FanDuel Premier League Value Plays for Matchweek 19

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 Thursday at 10:00 a.m. EST with all but four teams included.

Tammy Abraham and Marcus Rashford ($22) are the most expensive players on the slate, and both forwards in great recent form. Four defenders from four teams are tied at the high salary of $15 for that position although Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta has a minor hamstring injury. The highest priced keeper is Liverpool's Alisson ($15).

There are over 450 players on this slate and fewer than 100 are priced above $12 dollars, most of whom are forwards or midfielders. Let's see where the value lies on Boxing Day.

Forward/Midfielder

Kenny McLean, Norwich ($12)

McLean only has value when Norwich can find time on the ball, and this should be one of those games. They average close to 5% more possession than Aston Villa. McLean has had good performances against Manchester City and Arsenal, but he also shined against Brighton and last week against Wolves. McLean has shown signs of improvement offensively over the last six weeks, averaging just over a shot per game from his central midfielder role. McLean has been active defensively from that spot despite being moved in an offensive-minded role. In the past three weeks he has six clearances, four tackles, and one interception. McLean is definitely a risk given the inconsistent team play, but that will likely keep him low owned on this big slate.

Ashley Westwood, Burnley ($11)

Westwood has scored at least 13.9 points in the past two matchweeks with an assist in each of the games. He has drawn three fouls and created three chances in those games as well. Given that Burnley scored just one goal in each of those games, the offensive return for Westwood is excellent. Burnley had less than 40% possession last week, so Westwood's output is even more impressive. Burnley have a good match up with Everton, which has a new manager and has won just one of their last five games.

Defender

Andrew Robertson, Liverpool ($12)

This one should be self explanatory as getting Robertson, who averages over 15 points per match, at a lower price is hard to pass up. It is the biggest game of the year to this point with Liverpool facing a great attack. That means Robertson will likely stay back more often and mind his defensive responsibilities. However, his ability to create in the smallest amount of space from the wing always raises his ceiling. In the match against Manchester City, another high-powered offensive team, Robertson had an assist, two chances four clearances, one interception, and one block. Robertson has had a series of subpar matches and played just 31 minutes last weekend, but he has a streak of 17 games across all competitions with at least one cross.

Chris Mepham, Bournemouth ($10)

Mepham has played the past four games after not seeing time since September. He has scored no fewer than 13 points in those four matches having tallied 30 clearances. That number includes 14 against Chelsea. Mepham has added two blocks, eight interceptions, and three tackles. Mepham gets his points strictly from defensive actions, which should be good against Arsenal as they average 7% more possession than Bournemouth. Two of his best games this season have come against Chelsea and Leicester so he will not be intimidated by playing Arsenal.

Grant Hanley, Norwich ($8)

Hanley made his first appearance since September last matchweek and scored 10 points. He is listed at the lowest price on the slate and should start at center back. Hanley had a season-high three blocks last week, but clearances is his most consistent category. He averages four clearances per match. Hanley has also had a tackle and drew a foul in all but one match. Norwich missed their captain and Hanley should solidify the back line once again.

Keeper

Ben Foster, Watford ($10)

To say Foster got off to a bad start would be an understatement. However, he is coming off a 41-point clean sheet against Manchester United in which he made eight saves. Watford will face Sheffield, which has scored one or fewer goals in three of the past five games. When these teams met in the fall, no one scored. Foster made three saves and scored 19 points in that match. Again the highest-priced keepers make the most sense on this slate, but Foster is confident ahead of the match with a team that does not have a high powered offense.

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.