SOCCER

FanDuel Soccer: 2 Premier League Under-the-Radar Plays for Matchweek 28

Mateo Kovacic has been getting forward more lately for Chelsea, and he could slip through the cracks this weekend. Who else should you zero in on for tournaments?

If you have played daily fantasy sports for a while, you know the importance of being contrarian in large-field tournaments. Recognizing which players are going to be owned by the masses and finding others who you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership can really separate yourself from your opponents.

The same goes for DFS Premier League. Even though the large-field tournaments aren't quite as large as they are for other sports, there is still value in identifying quality under-the-radar plays.

This article will discuss FanDuel's main Saturday slate, which starts at 10:00 a.m. EST and features 4 matches.

Matchweek 28
Saturday, February 29th
Southampton at West Ham
Burnley at Newcastle
Chelsea at Bournemouth
Liverpool at Watford


The 28th main slate of the season is a short, four-game slate, featuring two big-six sides in Chelsea and Liverpool. Liverpool is the largest favorite on the slate, with an implied win probability of 71.4% on the road against Watford. Chelsea is the second largest, with an implied win probability of 58.3% on the road against Bournemouth.

Outside of the big-six teams, this slate features two tightly contested fixtures between mid-to-bottom table teams. In those matches, Southampton and Newcastle are slight favorites in pick'ems against West Ham and Burnley, respectively.

On a short slate, Liverpool will dominate ownership, even with the presence of Chelsea. Their stars are more expensive but are likely worth the extra salary and ownership that will come with it. With the Reds in the midst of a historic season, on a slate without many other options, fade Liverpool at your own risk this weekend.

With all that in mind, here are two players to consider this weekend -- especially for tournament formats -- who may fly under the radar.

Danny Ings, FWD/MID, Southampton

FanDuel Salary: $18

The popularity of Liverpool's and Chelsea's high-priced attackers should lower ownership of other team's stars. With salary being allocated two of Liverpool's attacking trio, it will be difficult for lineups to include Ings at his price. That makes him a solid option for large-field tournaments this weekend. Ings has double-digit FanDuel points in six of his last eight starts and has a combined four goals and 26 shots over that span.

West Ham looked an improved side in their narrow loss to Liverpool, but they have been one of the worst home teams this season, while Southampton is in the middle of an excellent run of form on the road. West Ham has won just one of their last six home matches, conceding 11 goals in that span, including 3 to Brighton in their most recent home fixture. Southampton has four wins in their last six away matches, with 10 goals scored, the fourth most in the Premier League during that stretch.

Coming off an emotional defeat to Liverpool, West Ham may be vulnerable, and Ings and Southampton can take advantage.

Mateo Kovacic, FWD/MID, Chelsea

FanDuel Salary: $10

Chelsea is at the tail end of a brutal run of games that has seen them face Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Manchester United, Leicester City, and Arsenal in five of their last six fixtures across all competitions. They managed just one victory in those five matches and should be looking at their clash with Bournemouth this weekend as an opportunity to get back on track. Bournemouth has lost their last two games by a combined score of 5-1 and appears to be reverting to their old form after a spell of good performances.

Kovacic has played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea in each of their last three matches, producing FanDuel point totals of 16.4, 8.6, and 15.1. At a salary of just $10, he is a great value target to allow for the inclusion of Liverpool's attackers and has some additional upside operating as a center-mid in Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 or 4-3-3 formation.

Earlier in the season, he was being deployed as a defensive-mid in a 4-2-3-1, but Chelsea's shift in formation provides him with additional offensive opportunities going forward. He is well worth consideration for tournaments this weekend as a way to gain cheap exposure to the second-largest favorite on the slate.