2017 Premier League Darts: Week 2 Preview & Betting Tips

The first week of the Darts Premier League is in the books and it was an exciting way to start the season. The battle between the two best players in the world was epic while this season’s new faces proved they are not going to be pushed around.

We had five winners from seven darts bets last week, with our best bet of the week also landing, so hopefully we can continue that strike rate throughout the season. As always, there are some great match-ups again this week so let’s take a look at our preview and betting tips for Premier League Darts Week 2.

Premier League Darts Week 2 Betting Tips

Adrian Lewis vs Dave Chisnall

Two inconsistent, yet potentially brilliant, players in the Premier League come together for the opening match of Week 2. Both are coming off losses, so they will want to even up the ledger here or their season may be a long one.

The scoreboard said that Lewis lost 7-5 to RVB last week, but I thought that score flattered Lewis. Early on, his darts were going in at all sorts of angles, and he had several bounce offs, simply because his darts were not coming out well. If it wasn’t for RVB’s terrible doubles early on, it might’ve been a drubbing. Chizzy had a tough opening match against Phil Taylor, but he did have five maximums and a couple of sweet ton checkouts, as well as some solid performances in the UK Open Qualifiers during the week. Both players are confidence players, so whoever can start well has a big chance to pinch this.

I’m going to side with Chizzy as my pick, simply because I think he has more chance of getting it right, but this is a match I will be staying well away from when it comes to betting.

TIP: No bet

James Wade vs Phil Taylor

By contrast to the opening match, here we have a match between two consistent performers who are both coming off wins in Week 1.

Wade was good last week in getting past Kim Huybrechts who will be tough opposition this season. Wade wasn’t scoring that well, and in fact ended with a worse average than Huybrechts, but as usual, it all came down to his excellent finishing. He will need to improve his scoring here against Taylor if he’s to cause an upset.

The Power skipped the UK Open Qualifiers during the week as he looks to reduce his schedule in his final year on the tour. Clearly his body is struggling which is a concern, but if that keeps him fresh for the Premier League then maybe it’s a positive. At this stage, it's hard to know.

Phil is the favourite and I think he'll win but I'm not going to be launching into the head-to-head price. Instead, we’re going to back the same market that we lost on last week and that’s Taylor’s average. The line was 100.5 last week and has dropped to 98.5 this week against arguably better opposition - Wade’s strong finishing should help boost Taylor’s own average.  If Taylor starts better this week, then I’m confident he’ll cover that number.

TIP: Phil Taylor average over 98.5 - $1.83 at Sportsbet

Jelle Klaasen vs Gary Anderson

Jelle Klaasen’s tough welcome to the Premier League continues as he meets world number two Gary Anderson this week. Klaasen certainly had chances against Peter Wright last week, but he didn’t find the bed during the clutch moments. It’s tough on the big stage! He’s going need everything to go right to challenge Anderson here.

Anderson was superb last week, coming away with a draw against MVG in a fantastic match. Anderson averaged 103 and if he continues that form throughout the season, then he won’t be losing too many matches. He is a powerhouse player at the moment with incredible scoring power and lethal on his checkouts. I also love how nothing rattles him. He’s always relaxed and composed on stage.

Anderson should prove far too strong here and I like a play on the game handicap.

TIP: Gary Anderson -2.5 games - $2.00 at Sportsbet

Peter Wright vs Michael van Gerwen

Week two brings another huge match for MVG in the Premier League. After clashing with the number two in the world last week, MVG now has to content with the world number three in Peter Wright.

Normally, it’s still pencilled in as a win for Mighty Mike but it’s been an interesting week for the world’s best player. He lost three times in three days in the UK Open Qualifiers during the week which hasn’t happened for a long time. One of those was in the early rounds against a relatively unknown player, and another was against his opponent here in Peter Wright.

That match has to give Wright confidence that he can beat MVG. He has proven that he’s good enough to beat almost anyone in the world, but he has never quite got to the level of Anderson and MVG. Perhaps that win will kick start his year and he can really start to challenge the best in the world on a regular basis.

It should be an interesting match and I think MVG is under the odds. Wright is worth considering at $6.00 for an upset, but instead I’ll suggest the safer play on the match legs as I expect this one to go the distance. The price at CrownBet is generous compared to other books for this market.

TIP: Peter Wright vs Michael van Gerwen over 10.5 legs - $1.96 at CrownBet

Kim Huybrechts vs Raymond van Barneveld

I’m really looking forward to this match with two of my favourite players going at it. Barney was fantastic last week, clawing himself back from 1-4 down to defeat Adrian Lewis. Barney just couldn’t find a double early on, but once he found his range with his checkouts, he motored back and claimed a great come-from-behind victory. If Barney can hit his straps from the start of the match then he will be hard to beat. I think he’s playing really well, and a strong chance for the playoffs this season.

Huybrechts would be happy enough with his start to the Premier League but he didn’t come away with the points against James Wade in a 5-7 defeat. Huybrechts took a little bit to get going but when he found his range he looked very dangerous. He averaged over 100 and had a bunch of 140s that were near misses for maximums. Watch for him to continue to improve every week.

I think Huybrechts can put in a strong showing but I like Barney to get the victory here. I also think some of the lines in other markets are a bit low. I think Huybrecht’s average line of 95.5 is low, and I’m also tempted on the overs on Barney at 98.5. However the market I’ve settled on is the 180s market. Barney has been hitting a lot of maximums recently and hit four in the Premier League last week. Huybrechts had two last week, but could’ve easier had a couple more if his third arrow was straighter. I’m happy to play the overs on a 180s line of 5.5 as our best bet of the night.

TIP: Kim Huybrechts vs Raymond van Barneveld o5.5 180s - $1.76 at CrownBet (BEST BET)
TIP: Raymond van Barneveld win vs Kim Huybrechts - $1.74 at CrownBet

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