DraftKings DFS Soccer: Tuesday UCL Picks

Tuesday's six-game slate features rematches from last Wednesday. The only difference for the slate is that Manchester City vs. Copenhagen and Juventus vs. Maccabi Haifa are earlier in the day. Obviously, that changes things quite a bit. Real Madrid (2.23), PSG (2.14) and Borussia Dortmund (2.01) are the biggest favorites and they have implied goal totals just over two.

MATCHES (ET)

• 3:00 pm: AC Milan vs. Chelsea
• 3:00 pm: Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla
• 3:00 pm: Celtic vs. RB Leipzig
• 3:00 pm: Dinamo Zagreb vs. Red Bull Salzburg
• 3:00 pm: FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Madrid
• 3:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Benfica

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

 It's a tricky slate in that those aren't what I'd call smash spots by any means, but there really isn't much else that stands out as good value for cash games. It's also tricky because the construction isn't obvious. Do you spend up at both forward spots? Do you spend up for a midfielder? Do you spend up for two defenders? It might depend on where the best value is and I don't see much outside of PSG. Maybe you'll like some of these other spots better than I do.

Neymar, PSG vs. BEN ($11,000): Lionel Messi has been ruled out which means Neymar will take the majority of set pieces. He clearly has the highest floor on the slate and we know he has massive upside, too. The decision is easy for cash games even at max price.

Kylian Mbappe, PSG vs. BEN ($10,300): The second forward is a tough decision, though. I can't ever remember rostering two $10,000 forwards from a team that "only" has a 2.14 implied goal total. It's usually just too much money to spend when there's good value at other positions. This slate might be different, however, as Neymar and Mbappe have the highest floors, the most upside and there isn't much opportunity cost at forward, or the other positions for that matter. 

Karim Benzema ($9,700) has the top goalscoring odds at -150 for Madrid's away trip to Shakhtar Donetsk. Those odds for that price is not something to target for cash games, but he makes plenty of sense in GPPs. Some will be doubting Benzema as he hasn't scored since August, but he's still one of the best strikers in the world and has multiple-goal upside in this spot. 

There are a couple players in the mid-range worth considering for cash games. Mislav Orsic ($8,000) and Jota ($7,900) take set pieces for their respective clubs. They are similar options in that both are playing for home underdogs with similar implied totals. Jota probably has a slightly higher floor, as he takes more sets but Orsic is probably more likely to score. His odds are slightly better and he already has five goals in the competition. On the other hand, Jota just scored against Leipzig last week. Both players seem slightly overpriced for cash games, though, which is another reason I'm leaning towards Mbappe. 

Dortmund have some decent GPP options in this range. Donyell Malen ($7,500), Youssoufa Moukoko ($7,200) and Karim Adeyemi ($6,700) are all affordable and we just saw Dortmund put four goals passed Sevilla in Spain. Malen takes a few corners, but I prefer Moukoko and Adeyemi when it comes to goalscoring upside. 

There isn't much in the cheap range. Benjamin Sesko ($5,500) is a talented 19-year-old striker who's been in good form this season. He doesn't really have a floor for cash games but has plenty of upside for GPPs.  

MIDFIELDERS

We usually consider Dominik Szoboszlai ($8,800) for cash games but the price keeps going up. He's probably a bit too expensive for his floor in this spot away to Celtic and therefore a better option for tournaments than cash, as he won't be very popular in that format. 

Julian Brandt, BVB vs. SEV ($7,800): If I'm spending up at midfield, it's probably for Brandt. Not only is he $1,000 cheaper than Szoboszlai, but Dortmund have a more favorable matchup at home against Sevilla. He hasn't been someone we've historically targeted, especially when his salary is inflated, but he's been playing more minutes without Marco Reus in the squad and that's resulted in consistency. He's played at least 83 minutes in seven of his last eight starts and continues to take most of the set pieces. He's not a lock by any means but probably the safest option in this range. I wouldn't put up an argument if you prefer Mason Mount ($6,900). He's cheaper, has a similar floor and just as much if not more goal/assist upside. I gave a slight edge to Brandt based on the matchups. 

Toni Kroos, RMA at SHK ($6,000): Kroos is also pretty safe with Real Madrid as the biggest favorite against Shakhtar and he had 14 floor points against them last week. He also seems to be playing 90 minutes more often now and was rested over the weekend which helps his chances. He's not a player I roster in tournament, but he's probably the best midfielder on this slate for cash games as he has a higher point-per-dollar floor than Brandt and Szoboszlai. 

I think the better construction is to punt one of the midfield spots. There really isn't anyone who stands out, but there are a few serviceable options that are good enough if you want Mbappe. Robert Ljubicic ($3,900) usually plays on the left wing for Zagreb, who have a decent matchup at home against against Salzburg. He usually plays 90 minutes and he even takes the occasional set piece. You could do worse than Marco Verratti ($4,400) or Vitinha ($3,900), who are both pretty cheap for PSG. If you've got more money, Luka Sucic ($5,500) and Nicolas Seiwald ($4,900) split sets for Salzburg, who are road favorites against Zagreb. I prefer Sucic and his goal/assist upside versus the more defensive Seiwald. 

DEFENDERS

Theo Hernandez, ACM vs. CHE ($5,400): I'm assuming that Hernandez is going to split corners as he has in his last two starts and that's why I'm highlighting him over Alex Telles ($5,300). I'd prefer Telles if he were on the wing, but it seems like it will be a back four under the new manager. That's not to say he isn't a good option, I just think Hernandez has a higher open-play floor and more upside. He's also more likely to play 90 minutes, especially if Marcos Acuna is on the bench. Reece James ($6,600), without set pieces and playing away to Milan, is strictly a GPP option in my opinion. You could make an argument for Ben Chilwell ($5,900) in cash games, as he'll likely split corners with Mount. 

Juan Bernat, PSG vs. BEN ($3,000): Bernat will continue to fill in at left-back for the injured Nuno Mendes. He's too cheap for that role and has better value than any of the minimum-priced midfielders which means it's probably best to roster three defenders in cash games. There are a couple of other options similar to Bernat. Gonzalo Montiel ($3,200) is expected to continue at right-back for Sevilla, while Maximilian Wober ($2,700) might start at left-back for the injured Andreas Ulmer. Wober is normally a center-back, but he has a fantastic left foot which sometimes sees him take a direct free kick or two. 

GOALKEEPERS

Alexander Meyer, BVB vs. SEV ($5,500): Goalkeeper isn't a priority on this slate but Meyer is slightly better value than Gianluigi Donnarumma and Andriy Lunin, as all three have essentially the same clean sheet odds. 

Dominik Livakovic, ZAG vs. RBS ($4,600): It wouldn't be surprising to see Zagreb get a win over Salzburg at home. You might be better off just paying down for Anatolii Trubin ($3,800) in cash games. He's the cheapest home keeper and probably has the most save upside after making 11 in Madrid last week.