4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 27
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 seven matches.
| Matchweek 27 |
|---|
| Saturday, February 22nd |
| Newcastle at Crystal Palace |
| Bournemouth at Burnley |
| Aston Villa at Southampton |
| Brighton at Sheffield United |
| Manchester City at Leicester |
We don't get to say this often, but Southampton are the slate's biggest favorite, per Soccer odd. The Saints are -165 to win at home versus Aston Villa. After that, it's Manchester City (-135) away to Leicester while Crystal Palace (-110) and Sheffield United (-105) also have implied win odds over 50%.
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.
Danny Ings, FWD, Southampton
FanDuel Price: $19
Ings is having a superb season for the Saints, netting 15 goals in 21 EPL starts (26 total appearances) and showing the form that got him a move to Liverpool at the end of the 2015 campaign.
He's pretty goal-reliant in DFS, tallying a mere one assist on the season and going for fewer than six FanDuel points in three of the past four matches in which he didn't bag a goal. Still, it's easier to stomach that when he's scoring 0.75 goals per 90 minutes, and he's in a smash spot Saturday with the Saints listed as -165 favorites -- the biggest on the slate -- at home against Aston Villa.
Villa have surrendered a league-worst 50 goals this campaign, including 26 in 13 away matches. They've shipped 14 goals across their past six matches overall and haven't kept a road clean sheet in the league all season.
Ings is -145 to score anytime, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, the best odds on the slate, and he's worthy of the high ownership number he'll likely carry.
Jack Grealish, MID, Aston Villa
FanDuel Price: $18
On the flip side of the Villa-Saints match, Grealish is a good guy to target. This game could be ripe for fantasy goodness. We just went through Villa's defensive struggles, and the Saints haven't been too much better of late, conceding three goals to Wolves and two to Burnley in their past two home EPL outings.
The most likely scoreline -- at +700 -- is 2-1 in favor of Southampton, and a 1-1 draw is tied for the second-best odds (at +750), so Villa have a great chance to score in this one. Plus, the Villans desperately need points of any kind in their relegation battle, so if they fall behind, they should be ultra-aggressive in their efforts to get back in the match.
While he's listed as a midfielder on FanDuel, Grealish is playing on the left side of a front three, spending a lot of time in attacking areas. He's been excellent this season, out-doing his numbers from the Championship a year ago (six goals and six assists) with seven goals and six assists in 24 starts. He's also the main corner taker for Villa.
In what could be the best fantasy environment on the slate, Grealish makes a lot of sense.
Kevin De Bruyne, MID, Manchester City
FanDuel Price: $23
Someone from Liverpool is going to with the PFA Player of the Year, but man, De Bruyne is having a special season. He's got 16 assists already, putting him five away from breaking the all-time EPL record of 20 in a season set by the legendary Thierry Henry back in 2002-03.
KDB got another assist on Wednesday in a make-up game against West Ham, this one coming from a corner, and his set-piece duties are a huge feather in his DFS cap. The Belgian has taken 140 corners this season, 14 more than anyone else in the league, giving him extra opportunities to rack up assists and chances created.
Of course, De Bruyne is pretty good in open play, too.
A matchup at Leicester City is a tough one, but Manchester City are -135 favorites, second-biggest on the slate. KDB hasn't gone for single-digit FanDuel points in an EPL game since October 19th, a stretch of 17 matches. In that span, he's gone for at least 16.5 FanDuel points in 15 of 17 matches, including four outputs of at least 45.0 fantasy points. Over his past five matches, he's created 21 total chances and logged four assists.
De Bruyne is matchup-proof and offers an elite combination of floor and ceiling.
Wilfried Zaha, FWD, Crystal Palace
FanDuel Price: $16
The goal output hasn't been there this year for Zaha. After recording 10 goals in each of the last two seasons, he's got just three goals in 25 starts. But all the blame doesn't fall to him as he's oftentimes trying to do it on his own for a Palace side that's scored a league-low 23 times through 26 matches.
Zaha is still the straw that stirs the drink for the Eagles, and this is one of the rare times we can roster him as a favorite as Palace are -110 to win at home against Newcastle United.
Zaha is +165 to score anytime, and he's created at least one chance in eight straight outings. While he's gone nine in a row without a goal, with just two shots on target in that time, Zaha is in a prime bounce-back spot against a Newcastle defense that's allowed a league-worst 28 goals in 13 away matches, and his poor form could scare away the masses, making him ideal for GPPs.
