SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 6

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Sep 22nd, 2016
Each of the Saturday fixtures in the Premier League have appeal, but two rise to the top as surprising places to find points.

The Premier League will have eight matches on Saturday, and there is a way to find appeal with every one of them for your FanDuel lineups.

A fading Manchester United hosts a resurgent Leicester City club working its way back up the table. Sergio Agüero returns to Manchester City in one of two games with a three-goal over/under. Arsenal and Chelsea face off in a match that has featured a clean sheet on at least one side of the ball for five consecutive matches.

However, it is two matches that might not get as much fanfare that can help you win this weekend.

Stoke City vs. West Bromwich Albion

Stoke City is the worst defensive team in the league, and it is not particularly close. They are also last in the table and still looking for their first win. Meanwhile, West Brom moved into the top half last week and have averaged just one goal against per game.

On paper, this looks like a West Brom win, and they have beaten Stoke in their last three meetings. West Brom manager Tony Pulis has not lost to his former club, having also beat Stoke with Crystal Palace. Despite all of this, Stoke is actually a small favorite.

Stoke has given up four goals in three of their last four games. However, manager Mark Hughes still has backing from the club's chairmen and has started to issue warnings to his players. Hughes may have energized his team by being sent off against Tottenham. His emotion will hopefully rub off on his team, which also played in an EFL Cup match on Wednesday. Ahead of the match, the team spoke of togetherness, but the misery continued.

Hughes could get a boost, as Xherdan Shaqiri looks set to return to action. In his one Premier League match this season, Shaqiri scored 30 points, and he will be a big part of the game plan should he make it back on the field. Shaqiri's return would be one week after the first start of the year for Glen Johnson following a quadriceps injury as Stoke look to change their fortunes.


While Stoke look to rebound, West Brom is full of confidence after beating West Ham 4-2 last week. With two goals and two assists, Nacer Chadli had the best single-game fantasy performance of the year scoring 66.5 points on FanDuel. Chadli dictated play from the number 10 role and fortified a great partnership with Salomon Rondon. Given the offensive prowess shown with Chadli on the pitch, his £5.3 million price tag on FanDuel is too hard to pass up. Rondon is an affordable striker at £8.4 million.

The question becomes whether Chadli continues to run the game or Stoke's horrible defensive record start to turn around. One team is looking to keep momentum going while another is feeling the pressure to get out of the basement. There should be a fair amount of pressing in this match with Wilfried Bony and Marko Arnautovic looking to match Chadli and Rondon.

Simply put, this match feels ripe for goals like this one from Arnautovic on Wednesday.


Sunderland vs. Crystal Palace

The next match to target looks at Stoke's last opponent as they travel to Sunderland. The Black Cats have also secured only one point on the season as they look headed for another relegation battle. However, unlike Stoke, there is not a lot of value from this bottom-dwelling side, and zoning in on Palace should be beneficial.

Sunderland has been outshot 93-46, and Palace is coming off a four-goal effort. Christian Benteke will be looking to emulate Romelu Lukaku, another big forward that had a field day against Sunderland already this season. Benteke is averaging 13 FanDuel points per game over three matches and is still at a budget-friendly £7.9 million.


Benteke should be supplied by Andros Townsend, who will likely find space against a disorganized Sunderland back line. Townsend had an outstanding opening goal last week and created two other chances. It was Townsend's first league goal as he tries to catch up with teammate Scott Dann. Townsend and Dann have a bet on who will score the most goals with Dann currently tallying three times in all competitions. Dann is a target on all set pieces and brings an £8.8 million price tag.

For the same price, Jason Puncheon offers good value. He did not start the midweek League Cup match and should be fully rested for Saturday's match. He will also be on corner duty should Yohan Cabaye need a break after playing on Wednesday.

The silver lining for Sunderland during their rough start has been keeper Jordan Pickford. He made several good saves last week against Tottenham to keep the match at a 1-0 scoreline. It is certainly a contrarian play with Pickford's £7.3 million price tag.

As always, good luck in your games this week.