FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EDT)

• 3:00 pm: Club Brugge vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• 3:00 pm: Galatasaray vs. Real Madrid
• 3:00 pm: Juventus vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
• 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. Atalanta
• 3:00 pm: Olympiacos vs. Bayern Munich
• 3:00 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Red Star Belgrade

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

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

This slate is going to be fun… as long as you back the correct favorites. Juventus and Man City should get most of the attention, but Bayern Munich, PSG and Tottenham aren't far behind in terms of odds. I'd temper expectations on Tottenham given their struggles and that they couldn't beat Watford at home over the weekend. Plus, Red Star Belgrade already beat Olympiacos and Bayern managed one goal in the first 80 minutes of that matchup. I'd rather focus on the teams who are easier to trust, and Juventus have won their last six in all competitions. That means Cristiano Ronaldo ($23), and it's the perfect time for him to break open a slate. He hasn't done much in the first two Champions League matches, but he's in prime position to make the scoresheet multiple times after scoring in four of his last five starts. While Juve have a few other intriguing options, none of them have the upside of Ronaldo. Of course, you could also fade Ronaldo in tournaments and go Gonzalo Higuain ($18), Miralem Pjanic ($17) and whoever else makes the XI. 

Atalanta gave up four goals at Dinamo Zagreb in their lone UCL away match, so scoring four is possible for Man City. Sergio Aguero ($21) is the logical route after resting over the weekend with everything else depending on who starts. Kevin De Bruyne ($19) has the best floor of the bunch, but Riyad Mahrez ($18) has hit 25 fantasy points in six of his seven starts this season. I'll continue to stay away from Raheem Sterling ($21) until he returns to form, while David Silva ($16) and Bernardo Silva ($16) can be as lethal as anyone else for cheaper. If you don't use Aguero, backing either De Bruyne or Mahrez makes the most sense because of their floors.

Bayern have had some issues in recent league matches, though I'm not sure you can bet against them, even away from home. I would be tentative about dishing out high-end money for Robert Lewandowski ($22) because of guys like Ronaldo and Aguero also on the slate. Then again, you could ignore me because Lewandowski has the best odds to find the back of the net. Serge Gnabry ($18) will get plenty of deserved attention and will be a favorite for cash lineups with at least 46 fantasy points in three of his last four starts in all competitions. That's where most of Bayern's production has come, though Joshua Kimmich ($14) is a worthy choice because of corners. Since Bayern have allowed two goals in each of their last four matches, it wouldn't be a bad idea to throw some Olympiacos players in a GPP lineup. Mathieu Valbuena ($16) scored and assisted against Tottenham, while Guerrero ($13) has yet to make a mark as their lone forward. Giorgos Masouras ($12) is also intriguing because he's on set pieces when Valbuena isn't.

PSG are in a similar spot to Tottenham, though they're at least winning matches. Still, PSG scored once at Galatasaray and Brugge came out swinging against Real Madrid and almost stole three points at the Bernabeu. Kylian Mbappe ($20) will get attention if he returns to the starting XI, but that's a lot of money for someone who may play 60 minutes. I'd rather bank on Angel Di Maria ($18), who scored a brace over the weekend and has been awesome without Neymar in the lineup. Son Heung-Min ($18) may be the only player I'd consider for Spurs since he can do a bit of everything and has a solid floor. I'll probably pass on Real Madrid after they lost 1-0 at Mallorca over the weekend. You never know what to expect from them, and Galatasaray almost held PSG scoreless a few weeks ago. It doesn't help that James Rodriguez ($17) and Toni Kroos ($17) could both start, in turn splitting set pieces and limiting both of their floors.

Looking at value, Marko Marin ($14) is in a good spot for more production after assisting twice last match. He had one goal and three assists last Champions League and Tottenham are struggling in the back. Either way, he should hit at least 10 points because he's the only one taking set pieces for Red Star. Hans Vanaken ($13) takes over for suspended Ruud Vormer ($11) on Brugge set pieces, but his price doesn't help. He's at least a tournament play after making the scoresheet on three of Brugge's six goals in last season's UCL. There are plenty of cheaper players on favorites, as well, like Thiago Alcantara ($13), Blaise Matuidi ($12) and Tanguy Ndombele ($12). They don't have quite the upside of Marin, but their floors can reach 15 points from defensive stats, and making the scoresheet is always possible as a big favorite. 

DEFENDERS

With so many large favorites, there's no reason to spend at defender because you'll need that money to stock up on the likes of Ronaldo and Aguero. If you want upside, any of the full backs are in play, with Thomas Meunier ($15), Alex Sandro ($15) and Marcelo ($14) on the high end. The $8 defenders will likely be chalky, with Eduard Sobol, Timothy Castagne and Dmitry Zhivoglyadov the expected starters. You can't go wrong with any of the defenders against PSG, Man City or Juventus because you know those teams will be on the attack the majority of the match. Brandon Mechele ($9) may have the best floor on the low end after racking up 10 clearances against Tottenham. Serge Aurier ($9) will be popular at a discount, but his floor rarely surpasses 10 points due to a lack of defensive stats.

In the mid-range, Christian Luyindama ($12) has been around 15 fantasy points with nine clearances and 11 tackles in the first two matches. That's a good bet as Real Madrid have forced the third-most tackles in La Liga. It's the same thing for Yassine Meriah ($12), who is cheaper than teammate Ruben Semedo ($14) because of the latter's goal last match. Bayern Munich have forced the most tackles and clearances in the Bundesliga, and that points to a lot of work for the Olympiacos defenders, Konstantinos Tsimikas ($11) included. Milos Degenek ($11) is another guy who has had a consistent floor and is cheaper than his center-back pairing. If you don't plan on blindly going with the cheapest options, it usually works to stack two defenders from the same underdog, at least in GPPs. Any of these guys work, but if you hit the right situation, that could easily double your production, with 30-point floors possible from large underdogs.

GOALKEEPER

It's unclear why Wojciech Szczesny ($13) is three bucks cheaper than Ederson ($16), but that'll make him a chalk play for those with money. Juventus have allowed one goal in their last three home matches, and Lokomotiv were already held scoreless at home against Atletico. The other popular play will be a discounted Paulo Gazzaniga ($10), yet I wouldn't fall into that trap. He had 0.5 fantasy points in the 1-1 draw against Watford a few days ago. I'd rather look at Simon Mignolet ($10) or Fernando Muslera ($10), both of whom should be set for a few saves, with clean sheets not too big of a stretch, especially the latter. If you want to truly fade Tottenham, Milan Borjan ($9) is one of the cheaper goalkeepers and already hit 10.5 fantasy points at Bayern Munich.