DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Picks

Written by

Published on September 13, 2021

MATCHES (EST)

For detailed odds and stats, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Memphis Depay, BAR v. FCB ($9,900): I can understand looking at this matchup and being wary of rostering Depay. Often times on these Champions League slates, goals are king. Therefore, I'd expect Barcelona's difficult matchup against Bayern Munich will have people looking to someone like Romelu Lukaku ($10,500) in a better matchup against Zenit and hoping he bags a brace. Keep in mind that the Barcelona v. Bayern match has the highest total on the slate and Depay is now clearly the main man following the departure of Lionel Messi. Barca are dealing with a number of absences in their attacking ranks, and most of what they create and produce should come from Depay. I'd liken his role on this team to that of what we see when he plays for the Netherlands; he should take most set pieces and be on penalties as well.

MATCHES (EST)

For detailed odds and stats, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Paulo Dybala, JUV at MAL ($9,300): Dybala is in a similar spot to Depay in terms of his role on the team now that Cristiano Ronaldo has left. With Ronaldo out of the picture, Dybala is now the primary option on free kicks, and he'll continue to share corners with Federico Bernardeschi ($7,000) and Juan Cuadrado ($8,700). Juventus are the second biggest favorite on the slate, and Alvaro Morata ($8,700) is expected to lead the line with Dybala and Bernardeschi supporting. All are good tournament options, but Dybala has the safest floor and highest ceiling.

Leroy Sane, BAY at BAR ($6,300): As mentioned, this matchup features the highest total on the slate. Bayern should create plenty of chances and Sane seems considerably too cheap in this spot. He's a player who accrues peripheral points in a variety of ways and has plenty of goal/assist equity as well. It might seem like I've brushed off Chelsea, but that isn't the case. They're substantial favorites at home against Zenit. The aforementioned Lukaku is a great option, as is whoever plays alongside him. Whether it's Kai Havertz ($7,600) or Timo Werner ($7,200), both would fancy their chances to find the back of the net. There are decent options at midfield and defender to spend for, so if you're considering paying all the way down here, Ilya Shkurin ($3,900) is expected to start at center forward for Dynamo Kiev in a home match against Benfica.

MIDFIELDERS

Joshua Kimmich, BAY at BAR ($7,500): Kimmich has taken 27 set pieces and played every minute in four games to start the season. While always a relatively popular option, he's become less so now that he's midfield eligible as opposed to defender. I could also see people being worried about a matchup away at Barca, but I'd expect this game to be up and down the pitch with both sides going for it. There are some cheaper options with set-piece value that may offer more goal-scoring upside. Ruslan Malinovskyi ($6,800) is the creative force for attack-minded Atalanta, but he's yet to last more than 76 minutes in any of three games this season. Yusuf Yazici ($6,000) plays a similar role for Lille, while Viktor Tsygankov ($6,100) is it for Kiev. All are likely to be subbed early and will probably need to be involved in a goal in order to be optimal.

Mason Mount, CHE v. ZEN ($8,800): Historically we've targeted Mount for his corner kick duties but his role these days is far from certain. If Reece James starts, it's possible Mount doesn't take any. While not ideal, it wouldn't be the end of the world in a matchup where Chelsea are -525 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. He has plenty of open-play value in Chelsea's front three, and for that type of salary, you'll need more than corners to win a tournament on this slate. He's another player who'd I'd expect to be less popular than we're used to seeing based on the price and cloudy set piece situation. Moving on to the cheaper range, there isn't much that stands out, especially if you're looking for set pieces. Manu Trigueros ($4,500) might take one or two, and so could Mykola Shaparenko ($4,100). That being said, I wouldn't roster either over Mateo Kovacic ($4,200), especially after his brilliant performance over the weekend against Aston Villa that saw him record a goal and assist.

DEFENDERS

Reece James, CHE v. ZEN ($6,100): Chelsea are a -525 favorite and James is almost certain to have share of set pieces. You can also make a credible argument that he has more open-play upside than any other defender as well. We've seen that already this season when he scored from inside the box against Arsenal. Whoever starts on the left for Chelsea, whether its Marcos Alonso ($5,700) or Ben Chilwell ($6,300), would be a good option as well. Keep in mind that Juan Cuadrado has a salary of $8,700! He's a player that we normally love rostering and the matchup against Malmo is great, but that's the highest price I can remember seeing for a defender and it's rather prohibitive. If you're looking for a less popular but still worthy option in this range, Alejandro Grimaldo ($5,900) plays high up the pitch and takes the odd set piece for Benfica, who are favorites against Kiev.

Alphonso Davies, BAY at BAR ($4,400): Davies scores fantasy points at both ends of the pitch and the matchup against Barcelona is worth targeting, as he had assists in back-to-back Bundesliga games. Looking further down, Vitalii Mykolenko ($3,700) is a highly-rated and sought-after 22-year old; he fits the bill of a cheap fullback who's playing at home. If you're planning to pay all the way down, Andreas Christensen ($2,900) is too cheap for his relative clean sheet equity for Chelsea against Zenit.

GOALKEEPERS

Edouard Mendy, CHE v. ZEN ($5,900): Mendy has put up staggering numbers since joining Chelsea, keeping nine clean sheets in 12 European games last season and three in four Premier League games to begin this season. Chelsea are massive favorites against Zenit and it's worth spending up for him if you can afford it.

Denys Boyko, KIE v. BEN ($4,300): I'm not too keen on rostering Ismael Diarra Diawara against Juventus, which would make Boyko the cheapest viable home keeper. Dynamo Kiev are a decent side, and while they're underdogs to Benfica, it isn't necessarily a matchup to fear. Additionally, Marc-Andre ter Stegen ($4,400) probably has more save upside against a dangerous Bayern Munich team. There are plenty of appealing spend-up options at the other positions and paying down at keeper helps to get there.