Welcome to our latest visit to the Weekly Shop, our early scan of the standout FanDuel player options ahead of the weekend’s round of matches.
Once again, there are a handful of fixtures that jump out as prime sources of player targets and points.
Tottenham Hotspur’s meeting with struggling Swansea City for one.
Spurs are in desperate need of a victory, having only won once in six outings but, up against an obliging Swans rearguard, Mauricio Pochettino’s attacking assets look tempting.
That also promotes interest in Bob Bradley’s defence, which will surely be kept busy as they bid to keep Spurs at bay.
Elsewhere, West Ham United are unbeaten in three matches at the London Stadium ahead of the visit of Arsenal. Slaven Bilic’s side provide us with a couple of options to ponder, while the Gunners goal threat is also likely to be a factor in our thinking.
Stoke City’s assets are, for once, under consideration as they welcome a Burnley side that boasts a dismal away record. Similarly, champions Leicester City have struggled on the road and travel to a resurgent Sunderland who appear to offer the undisputed bargain of the week.
Better Buys
We start our player analysis by considering those that come packaged with substantial price-tags but remain top targets or “Better Buys”.
They will form the spine of our team and should be our predominant source of points.
We begin in goal, with two chief candidates that offer both clean sheet and save point potential.
Jordan Pickford’s (£7.4m) shot-stopping abilities have certainly stood out over recent weeks. The Sunderland keeper’s 19 saves over his last four matches has given him a 17.6 average in FanDuel over that period.
A clean sheet in the Black Cats previous home match, a 3-0 victory over Hull City, will have given David Moyes’ defence some confidence ahead of Leicester City’s visit. The champions have struggled on their travels, losing five of their six matches away from the King Power Stadium.
West Bromwich Albion’s Ben Foster (£7.6m) also catches the eye.
Watford travel to West Brom having failed to penetrate a Stoke City rearguard at Vicarage Road last time out. Walter Mazzarri’s side are struggling with injuries and suspensions and have scored just five goals in their last six outings. That all adds up to back-to-back shut-outs at the Hawthorns for Foster.
As usual, it’s evidence of consistent clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI’s) numbers that govern our defender selections in FanDuel.
Those actions, alongside tackles won, are their primary source of points, with goalkeepers the only position to benefit from clean sheets.
West Ham’s Winston Reid (£7.9m) returns from suspension for the visit of Arsenal and, over his last six appearances, has recorded 60 CBI’s.
A pair of assists and a goal over that period has handed the Kiwi a 27.8 FanDuel average and, on that basis, the Hammers centre-back offers us potential at both ends come Saturday’s encounter.
A visit to White Hart Lane has us weighing up a number of Swansea’s backline.
Centre-backs Federico Fernandez (£8.4m) and Jordi Amat (£7.9m) have both started the last two and have averaged 19 points over their last four outings. Fernandez slightly edges it for us: an assist and 13 clearances last time out makes him our pick as the Swans attempt to shackle the considerable threat of Harry Kane.
Chelsea’s trip to the Etihad gives us a chance to include Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi (£8.6m), who is a leading defensive candidate in FanDuel, particularly when facing more expansive opponents.
The Argentine has missed a few matches but boasts an average of over ten CBI’s and four tackles per match. He will surely be focused nullifying Diego Costa and that battle should harvest plenty of FanDuel points.
Burnley arrive at the bet365 stadium with an abysmal away record, conceding three or more goals in four of their five road trips.
That settles the case for selecting a Potters attacker, and we’re targeting Xherdan Shaqiri, available for £9m, as a midfield option.
The Swiss playmaker was deployed in a central attacking role in the victory at Vicarage Road last time out and has registered encouraging numbers when he’s been fit.
Shaqiri has created 18 chances and fired 19 goal attempts of his own over eight matches, and Burnley should give him the opportunity to boost his tally of three goals so far.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet (£11.9m) has been the top midfielder for chances created (16) over the last four Gameweeks. However, that has resulted in only a single assist, which reflects the Hammers’ struggles to find a cutting edge.
Nonetheless, a 23.8 point FanDuel average for the midfielder shows the Frenchman has still steadily picked up points.
The absence of Hector Bellerin for Arsenal on Saturday could provide a weak link for Payet to exploit. Stand-in Carl Jenkinson was on loan at West Ham and is likely to be targeted by Slaven Bilic, who will surely look to Payet as his key weapon.
Despite being frustratingly inconsistent, Spurs’ Christian Eriksen (£11.6m) has still managed a 22.38 average in FanDuel.
