FanDuel Premier League Trends to Know for Matchweeks 20 and 21
The next Premier League main slate hits FanDuel at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday with six games as many teams play the second of three games in one week. Given the quick turn around, this post will also look ahead to the group of matches on New Year's Day.
| Matchweek 20 |
|---|
| Saturday, December 28 |
| Everton at Newcastle |
| Crystal Palace at Southampton |
| Aston Villa at Watford |
| Leicester at West Ham |
| Tottenham at Norwich |
| Manchester United at Burnley |
The projected slate on New Year's Day is as follows.
| Matchweek 21 |
|---|
| Wednesday, January 1 |
| Leicester at Newcastle |
| Tottenham at Southampton |
| Wolverhampton at Watford |
| Everton at Manchester City |
| Crystal Palace at Norwich |
| Bournemouth at West Ham |
| Manchester United at Arsenal |
Let's look at the teams and players that are rising and falling this week.
Hot
Team: Southampton
The Saints have won two in a row and get to close out this quick three-game stretch with two home games. They shut out Chelsea on Boxing Day with Nathan Redmond ($11) getting back on the score sheet with his first goal since Matchweek 3. Michael Obafemi ($9) tallied his first goal of the season in stunning fashion to start the scoring against Chelsea as the Saints' bargain attackers paid off. Southampton absorbed high pressure all game, but matched Chelsea in shots on target.
Southampton scored three goals in the previous match against Aston Villa, so they are hot in attack. The Saints will first face a Palace team that has scored six fewer goals than Southampton this season, although the Eagles' defense has been stingy lately. Southampton have won three of the last five league matches against Palace. Southampton then host Tottenham, a team they beat last time they met at St. Mary's Stadium.
Player: Anthony Martial, Manchester United ($18)
Martial scored twice on Boxing Day in a 4-1 win. He has scored three goals, half of his Premier League total, and created six chances in the month of December. Martial also scored a goal in EFL Cup action this month. He now has a streak of 12 games with at least one shot and missed the target in only three of those matches across all competitions. His form has moved his per-game FanDuel average near 19 points. Manchester United will start with a Burnley side that has played well defensively as of late, but United have scored twice in four of the last five matches. United have scored at least twice against Arsenal -- their second foe -- in three of the last five.
Cold
Team: Leicester
Leicester had a chance to show they were a threat to Liverpool in the Premier League title race, but the Foxes were dominated 4-0 and now sit 13 points back despite still holding onto second place. Jamie Vardy ($21) had one off-target shot in 90 minutes. The week before, they lost to third-place Manchester City, which came on the heels of drawing with last-place Norwich. Leicester scored just two goals across those three games.
On paper they have two upcoming matches they should win, and they are favored in both. West Ham have drawn the last two matches with Leicester, with the Foxes winning just one in the last five between the two. Leicester have fared better against Newcastle, but the current pattern is that the teams trade wins, and it is Newcastle's turn if you buy in to that trend.
Player: Christian Eriksen, Tottenham ($14)
It is pretty clear that Eriksen is the forgotten man with Jose Mourinho in charge at Tottenham. Eriksen used to be the catalyst to Spurs' attack, often over the ball in dead-ball situations and rarely turning down a shot from distance. He has one start since the beginning of November and has a total of 68 minutes over the last three matches.
He is still useful when he gets on the field, however. Eriksen had two crosses against Wolves in just one minute of play and six crosses in 45 minutes against Chelsea. It does not appear that Eriksen will see much time before the January transfer window and the rumors are swirling that he could be on the move. This is an unpredictable fall from grace for Eriksen, who may be better off putting on a different kit next month.
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.
