DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday-Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (ET)

• Tuesday, 3:00 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Ajax
• Wednesday, 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Liverpool

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

FORWARDS

Lionel Messi, BAR v. LIV ($9,800): Messi is the most expensive player on the slate, and while a matchup against Liverpool is always tough, you can't ignore that Barcelona are decent home favorites and no player has better anytime goal scorer odds. He was a huge disappointment in the quarter-final first leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but Messi was magnificent in the second leg, scoring 35.50 fantasy points thanks to two goals on seven shots (three on target), two crosses and four fouls drawn. There could be some hesitancy to paying so much for Messi at Anfield next week, but there won't be many who fade him in cash games at home Wednesday. GPP players could certainly consider Luis Suarez ($8,300) too, though I'd be more inclined to pay down for Ousmane Dembele ($6,800) if he gets the start. Unfortunately, with Barcelona playing Wednesday, we won't know right away if Dembele is in, and we can't pivot to Philippe Coutinho ($8,000) because he's only midfield eligible.

Dusan Tadic, AJA at TOT ($7,900): Tadic is the similarly priced pivot for those who don't trust Mohamed Salah ($8,100) or Sadio Mane ($7,400) playing away to Barcelona, which admittedly is not an overly difficult matchup from an attacking perspective. However, it's definitely tougher (according to the odds) than what Tadic will face against Tottenham, who are not only a bit banged up on the defensive end but will also be without top attacking threats Harry Kane (ankle) and Son Heung-Min (suspended). Tadic is coming off a two-goal, one-assist outing in a 4-2 Eredivisie win this past weekend (both goals were scored from the penalty spot), and while he failed to find the back of the net against Juventus in the quarter-final, only Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have scored more Champions League goals this season. Tadic isn't a high-volume shot-taker, but he created five chances in three consecutive UCL matches (two against Real Madrid and one against Juventus), and he'll surly be very active Tuesday against Spurs, who have lost three of their last four. You can also try cheaper exposure to the Ajax attack in David Neres ($6,200), but he doesn't have nearly the floor. On the other side, you can focus on Fernando Llorente ($6,600), who is likely to lead the line for Spurs in a match they probably won't be attacking a ton in. Then again, any crosses that fly into the box will be directed toward Llorente, who has the same anytime goal scorer odds as Salah, trailing on Messi and Suarez among likely starters.

Divock Origi, LIV at BAR ($4,600): Origi could be the cheapest starting forward on the slate if he starts in place of Roberto Firmino ($7,000), who was held out of last weekend's Premier League match because of a muscular injury. The floor is about as low as it gets with Origi, and while he's not close to the top option for Liverpool, he provides exposure to an attack that could certainly score on Barcelona. Unfortunately, Liverpool play Wednesday, and if you leave a forward spot for Origi and he's not in the starting XI, you're going to end up having a bench player in your fantasy lineup.

MIDFIELDERS

Hakim Ziyech, AJA at TOT ($9,000): Ziyech has the highest floor of anyone on the slate, and he comes in having scored at least 13.50 fantasy points in all nine Champions League start this season, a run that includes just two goals and two assists. He doesn't have a monopoly of set pieces, but he does take some corners and is the most prolific shooter on the slate, co-leading the Champions League (Cristiano Ronaldo) with 48 shots, while Messi is the only one with more shots on goal. The midfield player pool is actually pretty weak overall, with Ziyech, Coutinho and Christian Eriksen ($7,600) the only elite options, and there's little reason to pay down from the best fantasy player on the slate for one of the latter two.

Lucas Moura, TOT v. AJA ($5,900): Given the drop off from the elite midfielders to the next tier (also known as "everyone else"), it wouldn't be surprising to see people paying up for two midfielders and trying to save in defense. However, Lucas has shown a decent floor lately, and we can't ignore upside that saw him score a hat trick just four games ago. Dele Alli ($5,700) is similarly priced and could have more attacking responsibilities than normal because of the absence of Son, but really both players are more suited for GPPs. You could try to convince yourself that Lasse Schone ($6,000) has a floor because of a shared role of set pieces, but the price seems a bit high for a player who really doesn't do much overall. And if you're sitting there thinking, "what about Donny van de Beek?" I'd say that as long as you're expecting no more than half-a-point then you're unlikely to be disappointed.

Naby Keita, LIV at BAR ($4,100): The cheap midfielders don't really offer much on this slate, but one could be required if you want to spend up a little in defense. Keita has shown more attacking upside recently than teammates Georginio Wijnaldum ($3,300) and Fabinho ($3,900), the latter of whom scored at least 4.00 fantasy points in four consecutive starts while the latter hit at least 5.00 floor points in each of his last two. All three are more likely to accumulate fantasy points from their defensive work, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing against a Barcelona side that will have plenty of the ball and force defensive actions. If you want to stay away from this one, Tottenham's Victor Wanyama ($3,500) isn't that bad, scoring at least 7.50 floor points in two of his last three starts, though Tuesday's game will be much tougher than those matches against Huddersfield and Brighton.

DEFENDERS

Andrew Robertson, LIV at BAR ($3,600): The price is comically low for Robertson, even in a match where he's the biggest underdog. Despite teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold ($4,800) having a role on set pieces, something that could make him somewhat popular this week, Robertson is the one with the fourth-most assists in the Premier League this season, helped by the two he had just this past weekend. Liverpool aren't likely to be able to attack Barcelona like they did Huddersfield, but a key part of what they do involves Robertson's work on the wing, and given his low salary, he could be highly owned for those looking to save.

Danny Rose, TOT v. AJA ($4,600): Rose has been a very steady source of fantasy points, scoring at least 5.00 in 19 of 22 starts between the Champions League and Premier League. An occasional role on set pieces helps a bit, but he's a solid open-play crosser who also wins tackles and draws fouls. Despite missing some key players, Tottenham are still a strong side (this is the Champions League semi-final, after all), and Rose is likely to play an important role while trying to cross the ball into the box to Llorente and Alli. The other side of this match shouldn't be ignored, as Nicolas Tagliafico ($4,400) is a similarly well-rounded fantasy scorer and should get some consideration if Joel Veltman ($3,900) is on the bench.

Jordi Alba, BAR v. LIV ($5,300): Paying up for Alba in cash games seems a bit nuts because his floor isn't close to the players below him, but he makes for an interesting GPP play because he is a solid attacker who is expensive enough to make people want to look elsewhere. He has one goal on three shots and two assists on 10 chances created in his last five starts, and Barcelona figure to have enough of the ball where Alba will be able to move up the left side. It's more of an ownership play than anything else, but with at least 7.75 fantasy points in each of those five starts, he's not a total throwaway.

GOALKEEPER

Alisson Becker, LIV at BAR ($4,000): No team is an overwhelming favorite for a clean sheet, and while Alisson is technically playing for the biggest underdog, it would be more surprising than not if Liverpool got blown out. His save upside is surely expected, and it wouldn't be out of the question to play both Alisson and Messi because any shots on goal are basically counted double thanks to the save. Paying all the way up for Marc-Andre ter Stegen ($5,500) seems like a poor use of salary, and the same could probably be said about Hugo Lloris ($5,000), who has more save upside among the expensive options.