4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid in Matchweek 19

Matchweek 19 sees all the clubs gearing up for their second match of a busy holiday season as the Premier League fits three matchweeks into a 10-day span. DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available as clubs will likely adjust lineups due to the busy week.

As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When making an investment into any player, it is important to determine which players will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists and shots on target). It's also just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups. We should look to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away while also looking at Vegas favorites and over/under totals

FanDuel made their Premier League DFS games available to U.S. players starting in Matchweek 10, and this article will be geared toward the main slate for the U.S.-based FanDuel site. The main slate for Matchweek 19 features seven Saturday matches, which includes four of the top six clubs.

Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Divock Origi, Liverpool

FanDuel Price: $10,100

Origi is the sixth-highest priced forward for Matchweek 19, and he has averaged 9.67 FanDuel points per game this season. Origi's average is a bit deceiving as he had only been used as a substitute until Philippe Coutinho's injury. Since being placed in the Reds' starting XI in Matchweek 14, Origi has averaged 19.15 FanDuel points, scoring three goals and assisting on another in that span. Origi was in great form when he was given the opportunity after Coutinho's injury, scoring in four straight matches. Origi's last two matches, however, have been a disappointment for DFS players as he's scored a total of 7.25 FanDuel points. In Origi's five starts, the forward has tallied three shots on goal, all leading to goals.

Origi and Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield, and The Reds enter Saturday's match as the slight favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. Saturday's premier matchup is between the two clubs that lead the Premier League in possession in home and away matches. The Reds' maintain 62.1% of the possession at Anfield while the Citizens maintain 60.3% of the possession away from Etihad Stadium.

In their last five matches, the Reds have taken 20 shots on target with Origi tallying 6.6% of those shots on net. This season, Liverpool have averaged 21.5 shots per match with 8.3 shots on target at Anfield. The Citizens have one of the Premier League's best back lines away from their home pitch, conceding 11 goals and allowing a meager 10.7 shots per match.

Five starts this season is an extremely small sample size, but Origi has a lower FanDuel average at Anfield, averaging 14.38 FanDuel points, compared to 22.3 FanDuel points in road matches. The Citizens have a good back line that should cause Liverpool's potent attack some issues, and Saturday's match is between two of the top clubs in the Premier League, which will likely lead to an evenly played match. Origi has proven his ability to find the back of the net, but he doesn't take enough shots to justify his price as one of the top forwards in a tough matchup.

Midfielder

Raheem Sterling, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Sterling is the ninth-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 19 and has averaged 18.89 FanDuel points per match this season. The Citizens, the third-best squad in the Premier League, enter Saturday's match as a slight underdog and have won seven away matches, scoring 22 goals in their travels.

The Citizens maintain a league-best 60.3% of the possession away from their home pitch while averaging 16.3 shots per match. The Reds' have possessed the ball 62.1% of the match at Anfield and have conceded 14 goals on their home pitch.

Overall, Sterling has scored five times this season while assisting on three other goals, but he's been a lot better at Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens should have Sergio Aguero back in their starting XI after serving a four-match ban. Sterling has been in the starting XI along with Aguero in nine matches. In those nine matches with Aguero, Sterling has scored three goals and assisted on one other goal. However, in his last five matches playing alongside Aguero, Sterling has been held goal-less while averaging only 14.8 FanDuel points.

Sterling's production in away matches this season has dipped, and the Citizens' have a tough match against the Premier League's second-best squad. Saturday's clash should be extremely intriguing both as a fan and a DFS player, but Sterling's home/away splits coupled with his lower FanDuel production alongside Aguero in the starting XI makes him an excellent midfielder to avoid.

Defender

Michael Keane, Burnley

FanDuel Price: $5,900

Keane is tied for the fourth-highest priced defender for Matchweek 19, along with four other defenders, and he has averaged 18.74 FanDuel points. The Clarets enter Saturday's match against Sunderland as the favorite. Keane has only achieved his average score once in his last six matches, and that performance -- 21 FanDuel points -- came Matchweek 17 against Tottenham.

Keane and Burnley host Sunderland at Turf Moor. The Clarets maintain a league-worst 39.9% of the possession at home while allowing 19.6 shots per match. The Black Cats have been just as atrocious at possessing the ball away from the Stadium of Light, posting a league-worst 37.8% possession rate while only recording 8.2 shots per match. Keane is not greatly involved in the Clarets' attack, taking just three shots on target while creating five chances.

Keane has scored 10 or fewer FanDuel points in four matches this season. Three of those four matches came against clubs battling relegation --- Hull City, Swansea City and Middlesbrough --- while the other match came against West Ham, who currently sits in 11th-place in the Premier League. Sunderland currently sits in 18th place, fighting to stay up.

Neither squad will likely control Saturday's match, leaving the defenders on both clubs with minimal upside in defensive categories. Keane is second on his squad --- behind Ben Mee --- in average defensive actions and has proven his ability to under-perform in matches against bottom-table squads. At his price tag, coupled with his non-involvement in the Clarets' attack, Keane has a high probability of under-performing his value in Saturday's match against Sunderland.

Keeper

Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $6,800

Schmeichel is the fifth-highest priced keeper for Matchweek 19 --- although Sunderland's Jordan Pickford, priced at $7,100 has been ruled out with a knee injury --- and he has averaged 16.02 FanDuel points this season. Schmeichel and Leicester host West Ham at King Power Stadium, and the Foxes enter Saturday's match as the favorite while the over/under is set at 2.5 goals.

The Foxes are the Premier League's fourth-worst squad at maintaining possession on their home pitch, averaging 45.3% of the possession while allowing 11.9 shots per match. The Hammers have also struggled this season at maintaining possessing away from their home pitch, maintaining 44.7% of the possession away from London Stadium, the Premier League's fifth-worst possession percentage, while averaging 3.6 shots on target.

Clean sheets and saves are extremely important for keeper scoring on FanDuel, and Schmeichel has kept two clean sheets in his 10 starts this season. Schmeichel has played in two matches since returning from his hand injury and has conceded two goals in both matches. Schmeichel has averaged 3.4 saves per match at King Power Stadium while averaging 4.8 saves per match in his travels.

The Hammers have only been shut out once this season away from London Stadium --- Matchweek 10 against Everton --- and have scored two or more goals in four of their nine matches. Even on a limited number of shots, The Hammers have proven their ability to find the back of the net at least once. Schmeichel has not played at the same level DFS players became accustomed to last season, and against a Hammers' squad that does not take a high number of shots on target, Schmeichel may have a hard time producing value at his price tag.