SOCCER

2 FanDuel Premier League Trends to Exploit for Matchweek 29

Rafael Benitez could make life difficult for the top options on his former club. What other trends should you consider for Matchweek 29?

Spotting trends is one way to stay ahead of the crowd in Premier League DFS. Here, we're going to try to hone in on recent occurrences across the EPL DFS landscape that appear to be a sign of things to come.

This article is geared toward FanDuel's main slate, which begins at 10 a.m. EST on Saturday and features six matches.

Matchweek 29
Saturday, March 3rd
Huddersfield at Tottenham
West Brom at Watford
Stoke City at Southampton
West Ham at Swansea
Bournemouth at Leicester
Newcastle United at Liverpool


On the surface, everyone is going to gravitate towards Tottenham and Liverpool -- but let's be careful, my friends. Liverpool are up against Rafa Benitez's Newcastle, who recently defeated Manchester United 1-0 and held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture this season. Spurs will surely have one eye on their midweek Champions League fixture with Juventus, tantalizingly poised at 2-2 after the first leg.

With these tidbits in mind, let's delve a little deeper.

Are Liverpool's Fab Three Too Expensive?

I'm going to be an utter contrarian here by plumping for a slight shock when Newcastle visit Anfield on Saturday. Predicting a draw or, heaven forbid, an away win would be too daring, but based on history between the two sides, not to mention Rafa Benitez's record against his old side, it's still wise to proceed with caution.

During his time with Liverpool, Benitez was known for being an excellent tactician, and second-to-none for one-off games. Look no further than his record in the Champions League, where he took a good (but not great) Liverpool side to two finals in three years. This Saturday could be one of those games, like the 1-1 draw in the return fixture, where he will be extremely well prepared, and consider: he has not lost against his former side in five competitive meetings, including drawing the last two as Newcastle manager.

With this in mind, Roberto Firmino ($12,500 salary on FanDuel), Mohamed Salah ($13,500) and Sadio Mané ($10,000) are perhaps a little overpriced. All three drew a blank when the sides last met.

Liverpool should win, but will you be over-stretching your FanDuel lineup it by trying to squeeze them in?

Tottenham's Son Primed To Attack

Érik Lamela was a surprise inclusion against Crystal Palace last weekend, but after a lackluster display (4.5 FanDuel points) expect either Lucas Moura ($7,000) or Son Heung-min ($8,500) to start on Saturday.

If Mauricio Pochettino goes with Moura, whom he has only started in cup competitions until now, then grab the $7,000-bargain with both hands. The Brazilian has had a hand in 20 goals (12 goals, 8 assists) is his last 21 starts, so he needs to be considered. With Moura playing nearly a full game in Tottenham's 6-1 mauling of Rochdale on Wednesday, he may come off the bench in this one.

Son, on the other hand, was pulled off after 67 minutes after scoring a brace. His last five home games against sides outside the top-six have resulted in Son tallying 5 goals and 4 assists, and his FanDuel stats are equally as tasty: against Everton (41.25 FanDuel points), West Ham (34.25), Southampton (48), Brighton (28.25) and Stoke (58.75). Spurs are at home. Huddersfield are outside the top-six. If Son starts... you get the picture here.

One last thing to consider, too: if Spurs are winning after 70 minutes expect Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen to be pulled off early, with the second leg of the Champions League on the horizon.