SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 4

Playing at home against what should be a depleted Watford side, Nathan Redmond is in a sweet spot this week. Which other high-priced players should we check out?

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. EST Saturday and features six matches.

Matchweek 4
Saturday, September 9th
Bournemouth at Arsenal
West Brom at Brighton
Tottenham at Everton
Chelsea at Leicester City
Watford at Southampton
Manchester United at Stoke City


Let's get to it.

Forward

Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal

FanDuel Price: $11,000

Arsenal, for all their woes already this season, is the team to target on the main slate. They are a 1.5-goal favorite with an implied total of a 2.5 goals -- both of which are slate-high marks by a wide margin -- for their home date with Bournemouth.

Through three matches, the Cherries have allowed five goals, the fifth-most in the Premier League, and Arsenal's 62.2% possession rate is third in the league. The Gunners should dominate this one, putting their forwards and attacking midfielders in a dope spot.

If Alexis Sanchez ($10,500) plays, it dims Lacazette's outlook a bit, but there's at least some question about Sanchez being physically fit in time for this weekend's match after playing twice for Chile over the recent international break. And that's to say nothing of all the drama going on between Sanchez and the club. Sanchez is a world-class star, to be sure, but he's far from a sure thing right now, which means Arsenal may have to lean heavily on Lacazette when it comes to scoring goals.

It's been a slow start for the Frenchman. Lacazette has made two starts with one appearance as a sub, scoring 1 goal while averaging 1.3 shots per match. On paper, however, this is Arsenal's easiest match to date, and he should have more than a few chances to make the net bulge against Bournemouth.

If Sanchez does play, it would be worth looking at Southampton's Manolo Gabbiadini ($8,500) as the Saints are in a sweet spot, as well.

Midfielder

Nathan Redmond, Southampton

FanDuel Price: $8,000

Speaking of the Saints, Southampton, listed as a 1-goal favorite with an implied total of 1.75, is the slate's second-largest favorite. Any of their top three midfielders -- Redmond, Dusan Tadic ($9,000) and Oriol Romeu ($9,500) -- are worth peeping, but Redmond has been off to a scorching start in 2017-18.

Redmond, an attacking midfielder, is averaging 18.8 FanDuel points per match, and he hasn't yet gone below 15.75 fantasy points through three contests. He provides a safe floor thanks to creating 8 total chances in three matches while adding 35.0 passes per game. If the Saints deliver on their nice implied total, Redmond should have a hand in the scoring.

Watford is off to an impressive start this year, but they'll be on the road with a depleted lineup for this one thanks to injuries and suspensions. In spite the good start, the Hornets haven't seen much of the ball, ranking 15th in possession (46.1%) while Southampton sit 5th in possession (57.7%), giving a lift to Redmond's floor.

If you pass on rostering an Arsenal player up front, Mesut Ozil ($10,500) makes a lot of sense in midfield, but all three Saints options are cheaper and in a super situation this weekend.

Defender

Steve Cook, Watford

FanDuel Price: $6,500

In Harry Maguire ($7,500) and Cook, we have two top-tier options on teams that should be under siege for a lot of their match Saturday, but it's Cook who is cheaper and on the road, so let's roll with him.

As we mentioned already, Bournemouth should be up against it this weekend against Arsenal at the Emirates. That means Cook will likely get plenty of chances to rack up defensive numbers as the Cherries will probably spend most of this one pinned back in their own half.

Like he did a season ago, Cook has displayed a steady floor so far, putting up FanDuel point totals of 13.25, 17.0 and 13.25 in his three matches this campaign. He's done that without the benefit of a goal or assist while being credited with just two chances created.

For the year, Cook is averaging 3.3 clearances, 1.7 interceptions and 1.3 tackles. The 3.3 clearances are way down from the 9.3 and 8.3 he's averaged over the past two seasons (both with Bournemouth and in the EPL), which is probably due to the small sample size of three matches more than anything. Expect Cook to be a busy man for 90 minutes on Saturday, and he has as safe of a floor as any defender on the main slate.

Goalie

Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $5,500

With keepers, we're always trying to balance save volume (floor) with the likelihood of a clean sheet (upside). Schmeichel taps into both of those things in Leicester's home matchup with Chelsea.

Chelsea are a 0.5-goal favorite with a 1.5-goal implied total, so Schmeichel's odds of a clean sheet aren't stellar. With that said, Leicester is sound at the back, and Schmeichel is a quality keeper, so it's not impossible that he blanks the Blues. What we can be sure of, though, is that Schmeichel will be very busy, giving him an immensely safe floor. Leicester allow 18.0 shots per game, the third-most in the league, while Chelsea average 15.0 shots per match, the fifth-most in the EPL.

We could see this one play out in a similar fashion to the Foxes' 2-0 defeat at Manchester United last time out. In that one, Schmeichel was beaten twice, but he was called on to make five stops, including a penalty save, as he totaled a season-high 21.5 FanDuel points.