FanDuel Premier League Trends to Know for Matchweek 17

The next Premier League main slate hits FanDuel at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday. Chelsea and Leicester City are the marquee squads on the slate. Five of the bottom six teams are included.

Let's look at the teams and players that are rising and falling this week.

Hot

Team: Newcastle

Newcastle have won two in a row after drawing with Manchester City and now sit in 11th place, which is only two points out of fifth. They have won three of their last five with points in three straight. Newcastle are underdogs at Burnley this week despite Burnley losing three games in a row. Newcastle have also won the last two against Burnley in Premier League action. Newcastle are making the most of their opportunities. They had less possession than Southampton last week, but more shots on target. The previous game against Sheffield was one-sided in possession, but four of Newcastle's six shots were on target as they played a bend, but do not break style. Burnley are not a possession-based team, but Newcastle will be happy to concede the ball and keep winning with controlled defense and precision striking.

Player: Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Vardy is the obvious choice, but the run he is on deserves attention. Amazingly, he has done it before, but the goal over the weekend made eight straight Premier League games that Vardy has found the back of the net. Vardy has scored 24 goals since March 3, which is when Brendan Rodgers took over at Leicester. Vardy has 16 goals with over 50% of his shots on target this season. He has eight games with at least two shots on target. Leicester have won nine straight matches across all competitions and scored at least two goals in each of those matches. Norwich have allowed two goals in each of the last three matches. Vardy will look to feast on the slumping Canaries to keep his streak going.

Cold

Team: Bournemouth

The middle of the Premier League table is very bunched up, but Bournemouth are just one point above relegation. It is now over a month since Bournemouth last won in the Premier League. They have been shut out in the past two matches. Bournemouth carried 69% possession against Crystal Palace in matchweek 15 after Palace went down a man and still could not find the back of the net. They only had three shots on target and committed 11 more fouls. One of their best defenders, Nathan Ake, seems to be looking for a way out the door during the January transfer window as well. Bournemouth are heavy underdogs against Chelsea on the road this weekend, so it appears the losing streak will continue.

Player: Nick Pope, Burnley

Some of the blame for Pope's poor play has to be put on the Burnley backline, but Pope has seen a lot of shots make their way behind him. Pope has allowed 11 goals in the last three games while facing 18 shots. That equals a save percentage of just 39%. Pope's confidence may have been shaken after allowing a soft goal against Crystal Palace in matchweek 14, the start of the losing streak. The defense in front of Pope made numerous mistakes in the 5-0 loss to Tottenham over the weekend. The team has been inconsistent for much of the season, but this is easily their worst stretch. They are facing Newcastle at the wrong time given the form of each team.

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.