Friday delivers our regular visit to our daily and weekly partner game FanDuel. As usual, we’ll be assessing the upcoming contests on offer and the prizes available before putting our neck on the line by revealing our strongest XI to help steer your selections.
Earlier this week we announced the opening of a FanDuel Survivor contest, taking place over the next four rounds of matches.
The contest uses a familiar “Last Man Standing” ruleset, with participants who survive the cut each week going through until we eventually find our winner in the fourth week. It’s free to enter, with prizes on offer and is open to UK residents.
There are only 300 places available, so be sure to claim your spot ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
For those yet to sign up, if you register ahead of this tournament, FanDuel will also add £5 credit to your account. Use the code SCOUTFIVER to access this promotion. Further details on how to get involved can be found here.
If you’re new to FanDuel, we recommend that you check out our strategy guide for in-depth tips and, for this week, our selection below will hopefully provide some pointers for your first line-up.
FanDuel contests take place over the regular three windows this weekend. The full ten-fixture slate begins with the Merseyside derby from 12.30pm tomorrow.
The deadline for the Saturday contests is the 3pm kick-offs, of which there are six. This wraps up with the south coast clash between Southampton and Bournemouth at teatime.
Games are also available that include the two Sunday ties, as Middlesbrough visit the Liberty Stadium at 1.30pm before the weekend headliner which sees Manchester City roll up to the Emirates at 4pm.
My Strongest XI
David de Gea £7.0m
Mason Holgate £6.5m
James Tomkins £7.1m
Ben Davies £7.5m
Dusan Tadic £8.5m
Juan Mata £12m
Dele Alli £12.3m
Gylfi Sigurdsson £12.9m
Jermain Defoe £8.1m
Troy Deeney £8.8m
Jamie Vardy £9.3m
The Key Picks
Manchester United’s David De Gea was always our primary choice in goal this week, with a modest £7.0m price point proving too tempting.
The Spaniard has conceded a mere ten goals at Old Trafford all season and will welcome a West Brom outfit that has notched just 12 in 14 away trips. The Baggies are also set to rotate and, as long as United can cope with their set-piece threat, De Gea would seem very likely to emerge with the ten points available for a clean sheet.
Injuries to Everton’s Seamus Coleman and Ramiro Funes Mori while on international duty have paved the way for Mason Holgate to earn selection. The Toffees defender is likely to be deployed either in a back three or as a right-back and should be busy holding off waves of Liverpool attacks. We expect an improvement on the 16-point average he’s accrued over six starts in a productive Anfield display.
Sam Allardyce has instilled some belated backbone into his Crystal Palace defence, conjuring three successive clean sheets. While there are no points on offer for defenders who earn shutouts, Palace’s form hints at a resilient performance at Stamford Bridge this weekend. We’ve therefore opted for James Tomkins for our line-up, with his 56 clearances, interceptions and blocks (CBI’s) ranking him top from the Eagles rearguard over their last six outings.
While we usually focus on centre-backs, we’ve opted for Spurs’ left-sided defender Ben Davies after identifying the Burnley right flank as a potential weak spot. The Clarets have conceded more chances (27) and crosses (80) than any other side over the last six down that wing. Davies could be poised to profit, then, given that he’s recorded more crosses (15) and created more chances (seven) than the popular Kyle Walker over the last four Gameweeks.
We’ve invested heavily in midfield this week, beginning with Dusan Tadic, who makes the cut having recorded some encouraging numbers of late.
The Southampton midfielder has produced 14 goal attempts and 13 key passes over his last six outings, delivering a pair of goals and three assists. Set-piece duties also heighten his appeal for Saturday’s clash: only Hull City (38) have conceded more chances from set plays than visitors Bournemouth (30) over the last six Gameweeks.
Juan Mata is set to be a key figure as Manchester United bid to penetrate a West Brom rearguard effort at Old Trafford. The playmaker has started the last four and created more chances (13) than any team-mate over that spell. Two goals and an assist in that period have also contributed to a strong average of 26.9 points in FanDuel.
While Spurs are likely to face stubborn resistance against Burnley at Turf Moor, they have the form and confidence to earn three points. If Mauricio Pochettino’s side are to prevail, Dele Alli will surely be a pivotal figure. Having averaged 39 points over his past three outings and claimed spot-kick duties from the injured Harry Kane, Alli is difficult to ignore.
Gylfi Sigurdsson heads into Sunday’s clash with Middlesbrough having been rested in Iceland’s second international with Ireland in midweek. Only Paul Pogba (26.2) and Christian Eriksen (27.3) have stronger FanDuel points averages this campaign than the Swans midfielder (25.6). While he blanked at Bournemouth last time out, Sigurdsson has netted three goals and served up five assists in his previous seven outings. Involved in 53% of Swansea’s goals, it’s difficult to see Sigurdsson miss out on a handsome haul should Paul Clement’s side earn the victory.
Our first forward gets the nod thanks to an enticing price tag, along with a midweek goal that might just serve to reverse a recent dip in form. Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe may not have scored in four league matches, but a goal against Lithuania for England should boost his confidence. The forward netted a brace at Crystal Palace in Gameweek 24 to score 46 points in FanDuel, underlining his undoubted ability to bring in hauls. Defoe and Sunderland now visit a Watford side that lost 4-3 to Southampton last time out at Vicarage Road.
We’re expecting plenty of goals in that encounter, so we’ve also moved to secure Troy Deeney in our line-up. The Hornets skipper has scored five goals in seven appearances as part of a convincing run of form which includes scoring in three successive matches at home. His six chances created and 25 CBI’s over that run also illustrates an industrious work-rate which suits the FanDuel scoring system.
Our final selection has been reinvigorated for Leicester City since Craig Shakespeare took the reins. Jamie Vardy has returned three goals and a pair of assists in the Foxes three league victories under the new manager. Stoke travel to the King Power Stadium on Saturday having conceded three or more goals in four of their last seven away trips. That sets the scene for Vardy to continue his renaissance, with a goal for England in midweek maintaining his renewed confidence.
This Week’s Contests
As usual, the largest pot to be found this weekend is the Fan Favourite, which has £2,500 in prize money. The first-placed participant collects £500 and it’s £5 per entry, with the top 120 places earning rewards.
There’s also a double-up game with £1,000 available – it’s a £10 buy-in and the top 50 players earn prizes.
On Saturday there’s a £3 buy-in contest that has £500 up for grabs. This is split between 43 entries, with £100 being paid to the winner.
The action wraps up on Sunday with a £1,400 game that has a £7 entry fee – the top 29 places share the winnings and first prize is £280.
Finally, remember to enter the free Survivor tournament taking place over the next four Gameweeks. There are 300 spots available to UK residents and the deadline for entries is 12.30pm Saturday.
