DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (EST)

• 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Dynamo Kyiv
• 3:00 pm: Chelsea vs. Rennes
• 3:00 pm: Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund
• 3:00 pm: Ferencvárosi TC vs. Juventus
• 3:00 pm: RB Leipzig vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• 3:00 pm: Sevilla vs. FC Krasnodar

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

THE CHALK

Lionel Messi, BAR v. DYK ($12,000): Messi is the most expensive player on the slate, but he's also likely to be the most popular in cash games and GPPs. Barcelona are the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total, and Messi has the highest anytime goal scorer odds at -305 on DraftKings Sportsbook. You could make the argument that Cristiano Ronaldo ($11,200) is a great option too, which makes sense since Juventus are the second-biggest favorite with the third-highest implied goal total, and his -245 odds to score are pretty close to Messi's. There will certainly be people who try to play both because that's fun, but Messi profiles as the safer play because he's also on set pieces (both take penalties). And, of course, with lots of people focusing on Messi and Ronaldo, we probably won't see Erling Haaland ($9,600) or Timo Werner ($10,000) be as popular as they should be given their goal odds and the teams' implied goal totals.

FORWARDS

Angel Di Maria, PSG at RBL ($8,200): Paris Saint-Germain are slight away underdogs against RB Leipzig because Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have both been ruled out. While that obviously hurts their attack, it also likely means Di Maria will get a majority of their set pieces, which shouldn't be ignored in the match with the second-highest implied goal total. His price is below the elite group of forwards, though given the lack of impact midfielders, we could see people use Di Maria at that position even though he's usually played as a forward.

Pedri, BAR v. DYK ($4,600): Pedri's fantasy returns haven't been that great this season, but you have to consider he's playing in an attacking role for a -1667 favorite with the highest implied goal total and is less than $5,000, which sure sounds nice for those looking to potentially work with Ronaldo and Messi.

Christopher Nkunku, RBL v. PSG ($7,000): Nkunku has taken on more of RB Leipzig's set pieces recently, and he surely has to make sense in a match they should be able to attack in given PSG don't have all of their big guns. If you already fill your forward spots, Nkunku could be replaced with Angelino ($6,600, defender) in utility, as he also has a role on set pieces but plays out wide and crosses more in open play.

MIDFIELDERS

Raphael Guerreiro, BVB at BRU ($5,500): Whether he starts as a left-back or an attacking midfielder, Guerreiro is one of the cheapest paths to the Dortmund attack, one that has the fifth-highest implied goal total on the slate. He has also taken some set pieces lately, which doesn't really feel included in his price, something fantasy players will be thinking about while going through a fairly poor midfielder pool. Given that, Jadon Sancho ($9,100, midfielder/forward) could also be used here, though given the price he's probably more of a GPP play because he's a bit tough to fit in with Ronaldo and/or Messi.

Dejan Kulusevski, JUV at FCS ($6,900): Kulusevski has taken some set pieces for Juventus this season, and he could be a viable option if that path becomes clearer Wednesday. That role mostly relies on Paulo Dybala ($9,300, midfielder/forward) not starting, which is possible with Ronaldo back, though unlikely. With Juve heavily favored, Kulusevski is certainly a play, though probably not one that will be popular in cash games or GPPs.

DEFENDERS

Marcos Acuna, SFC v. KRA ($5,700): Both Acuna and Jesus Navas ($5,800) are viable as Sevilla are the third-biggest favorite on the slate but have the second-highest implied goal total, even higher than Juventus. Both fullbacks like to cross the ball, but Acuna has been more accurate, which helps with his shots assisted. Paying up at defender seems likely in cash games, and Acuna and Navas ironically provide safety without set pieces, which isn't the same as Chelsea's Ben Chilwell ($6,800) and Reece James ($6,400), who are priced as if they have set-piece monopolies, which we know they won't have, especially if Hakim Ziyech ($9,500, midfielder) and/or Mason Mount ($7,400) start.

Sergino Dest, BAR v. DYK ($4,000): Barcelona don't use their fullbacks in their attack a ton, but given they are such big favorites, we'll surely see some fantasy players targeting Dest because of his fairly low price for an overwhelming favorite with the highest clean sheet odds on the slates.

Giorgio Chiellini, JUV at FCS ($2,600): We don't often see center-backs considered in cash games, but Chiellini could be an exception given his very low price for a team with the second-highest clean-sheet odds on the slate. He's had some decent returns at times this season (he's just coming back from injury), but at his price you really don't need much, especially with the salary savings.

GOALKEEPER

Edouard Mendy, CHE v. REN ($5,300): This doesn't seem like a slate where paying up for a goalkeeper is a great use of salary, but the possibility of a Chelsea win and clean sheet looks pretty good against Mendy's former team. He has yet to allow a goal in his five Chelsea starts, while Rennes have five goals in their last five games. If paying down, we could see Matvey Safonov ($4,000) be popular because he's the cheapest goalkeeper who isn't facing Messi or Ronaldo.