SOCCER

4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 1

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Goalie -- Jordan Pickford, Everton

Salary: $5,500

With the new scoring system on FanDuel, DFS players need to rethink their approach at the keeper position as saves (still worth three points) are less important to target as they were in the past and a clean sheet (10 points) victory (7) will now net a keeper 17 points without making a save.

Pickford (if he starts) is tied with Bournemouth's Asmir Begovic as the top-priced keeper on the slate, but unlike Begovic, Pickford's squad is not favored. The Wolves have an implied team total of 1.5 goals and will likely find the back of the net in their first home EPL match since 2012.

Pickford kept only 3 of his 10 clean sheets last season away from Goodison Park, and if he does concede one goal, he'll need seven saves to keep value with a keeper who gets those 17 points (without adding any points for possible saves).

If Pickford is unable to start, Maarten Stekelenburg ($4,000) will get the nod at keeper, and the same reasoning would apply to him, despite the significant price difference. Looking for a keeper who is favored with decent clean-sheet odds will be the way to go.


Ben Fisher is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ben Fisher also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Gvsubrickwall. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.