4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 2

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 forwards in soccer. Not only are the top-end forwards expensive, they are the ones most likely to put the ball in the back of the net, and goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

This article will cover FanDuel's main slate, which begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m. EST and features six matches.

After a season-opening main slate that was light on big boys, we have three top-six sides on Matchweek 2's main slate, with the headline match pitting Manchester City and Spurs, a rematch of last year's wild Champions League quarterfinal.

The slate's biggest favorite, per Soccer odd, is Manchester City, listed at -300 at home to Spurs, which implies win odds of 75.0%. Man City being such a massive favorite over a quality Tottenham team speaks volumes about what oddsmakers think of this City side. Liverpool are the next largest favorite (-220) for their date at Southampton while Everton (-150) are also healthy favorites at Goodison versus Watford.

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.

Also, it's worth noting that FanDuel has retained the format it used for this past summer's Women's World Cup, which I broke down prior to that event. In short, you now have $100 to assemble your roster, and the forward and midfield spots have been combined into one position. You need to roster four forwards/midfielders, two defenders and one goalie.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, FWD/MID, Everton

FanDuel Price: $18

Everton are at Goodison against a Watford team that looked miserable last weekend in a 3-0 home loss to Brighton. While the Hornets were a fine side last year, and we don't want to put too much weight into one match -- particularly a season-opener -- FanDuel Sportsbook has the host Toffees at -150 to win, implying win odds of 60%. Two of the four most likely scorelines, per oddsmakers, have Everton netting two goals.

All that makes this a great spot to target the Toffees, and Sigurdsson is the perfect way to do just that. And if the masses opt for the star power of Liverpool and Man City, Sigurdsson could go a tad under-owned at his hefty price tag.

Sigurdsson posted 13 goals with 6 assists last year, averaging 2.3 shots and 1.9 key passes per match. The Iceland international will likely be on penalties, and he takes some corners, too, so there are a lot of ways for him to accumulate fantasy points. He created one chance and put two shots on goal last week on his way to 14.3 FanDuel points, and his floor is likely in that range on Saturday.

Raheem Sterling, FWD/MID, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $22

Sterling started with a bang in Matchweek 1, amassing 66.3 FanDuel points via a hat trick at West Ham. It was a continuation of his stellar form from 2018-19, when he bagged 17 goals with 10 assists while taking 2.3 shots per match -- a year after scoring 18 goals with 11 assists. Sterling will be on our radar each week as City will be favored in almost every league match they play this year, with at Anfield likely being the lone exception.

While this Spurs clash should be one of City's tougher home matchups all season, the matchup hasn't prevented Pep Guardiola's bunch from being this slate's biggest favorite. Sterling offers a monster ceiling pretty much every time out, and he torched this Spurs side for two goals the last time these two met at the Etihad, which was back in last season's UCL quarterfinals.

Roberto Firmino, FWD/MID, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $18

With Mo Salah playing the entire match -- plus extra time -- Wednesday against Chelsea in the Super Cup, it's not unreasonable to think the Egyptian superstar will be rested (or at least not start) at Southampton on Saturday. Sadio Mane played more than 100 minutes before being taken off, so he and Salah could split Saturday's matchup, although that's just speculation on my part. Either way, even if they start, Salah and Mane may not be at their best.

Firmino, on the other hand, came on at the start of the second half of that match and should be good to start at the Saints, a match in which Liverpool are -220 favorites and should see a lot of the ball.

The Brazilian striker has been his usual self so far this season, recording an assist at home versus Norwich in Matchweek 1 and notching another assist in the midweek match against Chelsea. While his real-life contributions typically outweigh his DFS output, his creativity in the final third should be needed in a match in which Southampton might pack it in defensively.

Lucas Digne, DEF, Everton

FanDuel Price: $14

Digne has a ton of appeal this week, and there's really no reason he should have dropped $6 from last week.

Not only can you pair Digne with an Everton attacker in the hopes of getting both the assist and goal on a Toffees tally, you can also stack him with another Toffees defender and/or Jordan Pickford ($16) with the aim of racking up multiple clean sheet bonuses. While a clean-sheet is far from a guarantee against Watford, three of the five most likely scorelines, according to the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, involve an Everton clean sheet.

Focusing on just the attacking side of things, Digne should spend plenty of time getting forward in this one. With the Toffees likely to have the edge in possession, it gives them more chances to draw fouls in attacking areas, which could lead to Digne free kicks, and he'll likely take some corners, as well.

He checks several boxes this week, although the reduced salary could mean that rostering Digne will force you to swallow a lot of chalk.