4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 34
As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This is especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.
Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.
This article is geared toward FanDuel's main slate, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and features four matches. With the semifinals of the F.A. Cup taking place this weekend, we get a watered-down four-game slate that's empty of top-end teams.
| Matchweek 34 |
|---|
| Saturday, April 22nd |
| Watford at Hull City |
| Stoke City at Swansea City |
| Everton at West Ham |
| Middlesbrough at Bournemouth |
Let's get to it.
Forward
Joshua King, Bournemouth
FanDuel Price: $8,600
Each match currently has a 0.5-goal spread, and the home team is favored in three of them, with Everton, a 0.5-goal favorite at West Ham, the lone road favorite. The over/under for three of the matches is 2.5 goals, and the Everton-West Ham clash is again the exception with a 3-goal over/under.
With the Toffees favored and Romelu Lukaku averaging 40.25 FanDuel points per game over his last two, the Everton striker will likely be a popular play. But Lukaku is pricey -- $3,800 more than any other forward -- and he's netted just 8 of his 24 goals away from home. With questionable road form and such a steep salary, it behooves us to look at other top-end strikers, which leads us to King.
King has been in sparkling form for the Cherries. He's scored 10 goals over his last 12 matches, scoring at least 25 FanDuel points eight times in that span. He gets a juicy matchup against a struggling Middlesbrough squad, one that's been stout defensively overall this year but has conceded 11 goals over its last six matches.
Midfielder
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City
FanDuel Price: $8,600
On a small slate without a bevy of enticing top-end options, Sigurdsson's safe floor is hard to pass up. He's scored less than 15 FanDuel points only twice in his last 19 matches. For the season, he's third in the Premier League -- first on this slate -- in assists with 11, and he's added 8 goals.
Swansea are at home against Stoke. The Swans, currently 18th in the league table, desperately need three points in their battle to avoid relegation while Stoke, who sit 11th, aren't playing for much. The Potters allow 14.5 shots per game on the road, the fifth-most in the league, and they possess the ball a mere 46.2% of the time in their travels. Swansea, meanwhile, own a 49.1% possession clip at home, so Sigurdsson should spent plenty of the match in dangerous areas.
As a bonus, Sigurdsson takes penalties, corners and set pieces, giving him additional chances to rack up fantasy points, and he leads all Premier League players in assists from set pieces this season with six.
Defender
Ashley Williams, Everton
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Without a big underdog to latch on to for their defensive volume, we can roll with the in-form Williams. The dude has been straight ballin' over his last four games, averaging 27.75 FanDuel points per game in that span with a low game of 21 fantasy points.
| Opponent | Clearances | Tackles | Blocks | Interceptions | Assists | FanDuel Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 26.75 |
| Manchester United | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27.75 |
| Liverpool | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 33.5 |
| Hull City | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
Williams is on a run of three straight games with an assist, and he's racked up at least nine clearances in three of his past four outings. Everton have been a DFS dream of late as there have been at least four total goals in four of their last five fixtures, with the Toffees picking up a 4-2 win over Leicester in Matchweek 33.
As we've mentioned, Everton are a 0.5-goal favorite at West Ham. The Hammers have allowed an eye-popping 13 goals over their last six matches, including conceding twice versus lowly Sunderland last weekend, so they're ripe for the picking. But West Ham also attempts 14.6 shots per home match, meaning Williams' defensive responsibilities should give him a decent floor even if his offensive contributions dry up.
Goalie
Artur Boruc, Bournemouth
FanDuel Price: $7,400
It's a pretty ugly slate for keepers, but Boruc is in as good of a spot as anyone. The Bournemouth goalie is coming off a pretty rough stretch of games where he faced Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Southampton. He excelled as a DFS performer despite the arduous schedule, making 23 total saves across that four-game span and totaling at least 16 FanDuel points in three of those matches.
What the home matchup with Middlesbrough lacks in save volume, it makes up for with decent odds for a clean sheet. Boro are the worst goal-scoring team in the Premier League, bagging a meager 23 goals through 32 matches. They've scored 10 times in 16 away fixtures, and they've been held without a goal three times over the past six league matches.
