spurs. Mings was most up to task and also managed a long-ball assist on Villa's only goal of the game. The pass was speculative, so his defensive play told a bigger story. He finished with 17 clearances and five blocks on the day. He scored the most Matchweek 1 points of any defender on this slate.
Villa's opponent this week, Bournemouth, edged Sheffield United in possession last week and will look to do so again this weekend. That will put Mings back to work, although it will be tough to match the numbers from his opening game. As a side note, Mings is becoming a Villa legend as his latest act was to reach out to a father that is dealing with cancer and unable to take his son to Villa games this season.
Cold
Team: Watford
Watford did not have a great opening week of the season. They were shut out by Brighton, last week's hot team. The majority of the Hornets' players scored fewer than 10 FanDuel points as the team failed to execute their chances. Only three of their 11 shots were on target, and they committed 15 fouls. They had three more corners than Brighton did but never truly threatened.
They are now underdogs against Everton as the Toffees have a 59% implied win probability at home in this one. Watford finished last season with three straight loses and were very quiet in the transfer window. They lack depth across the pitch and are one injury away from being very short on attacking players. They have been a mid-table team, but they could slip this season given their lack of momentum.
Player: Jack Wilshere, West Ham ($12)
Wilshere was in the starting lineup for West Ham as they were decimated 5-0 against Manchester City. He played 56 minutes and contributed one successful dribble while being fouled three times. He was substituted out with a dead leg and has been playing down the fears of another major injury. Wilshere admitted that he will likely need a few games to get back into shape for Premier League action. Wilshere, if he can play on Saturday, will get to face a Brighton squad that looked great in its opener and are slight favorites. Brighton have taken three of the last four matches between these two and scored three goals in two of the wins. Wilshere may come around, but he clearly needs time.
Doug Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Doug 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.
