FanDuel Focus – Gameweek 22

Our second FanDuel article of the week runs through the upcoming contests and prizes on offer, while we also assess the player list before rolling out our strongest XI for the weekend fixtures.

Once again there are three windows available for contest entry this Gameweek.

The full weekend slate, covering all ten matches over both Saturday and Sunday, begins with the 12.30 kick-off at Anfield.

There are also Saturday and Sunday slates available. The Saturday contests span the six afternoon fixtures, including the late clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Sunday’s contests span three match-ups, beginning with the midday deadline for the meeting between Southampton and Leicester City.

FanDuel are again rolling out an offer for new accounts this weekend: users that sign up before midday tomorrow will receive £5 in free credit, no deposit is required.

Use the promo code “SCOUTFIVER” when registering your account to claim the offer.

A reminder that this week also sees the start of the Fantasy Football Scout FanDuel Social League.

This is a four Gameweek competition, offering £450 in prizes and is totally free to enter.

Enter a team for Gameweek 22 to take on fellow Fantasy Football Scout visitors in this new league format. Click here for details or here to get selecting your lineup.

If you’re trying FanDuel for the first time, then our player tips below can hopefully provide a useful example of how to structure a team and approach the selection process.

However, we would also recommend taking a look at this strategy guide that offers further tips on how to construct a FanDuel squad.

My Strongest XI

Petr Cech £7.1m
Ben Davies £6.4m
Billy Jones £6.4m
Erik Pieters £7.2m
Tom Davies £5.3m
Junior Stanislas £7.6m
Matt Phillips £8.5m
Adam Lallana £11.2m
Eden Hazard £13.2m
Pedro £9.9m
Alexis Sanchez £15.2m

The Key Picks

We’ve opted for Petr Cech between the sticks, expecting the Arsenal keeper to earn a fourth clean sheet in five outings.

Visitors Burnley have averaged only 7.6 goal attempts per away match this term, notching a woeful three goals in nine matches on their travels. Cech has averaged 2.7 saves this season and we’re confident that the Gunners’ custodian will earn the shut-out, thus fetching the ten clean sheet points available to goalkeepers in FanDuel.

We’ve taken some risks in our defence, forcing us to monitor the teamsheets, with a late swap at the ready.

Spurs’ Ben Davies is our tip to slot into the three-man backline in Jan Vertonghen’s injury absence.

The Welshman started three away matches early in the season, registering 15 clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s) alongside five tackles to average 17.9 FanDuel points.

Mauricio Pochettino may opt instead for centre-back Kevin Wimmer (£6.2m), which would be a straight swap. Although we are also wary that the Spurs boss could switch to a back four, ensuring that we will be on our toes ahead of Saturday’s late kick-off.

As we noted in the Weekly Shop, the Sunderland rearguard will likely face a testing afternoon at The Hawthorns against an in-form West Brom outfit.

Billy Jones may return for the Black Cats at right-back and should provide good value: an 18.75 average over his last six outings certainly bodes well.

If Jones misses out, we’d expect to see Donald Love (£6.9m) retain his start. Again, we will have the late swap function handy and we’ve left some funds to switch in Love, who scored 34.25 points in Gameweek 21.

Stoke’s Erik Pieters has tallied 13 tackles and 24 CBI’s over the last four matches, providing him with a FanDuel average of 21.8 points. Up against a Manchester United side that favour attacks down Pieters’ flank, we’re expecting the Dutchman to be kept busy and maintain his run of healthy returns.

Our first midfield pick, Tom Davies, has provided strong tallies in each of his two league starts. The Everton man is an ideal enabler, allowing us to fund big-hitters elsewhere in our attack. Davies’ busy style of play helped pick up points from eight different scoring actions against Manchester City last time out, suggesting that he can offer us real value ahead of his trip to face Crystal Palace.

Junior Stanislas’ goal at the KCOM Stadium means that the Bournemouth winger has contributed returns in seven of his last ten starts for the Cherries. A 20.87 FanDuel average this season indicates that he should continue to provide value as Watford visit the Vitality Stadium. Stanislas is a key figure from set-pieces and will be up against a defence that has shipped 19 goals on their travels this season.

West Brom’s revitalised Matt Phillips has provided nine assists in the campaign, second only to Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Spurs’ Christian Eriksen (both 11). With four goals in his last 11 appearances, he can offer us cheaper coverage of the Baggies’ attack than striker Salomon Rondon (£9.5m).

We certainly want to back Tony Pulis’ men against Sunderland, who will arrive in the Midlands having allowed more headed attempts than any other side (59); surely a weakness that West Brom can exploit. Phillips’ dead-ball delivery could be a key factor, then.

Including a fit-again Philippe Coutinho (£12.6m) would have been ideal for Liverpool’s home match with Swansea but we’ve settled on the cheaper Adam Lallana instead.

The England midfielder has scored three goals and served up a couple of assists over the last six Gameweeks, achieving a 29-point FanDuel average over that spell. That’s enough to convince us to risk going without his Brazilian team-mate.

With leaders Chelsea hosting a Hull City side that have conceded 24 goals from ten away matches, we’d decided to double on attacking assets from Antonio Conte’s squad.

Eden Hazard looks indispensable given his form at Stamford Bridge: seven of the winger’s nine goals have arrived on home turf. The Belgian seems to find himself in shooting positions far more frequently at the Bridge, firing 23 attempts from inside the box in home matches, compared with 11 away.

Hull have looked vulnerable down their flanks and are missing a recognised right-back to help cope with Hazard’s pace and trickery. They’ve also conceded ten penalties this season, just one short of the record for any Premier League side. That bodes well for Hazard as the Blues’ designated taker.

We’re also looking to Pedro as an option in our attack.

Another Chelsea asset who has flourished in home matches, four of the Spaniard’s five goals and all five assists have arrived in front of his own fans.

Again, Hull City’s vulnerability down the flanks is key, here. Pedro could even find himself running the left channel should striker Diego Costa be omitted from the Blues line-up once again.

Our XI is completed by Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez who, with 32.77 points per match, sits far ahead of second placed Harry Kane (29.98) in the FanDuel forward rankings.

Eight goals and four assists in his last nine league outings just can’t be overlooked, and Sanchez has to be backed to maintain that consistency against visitors Burnley.

Sean Dyche’s men arrive in North London with the worst away record in the league, conceding 20 times in nine matches. We’re expecting a rearguard action from the Clarets but just don’t see them containing a goal-hungry Sanchez.

This Week’s Games

The full Saturday and Sunday slate once again provides the biggest prize pot of the weekend. The £4,000 Fan Favourite requires a £5 entry fee, with £750 available to the winner.

There’s a £1000 guaranteed game on Saturday, with a £3 entry fee and £100 to the top placed participant. Cash prizes are available right down to 95th place in this contest.

The Sunday Special is a £1400 pot with £280 going to top spot; it has a £7 buy-in and 235 entry places available. Finish in the top 47 placings, and you can win a cash prize.

A reminder that you can find full details of the free to enter FanDuel Social League here.