DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

MATCHES (EST)

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Cristiano Ronaldo, JUV v. DYK ($12,000): Juventus are the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total, and no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds than Ronaldo, who is also the most expensive. Ronaldo always has a very high ceiling, and he reaches it enough that people will pay this much in cash games to make sure they don't miss out. It's probably two goals you have to fade because one might not be enough, and at +265 to score at least twice on DraftKings Sportsbook, maybe it's not the craziest idea to let others wait for his 90+7 bailout penalty that kills everyone who fades him.

Neymar, PSG at MUN ($10,200): Paris Saint-Germain could start this match in third place of Group H if RB Leipzig get a result against Istanbul Basaksehir earlier in the day, so the pressure will surely be on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe ($8,600) and Angel Di Maria ($7,900) to get on the board early. Paris Saint-Germain are away favorites at Old Trafford against a Manchester United team that won the reverse fixture 2-1, and given they really need three points to keep

MATCHES (EST)

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Cristiano Ronaldo, JUV v. DYK ($12,000): Juventus are the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total, and no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds than Ronaldo, who is also the most expensive. Ronaldo always has a very high ceiling, and he reaches it enough that people will pay this much in cash games to make sure they don't miss out. It's probably two goals you have to fade because one might not be enough, and at +265 to score at least twice on DraftKings Sportsbook, maybe it's not the craziest idea to let others wait for his 90+7 bailout penalty that kills everyone who fades him.

Neymar, PSG at MUN ($10,200): Paris Saint-Germain could start this match in third place of Group H if RB Leipzig get a result against Istanbul Basaksehir earlier in the day, so the pressure will surely be on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe ($8,600) and Angel Di Maria ($7,900) to get on the board early. Paris Saint-Germain are away favorites at Old Trafford against a Manchester United team that won the reverse fixture 2-1, and given they really need three points to keep pace, we can expect Neymar to do what he can do. He is likely to take most set pieces, ceding a few to Di Maria, but he's also on penalties and comes in with goals in each of his last two games. Mbappe is more of a GPP play because he has a high ceiling and low floor, while some people could combine Di Maria against his former team with Neymar because they have such solid floors.

Luis Alberto, LAZ at BVB ($6,200): Speaking of floors, Alberto's is quite high for a player in his price range, which he's in because Lazio are away underdogs against Borussia Dortmund, who clinch a spot in the round of 16 with a draw. Lazio, meanwhile, can cement their spot in the next round with a win, and Alberto continues to takes a vast majority of their set pieces. One issue is that he's only gotten on the score-sheet once this season, so those who think Lazio can score against Dortmund (they lost the reverse fixture 3-1 in Germany) should focus on Ciro Immobile ($8,700), as he comes in with at least one goal in six straight games, something he didn't come close to doing in his 24 appearances for Dortmund back in the 2014/15 season.

MIDFIELDERS

Ruud Vormer, BRU v. ZEN ($5,800): Vormer takes a majority of set pieces for the team with the fourth-highest implied goal total, sitting above Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea, Sevilla and Lazio, among others. Brugge still have a long-shot chance to make the round of 16, but a win would at least ensure they qualify for the Europa League, with a final round matchup against Lazio likely determining their respective fates. Vormer was excellent in the reverse fixture against Zenit, scoring 20.1 fantasy points with an assist, and given that this is the cheapest he's been on a six-game slate this season, there will be plenty of cash-game players who go his way.

Malcom, ZEN at BRU ($6,300): While Brugge have the upper hand, Zenit aren't going to just push over because they can still qualify for the Europa League, and getting a win away to Brugge will certainly be easier than trying to get one against Dortmund in their group stage finale. The set-piece situation is a bit cloudy, but Malcom could be on them if the lineup breaks his way. If Malcom isn't in, Sebastian Driussi ($6,500) could be the guy on set pieces for the Russian side, and both are solid open-play fantasy scorers anyway. Both players are forward eligible, but with a fairly weak midfield-only pool, it won't be surprising to see people play three or four forwards to fill out their rosters.

DEFENDERS

Alex Telles, MUN v. PSG ($5,700): There will surely be fantasy players who consider paying up for midfielder Bruno Fernandes ($9,800), but there is a cheaper path to United's set pieces with Telles, who sent in 27 crosses and created six chances in his last three starts. There is probably a little concern that Mbappe plays on his side, which could force him into more defensive work, but Telles is still a solid creator from the wing and will certainly want to attack more than he defends. There are plenty of solid names near the top of the defender price list, but Telles is probably the most reliable unless Juan Cuadrado ($6,000) starts for Juventus because he's been taking set pieces when he does.

Emerson Palmieri, CHE at SFC ($4,100): There is some expectation that Chelsea will rotate heavily because they have already clinched a spot in the next round, as have their opponents, Sevilla. With only placement to play for, and that's not even much with one match still to go in the group stage, Emerson could get the start at left-back, which gives us a much cheaper path to the Chelsea wing than Ben Chilwell ($6,500). Additionally, Emerson has a history of taking corners when he's in (which isn't often), which would make him a tremendous value even in a match that isn't expected to be high scoring. If you'd rather get open-play value in a match with more fun, Felix Passlack ($4,000) could start at right-back for Borussia Dortmund in place of Thomas Meunier ($4,300) or Clinton Mata ($4,000) could be an interesting option on the wing for Brugge.

Karim Rekik, SFC v. CHE ($2,700): Rekik could be the cheapest starting fullback on the slate if he gets another call for Sevilla after scoring 3.2 fantasy points in 64 minutes against Huesca last weekend, a total that included a yellow card (so 4.7 if we skip that). He is really just a center-back playing left-back, but a player out wide at his price is enough for many people in cash games looking to save as much as they can to fit in guys like Ronaldo and Neymar.

GOALKEEPER

Denes Dibusz, FCS v. BAR ($3,900): Dibusz is the cheapest home goalkeeper on the slate and facing a Barcelona side without Lionel Messi, Anssumane Fati or Philippe Coutinho. Of course, we tried that last week with Dynamo Kyiv's Georgiy Bushchan and he scored negative-1.7 points, but that probably won't stop people from rostering Dibuesz simply because of the salary savings and not having to worry about Ronaldo absolutely lighting him up, which is Bushchan's concern this week.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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