FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Targets

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.

MATCHES (EDT)

3:45 p.m: Monaco v. Manchester City
3:45 p.m: Atletico Madrid v. Bayer Leverkusen

GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak, ATL v. BLV ($6,400): The Atletico Madrid defense hasn't been nearly as dominant as we've seen in the past, but they come in off back-to-back clean sheets in La Liga play and have the best shutout odds on the slate. With Leverkusen needing to make up a two-goal deficit on the road, Oblak should have plenty of shots coming his way, so there's no need to be worried about his two saves in those two domestic clean sheets.

DEFENDER

Djibril Sibide, MCO v. MCI ($6,300): Monaco use their fullbacks in the attack, something they'll continue to do Wednesday as they try to make up a two-goal deficit. Sidibe has been an excellent fantasy option during Champions League play, as he's put up multiple games with at least 20 fantasy points without a goal or assist. Fellow fullback Benjamin Mendy ($6,100) should also be in consideration, though his floor isn't quite as high.

Lucas Hernandez, ATL at BLV ($5,400): Lucas is expected to start in place of the suspended Filipe Luis ($6,300), and not only does he provide solid salary cap relief, he has also shown in the tournament that he has tremendous upside for a defender, as he scored 32.25 fantasy points at Bayern Munich back in December thanks to five tackles, five interceptions, four clearances, seven fouls drawn and two chances created (and specifically, no goals or assists). A repeat performance is unlikely, but Leverkusen need to attack to try to get back into the tie, so Lucas should have his defensive opportunities.

MIDFIELDER

Thomas Lemar, MCO v. MCI ($7,300): Thanks to his role on set pieces, Lemar has done a solid job of creating chances of late, setting up 10 in his last four Ligue 1 matches and four in the first leg of this tie. He isn't a volume shooter, but with Monaco needing to make up the two-goal deficit, he'll be heavily involved in the attack.

Koke, ATL v. BLV ($6,600): Atletico Madrid hold a fairly commanding two-goal lead, which includes four away goals, so they shouldn't need to attack as much as they did in the first go-around. Koke had just 16.75 fantasy points in that match, which included four tackles (more than he had in any other Champions League match this season), but he's been really good in domestic play, picking up three assists on nine chances created while also winning 10 tackles and drawing eight fouls in his last four games. If he can keep creating chances, scoring a goal isn't necessary to make value.

Leroy Sane, MCI at MCO ($7,900):Fernandinho offers some steady defensive stats, which he should get plenty of opportunities for against a strong Monaco attack. However, the upside plays are Sane and Raheem Sterling ($8,800) after they each bagged a goal and assisted on one in the opening leg (Sane also has a goal and six chances created in his last two Premier League matches). Fantasy players have gotten used to paying up for David Silva ($8,900) or Kevin De Bruyne ($9,500) thanks to their roles on set pieces, but neither has shown much goal upside this season and this match figures to be high scoring.

And now that I've ignored Yaya Toure, you can sharpie him in for a hat trick.

FORWARD

Kylian Mbappe, MON v. MCI ($7,400): While Falcao ($8,800) is the more known Monaco forward, Mbappe has been the better fantasy producer of late, scoring seven goals on 15 shots (13 on goal!) while creating three chances in his last four Ligue 1 starts. Additionally, he scored in the opening leg of the tie and will be looked upon to keep the attack going as Monaco try to make up a two-goal deficit. With the way the first leg went (a 5-3 win for Manchester City), this doesn't figure to be a defensive battle, even if both sides want it. Fading Falcao isn't necessary, as he scored two goals in the opener en route to 51.5 fantasy points, but he does come in with a knock, so his minutes could be limited.

Antoine Griezmann, ATL v. BLV ($11,900): Griezmann was solid in the opening leg, finishing with 36.75 fantasy points thanks to a goal on three shots on target. Since then, he has four goals on 15 shots (eight on goal) and eight chances created in his last four La Liga matches, finding the back of the net in each of his last three (the one game he didn't score came against Barcelona). He doesn't have the highest goal-scoring odds on the slate, but they are still better than 50 percent.

Sergio Aguero, MCI at MCO ($13,100): Aguero is the most expensive player on the slate, but he's also the one who scored twice and assisted another in the first leg. He has the joint-best goal-scoring odds, and with Monaco's ability to score, there doesn't seem to be any reason for Manchester City to think they don't need to find the net themselves if they are to advance.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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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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