FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EDT)

• 4:00 pm: Atalanta vs. Ajax
• 4:00 pm: Atlético Madrid vs. Red Bull Salzburg
• 4:00 pm: FC Porto vs. Olympiacos
• 4:00 pm: Liverpool vs. FC Midtjylland
• 4:00 pm: Marseille vs. Manchester City
• 4:00 pm: Mönchengladbach vs. Real Madrid

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Sadio Mane, LIV v. MCH ($20): Assuming Liverpool stick with their big guns up front, Mane is surprisingly three dollars cheaper than Mohamed Salah ($23). Salah may have better odds to score and a higher floor, but Mane allows you to spend elsewhere, assuming you're not stacking the duo. It's hard to go against Mane at this price with four goals and one assist in five Premier League matches. Liverpool are the biggest favorite on the slate by a wide margin after Midtjylland lost 4-0 at home to Atalanta in their first match. You could use Mane or Salah in cash games, but it makes sense to use both in tournaments because it's almost guaranteed the Reds will score at least two goals. It's rare for Liverpool to score multiple goals and Mane or Salah don't make the score-sheet. That said, the true GPP method would be to stack a Liverpool midfielder with Roberto Firmino ($16) or whoever else starts in the attack. If you don't think that would work, it was only a few months ago that Liverpool scored five goals against Chelsea with Mane and Salah producing just one assist and no goals. It seems risky to fade both, but that could also give you a massive edge if they don't produce.

Duvan Zapata, ATA v. AJA ($19): Zapata gets my recommendation, but roster movement is the main thing to monitor ahead of this match because it has the highest implied goal total. Josip Ilicic ($18) may have the best floor of anyone in this game, but he went a full 90 over the weekend and may come off the bench. He's returning from an early season injury and produced five shots and six chances in Saturday's Serie A match. Zapata has the most upside with the best odds to score in this one, supplying three goals and two assists in his last four appearances, including 48.2 fantasy points in last week's win over Midtjylland. Alejandro Gomez ($20) isn't far behind, but his numbers are a little more all over the place. While he scored last week, he had a floor of three points and failed to hit the back of the net from nine shots in the weekend loss to Sampdoria. He could easily brace and create five chances, but I prefer Zapata as a bigger goal threat and a dollar cheaper. Luis Muriel ($14) is a pure goal-or-bust play if he starts again, but he has three goals and one assist in three starts this season.

Dusan Tadic, AJA at ATA ($18): Ajax have decisions to make in their attack, but Tadic isn't one of them because he's set to start and play a full 90. He managed 14 floor points against Liverpool and his split role on set pieces will keep him relevant in this game, in addition to possible upside. I think both sides are in play for a couple goals, mainly because Atalanta love to attack and Ajax has been known to capitalize against weaker back lines (they just won 13-0 in league play). Even against Liverpool, Ajax created chances and had good looks on net, while Atalanta seem to allow at least one goal every match as long as they aren't playing Midtjylland. It wouldn't be a bad idea to stack both sides in this match and hope for six or seven total goals. Tadic surprisingly has the best odds to score of the expected Ajax starters, while Quincy Promes ($15) and Davy Klaassen ($10) are slightly behind him, with David Neres ($15) further down the list. Antony ($14) and Lassina Traore ($7) are the wildcards because they're cheap and could take over for the injured Mohammed Kudus (knee) up front. Their affordability also allows you to spend up on a full-back like Nicolas Tagliafico ($13).

Luis Suarez, ATM v. RBS ($18): I don't usually seek out the Atletico Madrid attack, but this matchup is intriguing enough to consider Suarez, Joao Felix ($16) or Yannick Carrasco ($9). For starters, Atleti are the third-biggest favorite and Carrasco takes some set pieces, giving him a decent floor. And while Salzburg are dominating the Austrian league, they gave up two goals to an inferior Lokomotiv Moscow last week. Atletico may focus on defense, but multiple goals are a definite possibility. Suarez is where the goals will come from, having scored two goals from four shots on target in his last two league starts. He racked up seven shots against Betis over the weekend, and no other starter had more than one shot, if that says anything. Suarez is in play for a brace and Atletico also need to rebound their goal differential following the opening 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

Man City are the second-biggest favorite, but I'd rather spend on someone like Karim Benzema ($22), who has at least 10 fantasy points in every start this season. The problem with Man City and Real Madrid is that those matches are harder to project than the other ones. Man City are struggling to score and Real Madrid are hit-or-miss. The reason I like Benzema is because Borussia Monchengladbach have allowed at least one goal in every match this season and Real Madrid will surely hit the back of the net at least once.

DEFENDERS

Eric Joel Andersson, MCH at LIV ($5): Andersson is the cheapest defender on the slate and he'll play center-back against a team that forces the most clearances and second-most tackles in the Premier League. While he didn't do much last week, I wouldn't bank on that happening again. Liverpool don't have the same approach as Atalanta and they lose the ball plenty in the attack, which could get Andersson a floor near 10 points. Teammate Erik Sviatchenko ($7) accrued most of the defensive stats last match and had a floor of 17 points, but that probably won't happen again. Of course, you could stack the two and hope Liverpool force 30-plus clearances. Otherwise, there are plenty more value options, as Rafael Toloi ($7) and Jordan Amavi ($7) are two more defenders who should see a decent amount of work.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. MCH ($14): I wrote about Andrew Robertson ($15) last week, but now that Alexander-Arnold is cheaper, he gets the recommendation. There's a chance Jurgen Klopp reverts to his backups in what should be an easy win, which could lead to starts for Neco Williams ($7) or Rhys Williams ($5), but Alexander-Arnold is still worth a look at a higher price. In addition to great clean-sheet odds, he should be up the field the majority of the match. He had an assist taken away over the weekend, and while he's made the score-sheet just once this season, he's hit at least 11 fantasy points in every match. Considering he has five goals and 25 assists the last two seasons in league play, he has as much upside as anyone on the slate.

GOALKEEPER

Agustin Marchesin, POR v. OLY ($7): Similar to Marco Sportiello last week, Marchesin will be on the majority of teams because of price. He's a slight favorite in the match with the lowest implied goal total, and only Alisson Becker ($14) has better odds for a clean sheet. Olympiacos managed three shots on target at home against Marseille, and this matchup may be more difficult in addition to having to travel to Portugal. If you have extra money, Alisson is set for a win and clean sheet, while there isn't anyone else who stands out because of the projected high scores. If anything, Jan Oblak ($11) will be overlooked after conceding four to Bayern last week, but the Atletico back line has been dominant against everyone else this season.