FanDuel Premier League Value Plays for Matchweek 17

Value plays are often the difference on the FanDuel leaderboard. With this year's format, value plays will be priced at $12 or lower in most cases. There will be some exceptions along the way.

This article will cover FanDuel's main slate that begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Jamie Vardy ($23) is the most expensive player on the slate after scoring in eight straight Premier League matches. Federico Fernandez ($15) is the most expensive defender for the first time this season, although he shares that spot with Ricardo Pereira. Kasper Schmeichel ($15) is the top-priced keeper.

There are 265 players to choose from on this slate with an average salary of $10.5. Roughly 30 players priced at or below $10 are expected to start. Let's see where the value lies in Matchweek 17.

Forward/Midfielder

Felipe Anderson, West Ham ($12)

Anderson has been inconsistent, but he tends to play better against teams lower in the table. The match at Southampton could be considered a mid-season relegation battle. Aside from a 27-fantasy-point performance against Manchester United, Anderson has scored 20 or more points against Watford, Norwich, and Bournemouth. He has created four chances over the last two weeks, with three of those coming against Wolves, the current sixth-place team. Last weekend's match against Arsenal was the first time since the season opener that Anderson did not have at least one tackle. He has also had a clearance in each of the last two games. Anderson should be able to rebound from a poor performance against Arsenal in a match against another relegation contender.

Douglas Luiz, Aston Villa ($9)

Luiz fits the same bill as Anderson as he seems to perform better against teams that struggle offensively. Sheffield are in the top half of the table, but they have scored only 19 goals. Luiz is expected to start on the outside of a three-man midfield in a flexible role that will allow him to overlap or move centrally based on how the Villa attack is forming. He has been accumulating points through defensive actions in recent weeks with seven clearances, four interceptions, and three tackles in his last three matches. Luiz drew three fouls last week against Leicester despite Villa having only 40% possession. Villa and Sheffield have similar possession numbers, which should make for a pretty even game with Luiz being involved on both sides of the ball.

Dennis Praet, Leicester City ($8)

Praet is not a guaranteed starter, but he made an impact in a rare start last week. He recorded his first assist and had his best FanDuel game of the season. The Belgian midfielder has started just four matches this season but has had three crosses in two of those games. With Vardy scoring the way he is, any cross sent in could result in an assist. Leicester used long balls in their magical title run, and that is still an option, as well. Leicester have scored at least two goals in the last five Premier League games. To get exposure to an offensive-minded midfielder in their attack at this price is worth the risk, especially with someone who averaged nearly three crosses per match in Serie A last year for a Sampdoria team that does not have the same level of attack the Foxes do.

Defender

Christoph Zimmermann, Norwich City ($11)

Zimmermann should be quite busy in just his sixth Premier League game. There is a possibility that Leicester has a goal outburst that does not reflect well on Zimmermann and the Norwich back line, but he has been solid in his limited play time. Zimmermann has scored at least 15 points in each of the last four matches and added an assist last week. He has 32 clearances while drawing at least one foul in the last four matches. Clearances are his main defensive category, and those should be needed against Leicester. Last season Zimmermann started 39 of 40 games in the Championship and 44 of 45 overall appearances to be one of the most reliable defenders in the league.

Paul Dummett, Newcastle ($9)

Newcastle have won their last two games while Burnley have lost their last three. Dummett has eight clearances, four interceptions, three blocks, and four tackles in the last two games. One of those was a shutout win over Sheffield. Dummett has started the last three games for Newcastle as they continue to employee a back-five that moves Dummett into a left center-back role as they go forward. His passes have doubled in recent weeks as Newcastle's play has improved. Dummett is not flashy but does have his average close to 13 FanDuel points a game after going seven games of scoring fewer than 10 points.

Keeper

Dean Henderson, Sheffield United ($10)

Henderson is coming off his best game in five weeks as he made three saves and allowed just one goal. He has the most points per game of any expected starter under $12 who has started at least five matches. He has at least three saves and allowed just one goal in three of the last four matches. Although this matchup should be fairly even, Villa have scored just one goal in each of the last two matches. If you are going to go away from the high-priced keepers whose teams are favored, Henderson is the most reliable option.

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.