Premier League: 4 FanDuel Value Plays for Matchweek 15
Another set of fixtures is on tap this weekend in the Premier League with most teams in action on Saturday. FanDuel will have a seven-game slate that features a top-four battle and a couple matches that will impact the relegation zone.
| Matchweek 15 |
|---|
| Saturday, December 2nd |
| Tottenham at Watford |
| Crystal Palace at West Brom |
| Swansea City at Stoke |
| Liverpool at Brighton |
| Burnley at Leicester City |
| Huddersfield at Everton |
| Manchester United at Arsenal |
Prices are down on average from the midweek matches. Alexis Sanchez, Mohamed Salah, and Harry Kane are all priced at $12,000 this weekend to lead the high-priced studs. Only 11 other forwards or midfielders are priced at or above $9,000.
The defenders are more grouped this weekend with over 30 players priced at or above $6,000. Ashley Young and Christopher Schindler lead the way at $7,500.
As usual, the keepers are bunched up with only $1,000 between all expected starters.
Forward
Hal Robson-Kanu ($7,000): Alan Pardew will be at the helm for his first game as manager with West Brom, and Robson-Kanu's goal in the previous match should help him stay on the pitch under the new boss.
Robson-Kanu's goal was an easy header off a beautiful cross from Kieran Gibbs. He finished the game with more than 30 FanDuel points, his highest total of the season. His efforts included three fouls drawn and three shots on goal.
West Brom will face Palace, one of Pardew's old teams, on Saturday. Palace are ranked as one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Eagles have allowed 25 goals, third-worst in the league.
Be sure to pay attention to the team news for West Brom under Pardew. Palace is a weak defensive team, and no West Brom striker is priced above $7,500, so there is value in the position regardless of who starts for the Baggies.
Midfielder
Roberto Pereyra ($4,500): Pereyra came on for Will Hughes in Watford's loss to Manchester United after Hughes suffered a hamstring injury. Pereyra has been eased back into action after his own hamstring problem, but injuries should force him into the starting XI against Tottenham on Saturday.
Pereyra and Watford may be catching the Spurs at the right time as Tottenham have lost their last three away games. Meanwhile, Watford have scored at least two goals in eight of their last nine matches and sit just three points behind Tottenham.
Roberto Pereyra's goal for Watford with Spanish language commentary via @TelemundoSports 👌pic.twitter.com/jnB5DqmL5y
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) October 21, 2017
Pereyra has not had a lot of time on the pitch this season, although his best game came against Chelsea, showing that he can perform against big-name teams. Last season he made 13 appearances, putting more effort into the offensive side of the ball. He scored 2 goals but had a 44% shot accuracy rating to go along with pass success rate of 83%.
Offense is his game, so he will show his confidence on the ball. However, he will have to do some work defensively versus Spurs. As Tottenham showed against Leicester, despite the loss, they can dominate the ball, forcing the opponent to put most of their team around their own box. Spurs average 58% of possession, so Pereyra will need to win the ball to keep Watford's average at 50%.
Defender
Mason Holgate ($4,500): Holgate and Everton came away with a clean-sheet victory in the middle of the week (with new manager Sam Allardyce watching from the stands), placing some distance between them and the drop zone. Holgate is expected to start in the right center back role this weekend as they face a Huddersfield team also in the bottom half of the table.
The teams are even on points, but Huddersfield have failed to score in their last six away matches. It is now 551 minutes since Huddersfield scored a goal on the road.
Holgate may only be starting because of the extensive Everton injury list, but he is averaging close to 19 FanDuel points per game.
Keeper
Lee Grant ($4,500): Stoke's top-choice keeper Jack Butland is still out, so Grant will get another shot between the posts. Grant will face a Swansea team that have failed to score in their last four Premier League matches.
As is normally the case with the keepers being bunched so closely in pricing, it is best to look for a keeper with a good shot at a clean sheet. Even though Stoke have given up the second-most goals this season, they are facing the team that has scored the fewest goals. Swansea is out of sorts and manager Paul Clement is grasping at straws to find the answer.
Stoke are unbeaten against Swansea in all six Premier League matches at bet365 Stadium. Grant and Stoke can silence the Swans and continue their downward spiral.
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.
