SOCCER

Premier League: 4 FanDuel Value Plays for Matchweek 13

Douglas Smith  —  @DFresh39 Nov 21st, 2017
Christian Benteke is expected to return to the starting lineup, making him an appealing value play. Which other low-cost players are in a good spot?

Managers in the Premier League are now facing the packed holiday schedule and must consider lineup juggling to get through to the new year. However, this is just the start of the crazy schedule, so changes may only come from injuries and suspensions.

Matchweek 13 will begin on Friday with FanDuel having a six-game slate featuring all of Saturday's action.

Matchweek 13
Saturday, November 25th
Brighton at Manchester United
West Brom at Tottenham
Stoke City at Crystal Palace
Bournemouth at Swansea City
Watford at Newcastle
Chelsea at Liverpool


Four of the top-five teams in the table are on the slate, so prices start at $12,500. Harry Kane leads the pack as 11 other forwards or midfielders are priced at or above $9,000. Marcos Alonso, Shane Duffy, and Ben Davies are the highest priced defenders at $7,000. Two keepers are listed at $5,500, with only $1,000 separating all the expected starters in goal.

Let's see where the value lies.

Forward

Christian Benteke ($7,000): Benteke was able to make a substitute appearance for Crystal Palace last week, so his full return is likely against Stoke City. He has the best odds as any-time goal scorer for either team.

Benteke has yet to score a goal this Premier League season, but last weekend was his first action since September 23rd. He will be a threat on all set pieces and find his way into the box on nearly every attack.

Benteke scored 15 goals for Palace last season. He averaged almost three shots and nine aerial duel wins per match. All of his numbers are down so far this season in limited action, but he should be back to full fitness against a Stoke City side that has allowed 24 goals and sit just four points clear of the relegation zone.

Benteke will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to help Palace crawl out of last place, but Wilfried Zaha has hit his form, and their partnership should not take long to rekindle.

Midfielder

Mohamed Diame ($4,500): This week was setting up very well for Newcastle's Isaac Hayden, who averages 14.1 FanDuel points per match and is coming off back-to-back performances of more than 20 points. However, he picked up his fifth yellow card and will have to sit out the match against Watford.

Still, Newcastle's midfield makes for an interesting play despite it looking unlikely that Mikel Merino will return this weekend. That means that there is an even bigger value in the center of the park in Diame.

Diame was used as a substitute last weekend once Newcastle moved to a more defensive posture. He will be expected to contribute defensively against a surprising Watford side that averages over 50% of possession and nearly 80% pass completion per match. Newcastle averages around 44% of possession and have lost their last two matches to Watford, so they will need Diame to help them absorb pressure.

Diame has only started one game this season, but he showed off his dribbling skills by drawing two fouls in 83 minutes of action despite playing in a defensive role. He was also credited with three clearances, two interceptions, and two tackles in the match against Burnley. He will not need a big return to support his low price.

Defender

Kevin Wimmer ($4,500): Someone will be needed to stop Benteke, and Wimmer will be part of a three-man back line tasked with tracking the Belgium striker. The 25-year-old defender has been playing the left side of the back three.

Wimmer is averaging close to 12 FanDuel points per match and has started the previous three weeks for Stoke City. He has been credited with three blocks, seven clearances, three interceptions, and five tackles over the last two matches. Wimmer even created a chance last week, but he will likely be sitting back to try to cancel the pace of Zaha and Andros Townsend. Wimmer is not great in the air, so he will have to be careful around Benteke and not dive into any tackles.

The Eagles are averaging more possession and shots per game than Stoke despite being the last-place team, so Wimmer and his teammates are used to sitting back and looking for the counter. Wimmer's price tag is tied for the lowest among expected starters, so even an average game is a good return.

Keeper

Heurelho Gomes ($4,500): As mentioned above, on paper, Watford should control the ball against Newcastle. The Magpies have also lost their last three and failed to score in two of those matches. They are now averaging less than a goal per game.


Gomes is one of five keepers priced at $4,500, the lowest tier of expected starters this week. In that price range, Gomes and Hugo Lloris are perhaps the two most likely to secure a clean sheet, but Gomes' 12.8 FD points per game is slightly ahead of Lloris' clip.

Gomes recorded a clean sheet last week with five saves against West Ham. It may have been his best game this season in terms of the caliber of saves. Watford may not need him to be spectacular against Newcastle, but a few saves and a clean sheet would be nice for FanDuel owners.


Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas 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.