A first goal of the season for the Dane against Chelsea last weekend hints at an upturn in form. He ranks fourth among FanDuel midfielders for shots on target (14), while he’s also created 27 chances for team-mates, resulting in three assists. An obliging Swansea defence should help his cause: we’re expecting to see Eriksen fetch further returns on Saturday.
The Welsh side have conceded eight goals over their last four, suggesting that a double up with Harry Kane (£13.5m) in attack looks a worthy strategy.
Kane has notched five goals in as many league appearances, including a brace against West Ham in his previous White Hart Lane outing.
We could well drop in on Arsenal for our partner to Kane in attack.
Alexis Sanchez (£13.7m) fired a brace last weekend and has also prospered away from home, tallying five goals in five away trips.
The visit to the London Stadium promises further returns with the West Ham defence conceding 16 goals in their last six matches.
Poundstretchers
We now turn to the more budget friendly options among the FanDuel player list.
These players are priced kindly but should also offer strong potential to return on their modest valuations.
We may well turn to a cut-price option in goal this weekend, with some strong candidates on offer in the budget bracket.
Stoke City’s Lee Grant (£6.6m) is our current top choice between the sticks.
He picked up a third clean sheet in six in the Potters’ win at Watford, while Saturday’s opponents Burnley have been toothless away from Turf Moor, scoring just once in five away matches.
The Clarets provide their own option with Tom Heaton potentially kept on the sidelines with a calf problem. Paul Robinson is could be handed another start at the bet365 Stadium and is available for just £4.9m. He represents a gamble but can certainly be an effective enabler if funds are tight.
We’re also considering Victor Valdes at £6.8m, who looks good value for the visit of a Hull City side that have failed to net in each of their last two away encounters.
A potential battle with Romelu Lukaku has put a pair of Manchester United defenders on our radar for their Goodison Park visit.
Marcos Rojo (£6.3) has a 20.5 point average over the last four Gameweeks, including successive scores of over 25 points.
That makes the Argentine our favoured United asset, though Phil Jones’ (£6.7m) 19.8 average over his last three includes 34 clearances.
If you can’t fit a Swansea centre-back into your team, then Neil Taylor (£6.2m) provides a budget alternative.
The full-back looks reasonably settled having played three of the last four matches, picking up 24 CBI’s and five tackles.
Gareth McAuley’s third goal of the season secured a draw for West Brom at Hull City. The centre-back also recorded 15 CBI’s to bring his average up to 19.4 points. Still available for a reasonable £7.3m ahead of Watford’s visit, McAuley is again likely to feature in some of our line-ups.
Now a Weekly Shop regular, Matt Phillips (£7.4m) created McAuley’s strike against the Tigers. That made it three assists and a pair of goals in his last three outings for the ex-QPR winger. His price is on the rise, but he still represents value ahead of the Hornets clash.
We’re assessing a Middlesbrough attacker ahead of Hull City’s visit to the Riverside Stadium.
Mike Phelan’s side have conceded 15 goals in four on the road, making Gaston Ramirez (£7.8m) a solid option with a 24.6 average over his last four appearances. That includes a goal and assist for the Uruguayan, who has also tallied nine chances created and nine tackles.
Liverpool’s Emre Can (£6.9m) remains on our radar ahead of the Reds’ visit to the Bournemouth. Now classed as a midfielder in FanDuel, he has strong all round numbers, creating eight chances, winning 13 tackles and contributing a couple of goals over his last four matches.
Can’s team-mate Divock Origi (£6.8m) is also on our shortlist as a potential Differential.
A goal against Leeds in the EPL Cup midweek following his strike against Sunderland should see the Belgian pushing for a starting berth. We will be checking the teamsheets at the Vitality Stadium with FanDuel’s Late Swap feature poised.
Elsewhere up front, we’re struggling to decipher just how Jermain Defoe’s is priced at just £4.3m ahead of Leicester City’s visit. With three goals and two assists in his last four, an in-form asset of his calibre just can’t be ignored.
Charlie Austin (£8.8m) is again a consideration ahead of his collision with Crystal Palace’s woeful defence.
The Eagles have conceded three per match on average over their last six, while Austin has netted six goals in nine outings, establishing himself as the Saints’ main goal threat.
I will be back on Friday with our FanDuel Focus article, revealing which players made the cut and earned a spot in my line-up, along with a review of the available FanDuel contests ahead of the weekend.
