2 FanDuel Premier League Under-the-Radar Plays for Matchweek 6
If you have played daily fantasy sports for a while, you know the importance of being contrarian in large-field tournaments. Recognizing which players are going to be owned by the masses and finding others who you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership can really separate yourself from your opponents.
The same goes for DFS Premier League. Even though the large-field tournaments aren't quite as large as they are for other sports, there is still value in identifying quality under-the-radar plays.
This article will discuss FanDuel's main Saturday slate, which starts at 10:00 a.m. EST and features four matches.
| Matchweek 6 |
|---|
| Saturday, September 21st |
| Watford at Manchester City |
| Sheffield United at Everton |
| Norwich at Burnley |
| Brighton at Newcastle |
The first short slate of the Premier League season is here. Despite a shocking loss to Norwich last weekend, Manchester City is still the largest favorite on the slate by a wide margin. They have an implied win probability of 91.3% at home against Watford. Behind them is Everton, who has an implied win probability of 61.5% at home against Sheffield United. Rounding out the slate are Burnley, who has an implied win probability of 51.2% at home against Norwich, and a Newcastle side that is a slight home favorite in a pick'em against Brighton.
On paper, this is another Manchester City slate, and despite their hiccup last weekend, it would be unwise to fade them on a slate lacking other elite options. Manchester City did play in the Champions League on Wednesday, so a slight amount of fatigue is possible, but they cruised to victory over Shakhtar Donetsk and should be ready to go this weekend against a Watford side that currently sit in dead last on the Premier League table.
With that in mind, here are two players to consider this weekend -- especially for tournament formats -- who may fly under the radar.
Jay Rodriguez, MID/FWD, Burnley
FanDuel Salary: $10
Another slate, another attempt to leverage off the Teemu Pukki ($19) mania. Confidence in Pukki and Norwich is at an all-time high following their impressive and stunning victory over Manchester City last weekend. Norwich deserves all the credit, but through five weeks, a pattern has emerged for the Canaries -- they are a significantly better side playing at home. Norwich has earned all six of their points from their three home fixtures, and their only home loss was a one-goal defeat to Chelsea. On the road, they have a have posted a three-goal defeat to Liverpool and a two-goal loss at West Ham.
Following their emotional victory over Manchester City last weekend and going on the road to Burnley, Norwich is faced with a potential trap game. In their two home matches, this season Burnley has a three-goal victory over Southampton and three-goal defeat to Liverpool. They sit 11th in the goals-scored table with six goals scored through five matches despite facing a difficult opening schedule that included Arsenal and the aforementioned Reds. On a short slate, all of their forwards are certainly in play this weekend, with Ashley Barnes ($16) likely to be the most popular.
It remains to be seen who will start opposite Barnes on Saturday. The most likely option is Chris Wood ($13), who has started all five matches for Burnley this campaign, but with just two shots on goal in those five matches, Burnley may turn to their summer signing, Jay Rodriguez.
Rodriguez joined Burnley this summer from West Bromwich Albion after scoring 22 goals for the club in the Championship last year. Rodriguez has a good amount of Premier League experience, having made 73 appearances for Southampton between 2015 and 2017. If he gets the start over Wood, he could go extremely low-owned despite his position as a forward for a home favorite on a short slate. His salary makes him easy to slot in alongside expensive options from Manchester City.
Oliver Norwood, MID/FWD, Sheffield United
FanDuel Salary: $14
Those looking for salary relief at the top end of the slate will likely move off of Manchester City and on to Everton. Everton is the second-largest favorite on the slate, but their results have been a rollercoaster so far this season -- with narrow wins over Watford and Wolves and multi-goal defeats to Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Everton is the only team in the Premier League that hasn't faced a top-six side so far this season, and they have managed to take just seven points from five matches. Sheffield United can find success against them this weekend.
Sheffield United haven't been great in the final third, but they have managed five goals through five matches and failed to score only once so far this season. Norwood has been the engine in the middle of the pitch for the Blades, and his stats have been exceptional considering the quality of his situation. Norwood has produced double-digit FanDuel points in every match this season and is averaging 16.6 FanDuel points per match. He has yet to record a goal or an assist but does have 13 chances created and 14 tackles. He accumulates points on both ends of the pitch and should be heavily involved this weekend regardless of the outcome.
