SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Value Plays for Matchweek 9

Callum Hudson-Odoi is healthy and rejoining the Chelsea starting lineup just as the team starts to click offensively. A matchup with Newcastle makes him one of the top value plays this week.

Value plays are often the difference on the FanDuel leaderboard. With this year's format, value plays will be priced at $12 or lower in most cases. There will be some exceptions along the way.

This article will cover FanDuel's main slate that begins Saturday at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Matchweek 9
Saturday, October 19th
Brighton at Aston Villa
Watford at Tottenham
Newcastle at Chelsea
Southampton at Wolves
Norwich City at Bournemouth
Burnley at Leicester City
Manchester City at Crystal Palace


Manchester City teammates Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero ($23) are tied at the top of the salary list this week. Five players are priced at or above $20. Willy Boly and Ricardo Pereira ($16) share the top spot for defenders. Ederson ($15) is the highest-priced keeper again this week.

Let's look at where the value lies in Matchweek 9.

Forward/Midfielder

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea ($12)

Hudson-Odoi returned in a big way just before the international break and is expected to keep his starting spot on a youthful Chelsea club with a good matchup against Newcastle. He created three chances and had an assist in the start against Southampton, a 4-1 Chelsea victory. Hudson-Odoi added two interceptions to push his FanDuel total over 20 points. He will be lined up as part of a front three in an attacking 4-3-3 formation. Chelsea have won their last seven home matches against Newcastle, and they have scored at least twice in each of those matches. Newcastle still holds the least amount of average possession per match in the league, so Chelsea should be on the ball most of the day, giving Hudson-Odoi plenty of time to create for a team in good form.

James McArthur, Crystal Palace ($10)

Palace are the surprising club this season, but they are still facing a big challenge this week against Manchester City. McArthur was his normal, steady self until he was hit by an undisclosed injury. He appears ready to go as one of Palace's top-ranked players, per WhoScored, through the early season after getting back into action prior to the international break. He is averaging over five defensive actions per match but will likely see that number rise against City. McArthur has not been heavily involved offensively, but he is averaging one key pass per match. Although his value is likely through defending this week, if McArthur can get a shot on target, he has a good chance of scoring. He scored three goals last season with just eight attempts on target.

Steven Alzate, Brighton ($8)

Alzate made his debut against Newcastle just a few weeks ago, so he is the unknown of the group. In three matches, he has drawn six fouls, completed eight tackles and created two chances. He is playing in the center of the midfield in a role that is still being defined.

Despite a back injury last time out, Alzate is ready to go after cementing his starting role in a 3-0 win over Tottenham. Brighton and Aston Villa met in cup play, and Villa won 3-1, but the lineups were very different. However, these two teams scored a combined eight goals in their last matches, and there have been more than 2.5 goals in Villa's last three matches. Alzate should be active in what appears to be an open match.

Defenders

Matt Targett, Aston Villa ($12)

If this game truly is back and forth, then it makes sense to go with a defender who can contribute on both sides of the ball. Targett had a great match right before the international break with five defensive actions and three chances created against Norwich. It was his first chance to show what he could do at left-back, although he did have a chance created the previous week, as well. He had three assists last season for Southampton, and last week's showing in Villa's five-goal outburst was a good sign for Targett's offensive contributions. He finished with 21 tackles and 27 clearances in 16 appearances last year.

Dan Burn, Brighton ($10)

There is a pattern developing here, but it helps that over half of the expected starters in this match are priced under $12. Burn will be on the opposite side from Targett but fulfilling much of the same role. Burn has created at least one chance in three of his past four matches, with his FanDuel point total gradually increasing over each of those games. He has recorded 30 defensive actions in that time, which included a season-high eight clearances against Chelsea. His average is now up to just over 14 points per match. Clearly there is a lot of appeal in the game between Brighton and Villa with the idea that it could be back and forth with lots of chances and no one team dominating.

Ibrahim Amadou, Norwich City ($10)

Norwich have been in terrible form, but Amadou has been consistent over the last four matches. He has scored no less than 13 points and completed at least five clearances in that span. He has 28 total clearances in those four weeks and 21 other defensive actions. Norwich have lost three in a row, and the defense has been very active. The stats of the 5-1 loss to Villa suggest that any good chance was converted rather than Norwich getting dominated. In this case, it is more about the activity of their back line, and Amadou has been the most consistent of the back line.

Keeper

Aaron Ramsdale, Bournemouth ($10)

Given Norwich's form, Ramsdale makes sense and may be a bit of a chalk selection despite some other good options priced under $12 such as Kasper Schmeichel ($11). He is coming off a poor showing against Arsenal, which was the only match that he did not record at least two saves in this season. In the previous three games, he totaled 14 saves. Ramsdale should still be active as Norwich still managed five shots on target in their loss to Villa. Given the Canaries' inability to convert their chances, Ramsdale and Bournemouth will have a good chance at a win with the keeper getting back over that two-save mark.



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.