Welcome to our regular Friday lunchtime article looking at FanDuel’s weekend contests and our own key player picks.
As usual, there are three windows for entering FanDuel line-ups this weekend. There are five fixtures on both Saturday and Sunday, with the full ten-fixture slate getting underway at 3pm tomorrow.
There are also separate Saturday and Sunday contests.
The deadline for the former is 3pm tomorrow once again, while on Sunday it’s an earlier start: your squads must be submitted prior to the kick-off in the north London derby at noon.
Remember, the late-swap function can be a key factor in these contests – be sure to stay abreast of the team sheets as they are announced and then dip back into your FanDuel squads to swap out any inactive players, right up until the kick-off.
To get started register for a free account via this link and FanDuel will refund your first paid entry fee, up to £10, as free entry credit if you miss out on a cash prize.
If you’re new to FanDuel, you’re advised to check out our strategy guide which examines the type of players to target across the various positions, based on the average scores achieved for last season.
Now let’s focus on my current thinking when it comes to player selection….
My Strongest XI
Ron-Robert Zieler £4.5m
Jose Holebas £6.9m
Ashley Williams £7.8m
Scott Dann £8.8m
Victor Moses £5.8m
Sadio Mane £9.5m
Dimitri Payet £13.2m
Philippe Coutinho £13.6m
Charlie Austin £6.1m
Callum Wilson £7.0m
Sergio Aguero £16.2m
The Key Picks
We’ve gone for a potential bargain as our goalkeeper pick, convinced by Leicester City’s resilience at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes have conceded just twice in five home matches, keeping three clean sheets. Kasper Schmeichel’s injury is set to gift a third league start to Ron-Robert Zieler and the German shot-stopper is an ideal enabler for us to spend more funds outfield.
With visitors West Bromwich Albion missing both Nacer Chadli and James McClean, we’re struggling to see Tony Pulis’ side making an impression on the home defence.
Jose Holebas earns a spot having made the most clearances, blocks and interceptions (37) from Watford’s backline over the last four matches. Holebas can be a factor in attacking areas, but it’s his defensive points that earn our interest this weekend against Liverpool.
The Greek defender has averaged 26 FanDuel points in his last four outings ahead of the daunting trip to Anfield. The Hornets’ defence will surely be kept busy against a vibrant attack that has averaged over 18 attempts per match this term.
After a degree of tinkering, we’ve managed to squeeze Everton stopper Ashley Williams into our squad for his visit to Stamford Bridge.
The centre-back’s 44 clearances rank him second to Spurs Jan Vertonghen (52) over the previous four Gameweeks and he will surely be a key figure against a buoyant Chelsea.
Antonio Conte’s side have won four on the spin and boast the best home record in the league. Williams seems unlikely to return to Merseyside with a clean sheet but that doesn’t trouble us in FanDuel – it’s his defensive actions we’re after, and this match-up promises those in abundance.
Crystal Palace travel to Burnley in what looks set to be a battle for aerial supremacy.
We feel that the fit-again Scott Dann should have opportunities to pick up points in both boxes. The centre-back’s two goals in six appearances this term prove his threat, with Alan Pardew’s men often turning to set-pieces for goal scoring opportunities. Dann’s likely battle with Clarets’ striker Sam Vokes could also see him return a healthy CBI tally for a strong all-round return.
Liverpool’s irresistible recent form has us looking to double up on their midfielders.
Sadio Mane appears to prefer home comforts, with three goals and two assists over his four matches at Anfield: that’s enough to convince us he’s worthy of investment ahead of the Watford clash.
Team-mate Philippe Coutinho has continued to sparkle. He tends to drop deeper at Anfield, aligning his sights for shots from range. Two of the Brazilian’s four goals this term have been from outside the penalty area, with 24 of his 41 shots coming from distance.
Worryingly for opponents Watford, they’ve conceded 7.6 attempts on average per match from outside the box on their travels, which would indicate that Coutinho will get opportunities to test Heurelho Gomes.
West Ham United are the source of our next midfield option, as they welcome a confident Stoke City to the London Stadium.
Dimitri Payet remains pivotal to the Hammers cause, creating 33 chances and racking up 28 goal attempts in eight appearances. The Frenchman has averaged 32.9 FanDuel points across his last four outings, so we’re confident of returns again, even against a resurgent Potters.
We needed to hunt for a cut-price option to afford those three big-hitting midfielders, which has led us to consider Chelsea’s Victor Moses.
The Ivorian has returned an encouraging average of 26.5 points over the last four Gameweeks, thanks partly to a goal and assist. Deployed at wing-back, Moses will be expected to contribute defensively against Everton: his 19 CBI’s and nine tackles over four appearances highlight that he’s capable of picking up FanDuel points from a multitude of actions.
Hull City have conceded the most attempts from inside the box (61 in five matches) at home – a statistic that underlines Southampton’s potential ahead of Sunday’s clash.
Charlie Austin started on the bench against Inter and so looks destined to get a full run-out against the Tigers defence. He boasts four goals from ten shots on target this season, with 20 of his 24 attempts arriving in the penalty area.
Once again FanDuel have again priced Austin generously, making it difficult for us to overlook him for our line-ups.
Similarly, Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson looks great value for the visit of Sunderland.
Visitors Sunderland have conceded 20 goals this campaign – only Hull City have been more generous at the back. The Cherries have already proved that they’re capable of overpowering weaker opponents at the Vitality Stadium, having dispatched the Tigers 6-1 on the south coast.
Although Sergio Aguero comes with a considerable price tag, the Argentine’s brace and assist at West Brom makes him almost impossible to overlook for the visit of Middlesbrough.
The forward has struck 36 goal attempts, netting seven times including three braces, which have led him to provide a trio of 50+ points hauls in FanDuel.
This Week’s Contests
This weekend’s ten-fixture slate has the biggest pot on offer: the £5000 Fan Favourite contest has a £5 buy-in, with a £750 first-place prize up for grabs.
There’s a £1400 contest for Sunday, which has a £7 entry-fee, the dead-line is 12 noon but, as with all contests, the late swap feature is available to enable you to tinker across the day’s four kick-off times.
You can register for a free account at FanDuel via this link and FanDuel will refund your first paid entry fee, up to £10, as free entry credit if you don’t win cash.
