FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EST)

• 3:00 pm: Ajax vs. FC Midtjylland
• 3:00 pm: Atlético Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
• 3:00 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Red Bull Salzburg
• 3:00 pm: Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid
• 3:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Atalanta
• 3:00 pm: Marseille vs. FC Porto

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Robert Lewandowski, BAY v. RBS ($24): Lewandowski has the best odds on the slate to score by far and managed a brace in the prior meeting, finishing with 58.5 fantasy points. He hasn't been his best in Champions League action this season, but he's always in play for a brace if not three or four goals, especially in this matchup. These teams attacked each other for 90 minutes last match (Bayern won 6-2) and each had a ridiculous 10 shots on goal. Given that result, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stack everyone in this one because it has an implied goal total close to four. Thomas Muller ($16) comes at a discount because of some down UCL performances, but he opened the season with three goals and five assists in his first five starts, and that's worth going after. Everything else depends on who starts between Kingsley Coman ($20), Serge Gnabry ($18) and Leroy Sane ($17), though Leon Goretzka ($13) is always up for a goal because he plays for Bayern. Set pieces will likely be split after Douglas Costa ($12) took six corners over the weekend. Dominik Szoboszlai ($18) had a floor of 19.6 points in the reverse fixture and didn't make the score-sheet, and it may not be the best to back their forwards after six of Salzburg's 10 shots on target came from defenders and players off the bench.

Diogo Jota, LIV v. ATA ($19): Jota comes at a slight discount despite being in excellent form with seven goals in his last six appearances in all competitions. Mohamed Salah ($22) and Sadio Mane ($21) are always worth looks, but you'll need to save money somewhere and that could be with Jota. In addition to bagging a hat trick last meeting, he should play more than Salah, who is returning from COVID-19. Atalanta have looked better in the back in recent league matches, but it's hard to overlook how much they were outclassed by Liverpool a few weeks ago. If you want to stack the Reds in hopes of another 5-0 result, that'll likely means you'll be fading Lewandowski. Mane may be struggling the most with just one goal in his last seven appearances, which means he'll be the best route in GPPs because he'll be the least popular. If you think Atalanta rebound and bag a couple, Duvan Zapata ($18) and Alejandro Gomez ($17) are viable, and both had floors above 10 points in the prior meeting.

Dusan Tadic, AJA v. MCH ($20): Ajax didn't dominate their first meeting with Midtjylland despite winning 2-1, but they also entered with numerous COVID-19 issues. Sitting tied with Atalanta in the group, they can't afford to drop points in this match. The question is who starts up front with Tadic because they have some cheaper options, namely Lassina Traore ($7). Tadic is easiest to trust because he'll go a full 90 and has set pieces, but if you want to spend money on bigger clubs, someone like David Neres ($15), Antony ($14) or Traore are reasonable fourth options. Traore scored in his lone UCL start against Atalanta, while Antony is returning from a muscle injury. More enticing is that Tadic and Traore have the same odds to hit the back of the net, so you could roster Traore and then get a decent goalkeeper. This may seem like an outlandish strategy with Bayern and Liverpool also playing, but Ajax have the second-highest implied goal total on the slate and are worth considering. 

Romelu Lukaku, INT v. MAD ($19): While I could back Joao Felix ($18) because Atletico Madrid are the biggest favorite, I'd rather go with a team that plays to score. Lukaku doesn't have as good goal odds as some of the top players, but I think the odds are wrong. There were five goals scored in the prior fixture (a 3-2 Real Madrid win) despite Lukaku not playing, and I think his presence gives Inter an edge in this one, especially with Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema out. Lukaku returned from injury over the weekend to take part in all four Inter goals, scoring twice and assisting the others. He has nine goals and two assists in nine appearances this season and is someone who may go under the radar because of the odds. If you think this match is as open as the last meeting, Lautaro Martinez ($18) makes sense as a stacking piece, while it's hard to project Real Madrid's goals without Benzema. Toni Kroos ($16) will have a solid floor because of set pieces and Eden Hazard ($14) is cheap, but neither are on the same level as Lukaku. Kroos has minimal upside and Hazard has close to no floor in addition to unlikely playing a full 90.

DEFENDERS

Rafael Toloi, ATA at LIV ($6): There are three projected starters at $6 and Toloi is most likely of them to go a full 90. His floor rarely surpasses 10 fantasy points, but he's cheap and you know he's going to get work against Liverpool. That's about the only reason to consider him over Malang Sarr ($6) and Sean Klaiber ($6). Grzegorz Krychowiak ($7) is intriguing because he's a midfielder listed as a defender, but he also has a low floor. There isn't one guy who stands above the rest in terms of cheap defenders, so you can either pick someone with the best chances for a clean sheet like Sarr, or close your eyes and use whoever starts. If you want to focus on forced defensive stats, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are forcing the most clearances through three UCL matches.

Andre Ramalho, RBS at BAY ($13): The attacking defender upside is kind of limited on this slate unless you want to bank on another Andrew Robertson ($14) assist, but he's had a fairly low floor the last few matches. Ramalho is worth the money because he does a little bit of everything after racking up one chance, two shots on goal, five clearances and four tackles against Bayern last UCL match. In addition to racking up defensive stats, if this match is open like the last fixture, it'll lead to more attacking numbers. Even if he doesn't get forward, he should still have a floor of at least 10 points from defensive stats, though getting Benjamin Pavard ($11) and Lucas Hernandez ($10 for cheaper may be a better strategy. Andreas Ulmer ($9) is the cheaper version of Ramalho if you don't have the extra cash.

GOALKEEPER

Agustin Marchesin, POR at MAR ($10): Paying up for Manuel Neuer ($14) seems ridiculous, but he made eight saves last match, so you never know. I'd rather look to the favorite in the match with the lowest implied goal total, which is Porto. Marchesin has back-to-back clean sheets and didn't need to make a save against Marseille in the reverse fixture. Samir Handanovic ($9) is also a cheaper option against a Benzema-less attack. Pierluigi Gollini ($5) is at minimally priced if he starts, but he also faces Liverpool, while Guilherme ($7) may be the best cheaper option because Atletico's attack is always unreliable.