FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EDT)

• 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Ferencvárosi TC
• 3:00 pm: Chelsea vs. Sevilla
• 3:00 pm: Lazio vs. Borussia Dortmund
• 3:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester United
• 3:00 pm: RB Leipzig vs. Istanbul Basaksehir
• 3:00 pm: Rennes vs. FC Krasnodar

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Lionel Messi, BAR v. FCS ($23): Barcelona are gigantic favorites at home to Ferencvaros, who are currently first in the Nemzeti Bajnoksag I table in Hungary. In addition to Barcelona being a huge favorite with the highest implied goal total on the slate, Messi has by far the highest anytime goal scorer odds, and by a wide margin. He hasn't been a prolific shot-taker early in the La Liga season, but he has taken on a bigger role on set pieces, which constantly puts him in position to put shots on target or create chances. He has one of the highest floors on the slate regardless of opponent, but no one has a higher ceiling given the matchup. The Barcelona attack isn't cheap, by any means, as fantasy players are likely to also consider Philippe Coutinho ($16) and Anssumane Fati (17), and I guess Antoine Griezmann ($19), but the biggest value will be Ousmane Dembele ($5) if he starts because he's so ridiculously cheap. Then again, after playing 62 forgettable minutes in Saturday's La Liga loss to Getafe, it seems pretty unlikely he makes the first XI.

Dani Olmo, LEI v. IBB ($16): Christopher Nkunku ($15) has been taking set pieces recently, and is a solid chance creator, but Olmo has been creating a good number of chances himself and he shoots much more. Neither has gotten many on goal this season, but that may not be an issue against Istanbul Basaksehir, who currently sit 20th in the 21-team Turkish Super Lig. RB Leipzig are the second-biggest favorite on the slate (they're -470 on FanDuel Sportsbook versus Barcelona at -1200), and they have the second-highest implied total, so getting access to their attack seems beneficial, especially because players from bigger-named teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Manchester United aren't expected to be nearly as dominant. We've actually see Emil Forsberg ($18) get starts at center-forward in their past two games, but he's not much of a fantasy scorer outside of goals, and Yussuf Poulsen ($19) would be more likely to find the back of the net if he starts.

Angel Di Maria, PSG v. MUN ($16): Neymar ($23) and Kylian Mbappe ($21) are the obvious first places to look when considering Paris Saint-Germain, but there's no reason to ignore Di Maria, especially because he's significantly cheaper. He has a decent role on set pieces, but more importantly is a great chance creator, setting up 13 shots in his first four Ligue 1 games this season, a span that also saw him put five of 11 shots on target. Di Maria hasn't played since Sept. 27 because of a domestic suspension, so he should be well rested to face his former team, which is the third-biggest underdog on the slate and has allowed 12 goals in four domestic league games this season.

Giovanni Reyna, DOR at LAZ ($12): There are a few sites that aren't projecting Reyna for the starting XI even though he's been a very consistent starter in the Bundesliga this season, but fantasy players have to watch out if he's in the starting XI because of his price. His role on set pieces has given him plenty of opportunities to create chances (he has eight in four games, plus three shots on goal), and he's playing in the game with close to the third-highest implied total even though it's with two evenly matched teams. And on the other side is Luis Alberto ($13), whose role on set pieces has helped him to 13 chances created in four Serie A matches, and he could certainly get on the score-sheet (likely with an assist) if this game has goals in it. Of course, Erling Haaland ($19) and Ciro Immobile ($17) are the most likely goal scorers in this one.

DEFENDERS

Axel Tuanzebe, MANU at PSG ($5): Given the goals expected on this slate, paying down at defender will be very helpful. The Manchester United back line should get plenty of work in this one, though Tuanzebe is hardly a guaranteed starter because he's not actually one of United's starting center-backs. However, with Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly both out injured, Tuanzebe could get the call alongside Victor Lindelof ($8) if they don't move Nemanja Matic ($8, midfielder) back there. Given the expected attacking onslaught from Paris Saint-Germain, Tuanzebe should have plenty of clearance opportunities, and his extremely low salary would be hugely beneficially in paying up for the attacking spots. Lazio's Luiz Felipe ($5) is another minimum-priced option, and he's facing a Dortmund side that's forced the second-most clearances in the Bundesliga this season.

Alexandru Epureanu, IBB at LEI ($9): Epureanu is expected to start at center-back against an RB Leipzig side that should be able to take plenty of shots while providing a plethora of defensive stats as they dominate possession. It's a pretty simple strategy of trying to get as much defensive work as possible, and Epureanu comes in at a relatively low price given the clearance potential.

Angelino, LEI v. IBB ($15): On the flip side of Epureanu is Angelino, who could take on a bigger role of set pieces if Nkunku doesn't start. Even if he does, Angelino is an excellent chance creator in open play, and he even comes in with goals in each of the past two games. For those who want to get some attacking output out of their defender spot(s), you can't really get better than the RB Leipzig left wing-back.

GOALKEEPER

Neto, BAR v. FCS ($14): Neto is the most expensive goalkeeper, but he also has almost a 90 percent win expectation and 60 percent clean sheet odds. It's unlikely that he'll get many save opportunities, but those odds for 17 points at his price are pretty good. You can always try your luck with a shock upset for an underdog to make a bunch of saves, with Bono ($8) an interesting option because of how well Sevilla have been defensively this season, and we know Chelsea have the right players to create plenty of save chances.