DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (EST)

• 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Juventus
• 3:00 pm: Chelsea vs. FC Krasnodar
• 3:00 pm: Dynamo Kyiv vs. Ferencvárosi TC
• 3:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Istanbul Basaksehir
• 3:00 pm: RB Leipzig vs. Manchester United
• 3:00 pm: Rennes vs. Sevilla

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Neymar, PSG v. IBB ($12,800): Neymar is by far the most expensive player on the slate, but he also has arguably the highest floor and ceiling. He was magnificent against Manchester United last week, scoring two goals on three shots (all on goal) while creating four chances, sending in six crosses and drawing five fouls en route to 40.4 fantasy points. Paris Saint-Germain are level with Man United and RB Leipzig with nine points in Group H, but with the other sides facing each other, PSG have a path to the top spot in the group with a victory regardless of what else happens. Given that situation, there will surely be those who target Kylian Mbappe ($9,800) and Angel Di Maria ($9,500), and while it's pricey, playing two of three is surely a viable build. And if Moise Kean ($7,200) starts instead of Di Maria, he will surely be a consideration after scoring in two of the last three games while having higher anytime goal scorer odds than anyone but Mbappe and Neymar.

Christopher Nkunku, RBL v. MU ($8,900): There have been at least four goals scored in each of Manchester United's last four games and there were at least three in each of RB Leipzig's last three, including at least six in the past two. RB Leipzig lost the reverse fixture 5-0 back in October, but they basically need a win Tuesday to ensure they go through (they can get there with a draw and a PSG loss, which is highly unlikely). Leipzig don't have one or two dominant goal scorers (defender Angelino actually leads them in Bundesliga goals this season), but Nkunku has been their best attacker from a fantasy-point perspective and should certainly be an option in this game, especially if it ends up as a back-and-forth affair. Any Manchester United goal will put pressure on Leipzig to all-out attack, which could have people looking at Yussuf Poulsen ($7,800), Marcel Sabitzer ($5,900, midfielder) and Dani Olmo ($5,800, midfielder). Manchester United need a draw to advance, so they'll need to attack as well if Leipzig strike first, which puts Marcus Rashford ($8,100) and Mason Greenwood ($5,500) in play for a game stack.

Myrto Uzuni, FCS at DYK ($5,200): Ferencvaros need a win or a draw with at least three goals to qualify for the Europa League, so you have to think they'll come out attacking even though they are away underdogs against Dynamo Kyiv. Uzuni's highlight in the Champions League came when he scored against Juventus back on Nov. 24, but it's his potential role on set pieces for a side that needs to attack that makes him a reasonable target for cash games and GPPs on Tuesday. The other possibilities are Oleksandr Zubkov ($4,900) on the other wing or Tokmac Nguen ($4,300) as their center forward, with the latter coming in with the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the team.

MIDFIELDERS

Bruno Fernandes, MUN at RBL ($9,200): Manchester United only need a draw to advance, but they are facing a side that needs to score, which could open them up to counter attacks. That fits well into Fernandes' style, though he is also excellent in possession and on dead balls. He doesn't have a set-piece monopoly, but he still has a great attacking floor. Paying up for Fernandes likely means you have to pay down at one of the forward spots (or at least not pay up for both), which isn't always the easiest thing to do in the Champions League, but a big Fernandes game would obviously be the perfect offset to that.

Viktor Tsygankov, DYK v. FCS ($6,600): While neither Dynamo Kyiv nor Ferencvaros can qualify for the round of 16, they are still both in the hunt for the Europa League, which is certainly an important step for either club. The reverse fixture was a 2-2 draw in Hungary, but Kyiv are favored in this one, sitting as the third-biggest favorite on the slate with the fourth-highest implied goal total. Tsygankov is a very good attacking midfielder who has a role on set pieces, and he comes in with eighth-highest anytime goal scorer odds among expected starters (then again, those starters could be drastically different when they are confirmed). Tsygankov is probably the best fantasy option for Dynamo Kyiv, but teammate Mykola Shaparenko ($4,500) is likely to be more popular because he is the one who shares set pieces with Tsygankov and he's much cheaper. The extra salary space will help in paying up for multiple expensive players, but GPP players should certainly target Tsygankov if they're fading some of the chalkier expensive players.

DEFENDERS

Alex Telles, MUN at RBL ($5,900): Manchester United need only a draw against RB Leipzig to solidify their spot in the round of 16, while Leipzig will advance with a win, assuming Paris Saint-Germain get a result against Istanbul Basaksehir, which is highly likely. Telles has taken on a big role of Manchester United's set pieces, helping him to at least two chances created and six crosses in each of the past four games. He didn't take a single shot in that span, so his upside is definitely assist-dependent (he got one against West Ham this past weekend), but Telles' floor is one of the strongest on the slate in his price range. On the other side of this match is Angelino ($7,400), who is an excellent attacking fullback with a share of set pieces, though his price is almost too high for those who want to spend up for multiple PSG attackers. Then again, he's significantly cheaper than Nkunku, who he shares those dead-ball responsibilities with.

Emerson Palmieri, CHE v. KRA ($5,500): Chelsea are expected to rotate again, which benefited Emerson last week against Sevilla when he took all set pieces and finished with 13.8 fantasy points thanks to nine crosses and three chances created. While Chelsea have nothing to play for, their backups are still plenty better than Krasnodar's starters and backups, which we see in the fact that they are the second-biggest favorite on the slate with the second-highest implied goal total, trailing only Paris Saint-Germain. Cesar Azpilicueta ($4,700) is expected to start at right-back, though he won't have the set pieces that Emerson does.

Karim Rekik, SFC at REN ($2,700): Sevilla and Rennes have absolutely nothing to play for, so you can question the motivations for sure, but Rekik is a fullback priced under $3,000 and had 7.8 fantasy points in a 4-0 loss to Chelsea last week. Given the potential for rotation in a number of games, certainly be on the look-out for other potential cheap wingers, but Rekik is one that seems more likely to start.

GOALKEEPER

Matvey Safonov, KRA at CHE ($3,800): With many people potentially ignoring Chelsea's attackers, at least in cash games, because they already won the group, Safonov could be facing a less-than-elite attack in a game that doesn't matter for either side. He has scored at least 10.8 fantasy points in three of four Champions League starts, making at least five saves in each of those games, so there's certainly save potential. Of course, we can't ignore that he allowed four goals and only made three saves against Chelsea in the reverse fixture, finishing with minus-1.8 points, but again, this should be a slimmed down Chelsea attack.