SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Trends to Know for Matchweek 4

Teemu Pukki is arguably in the best form of any Premier League player to start the season. Will his hot start continue against West Ham?

The next Premier League main slate hits FanDuel at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday and features seven matches. This will mark one month of games in the new season and lead into the first international break.

This is the biggest slate in the early part of the season. All three teams that have yet to lose, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Leicester City, are on the slate.

Matchweek 4
Saturday, August 31st
Brighton at Manchester City
Watford at Newcastle
Bournemouth at Leicester City
Norwich City at West Ham
Sheffield United at Chelsea
Aston Villa at Crystal Palace
Liverpool at Burnley


Let's look at the teams and players that are rising and falling this week.

Hot

Team: Leicester City

Leicester is up to fourth place and have allowed just two goals in the first three matches. Their play has them heavily favored against Bournemouth. The best way to describe Leicester's play against Sheffield last week can best be described as effective. They shared possession but made the most of their chances in front of goal, and they parried away the majority of their opponent's chances, finishing the game with 38 clearances while committing just six fouls. Three Leicester players scored over 20 FanDuel points last week, and three players are averaging over 15 through the first three weeks. Leicester will have a tough stretch of games after the break, but they have a good match up with Bournemouth after The Cherries were dominated by Manchester City last weekend.

Player: Teemu Pukki, Norwich City ($20)

The Finnish attacker is currently tied for the league lead in goals, which is likely something not many people thought could be a reality for a player on the newly promoted Norwich side. He has scored in every game, including a hat trick against Newcastle, and leads the entire slate in points per game. Pukki scored 29 goals last year in his breakout season after struggling to find playing time in the Bundesliga. West Ham have allowed nearly 18 shots per game this season, which is second-most in the league. Also, Norwich average more possession per match than the Hammers. Aside from his five goals, Pukki has created at least one chance every match. He will be active on the road this weekend.

Cold

Team: Brighton

Brighton started off the season with a 3-0 win over Watford, but Watford are the only team that have yet to earn a point. Brighton now faces the league scoring leaders, Manchester City. Brighton have been playing on the back foot again. They are among the league leaders in tackles and interceptions per match as they rely heavily on defense. In their 2-0 loss to Southampton last weekend, Florin Andone ($14) was hit with a red card, and Brighton were worn down in the second half. Brighton have lost their last four Premier League matches against Manchester City, being shut out in two games. Brighton have been outscored 11-2 in those four matches. Leandro Trossard ($14) is the only player averaging over 20 FanDuel points, and he averages nearly six more points than the next Brighton player.

Player: Miguel Almiron, Newcastle ($8)

Almiron came with a lot of buzz when he left Atlanta United, but that has died. His numbers in the Premier League are lacking in every way. He has yet to register a goal or an assist in 13 appearances with Newcastle. He finds nearly two shots per match and only has one yellow card, but the rest of the stat sheet is putrid. Almiron has drawn a foul in every match this season, which has been a large part of his 3.2 FanDuel points per game. He has contributed on defense, but those numbers are minor, and that is not why he is on the team. Newcastle's opponent this week, Watford, is the only team having a worse start than The Toons, but that is no guarantee that Almiron will break out of his funk.


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