DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (ET)

• 3:00 pm: Inter Milan vs. Liverpool
• 3:00 pm: Red Bull Salzburg vs. Bayern Munich

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Robert Lewandowski, BAY at RBS ($10,000): Lewandowski is a massive favorite to score at -220, while no other player on the slate is favored to score. We've seen him priced over $12,000 for most of the Champions League games so the $10,000 tag feels like a significant discount. Bayern Munich have a 2.4-implied goal total for an away matchup with Red Bull Salzburg. Liverpool have the next highest total at just under 1.7 for their away match against Inter Milan. Most people will be stacking Bayern and rightfully so. Mohamed Salah ($9,000) would provide some leverage in tournaments, as he's had an incredible season, especially in Europe where he's scored seven goals in six games. Rostering him when he's not going to be overly popular is always appealing for GPPs.

Leroy Sane, BAY at RBS ($8,500): Sane has played 90 minutes in four-consecutive starts. He's played in a central attacking role in his last three starts and it's led to more shots as he's attempted 16 in that span. Kingsley Coman ($8,300) and Thomas Muller ($8,100) are viable options, as well, but they have less of a floor and therefore are dependent on goals and assists. Diogo Jota ($7,700) makes sense in tournaments for the same reason as Salah. Jota will probably be even less popular and we've seen Liverpool consistently show up in these spots over the past few years. It's not hard to imagine them scoring a few goals against Inter and putting the tie to bed early, similar to what Manchester City did Tuesday. I'll be targeting Sadio Mane ($6,800) in GPPs. I can't ever remember him being priced under $7,000, which is just too cheap for the upside he possesses. His confidence should be high as he's fresh off leading Senegal to AFCON glory. Edin Dzeko ($6,700) is an option for similar salary, but if I'm playing the Inter side, I'd rather go for Lautaro Martinez ($5,500), who's considerably cheaper and has a higher floor. Many people will ignore Salzburg as the matchup against Bayern looks tough on paper. Keep in mind that Munich gave up four goals over the weekend against lowly Bochum. I'd expect Karim Adeyemi ($5,800) to have a few chances to score. 

MIDFIELDERS

Joshua Kimmich, BAY at RBS ($7,000): Kimmich continues to take almost all of the set pieces for Bayern and for that role, he's a bit too cheap in a plus matchup against Salzburg. He's all but guaranteed to play 90 minutes and should have a 10-point floor in this spot. Hakan Calhanoglu ($6,500) will take corners for Inter, but his performances have been inconsistent this season and he rarely lasts 90 minutes. Inter's matchup with Liverpool is a difficult spot and they aren't likely to have much possession or many corners. I'd rather target the goal scorers than the set-piece takers. 

Nicolas Capaldo, RBS v. BAY ($3,000): Salzburg have multiple affordable options in midfield. Brenden Aaronson ($4,700) has been impressive in a central attacking role and has the most goal/assist upside of the bunch. Luka Sucic ($4,400) and Nicolas Seiwald ($3,800) have taken corners in the past, but the set piece situation has been murky recently and I don't expect them to have many, either. I highlighted Capaldo because he's the minimum price. He isn't likely to play 90 minutes, but he's scored a couple goals recently and has attacking upside. I have no reservations about rostering Salzburg as Bayern have been leaking goals recently and Capaldo's minimum salary allows for maximum spend-up potential. 

DEFENDERS

Andrew Robertson, LIV at INT ($6,000): Normally, I would highlight Trent Alexander-Arnold ($8,000) here, however, the Liverpool full-backs haven't historically had as high of floors in the Champions League, especially in away matches. They don't always dominate the way we're used to seeing in the Premier League, as Liverpool have been a bit more cautious in these types of spots and the opposition is tougher, as well. One of the reasons they are still great options on this slate is the lack of anything else appealing. Bayern have been playing a back three, while Inter also play a back three and their wing-backs are listed as midfielders. Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are clearly the best options at the position. I chose Robertson strictly for the $2,000 savings.

Virgil van Dijk, LIV at INT ($2,800): We've never seen van Dijk priced so low. Liverpool have kept three clean sheets in their last four games and van Dijk recently scored his second goal of the season on a towering header from a corner kick. Fellow center-back Joel Matip ($2,600) is a viable option, too. Spending down at one of the defender spots seems necessary with so much to spend for at forward. Andreas Ulmer ($3,200) would make sense, though he normally doesn't do much in open play. Of course, $3,200 for a left-back who takes the occasional corner is always usable. 

GOALKEEPERS

Samir Handanovic, INT v. LIV ($4,300): I really don't want to spend up for Sven Ulreich ($5,800). He conceded four goals over the weekend filling in for the injured Manuel Neuer and Salzburg have the attacking talent to score at home. I'd much rather pair Alisson Becker ($5,100) with Liverpool defenders. Handanovic is cheap and Inter are playing at home. He has decent save upside as the Liverpool forwards like to shoot. Paying all the way down for Philipp Kohn ($3,700) is fine, but Salzburg's clean sheet odds are less than seven percent and I prefer not to roster keepers against Bayern, especially in the Champions League where they routinely destroy teams.