Yahoo DFS Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Wednesday Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (EDT)

3:00 p.m: Barcelona v. Inter Milan
3:00 p.m: Borussia Dortmund v. Atletico Madrid
3:00 p.m: Lokomotiv Moscow v. FC Porto
3:00 p.m: Liverpool v. FK Crvena Zvezda
3:00 p.m: Galatasaray v. Schalke
3:00 p.m: Paris Saint-Germain v. Napoli

FORWARDS

Mohamed Salah, LIV v. CRV (€31): Salah hasn't been as dominant as he was for most of last season, but he still comes in with multiple shots in every start while Liverpool have by far the highest implied goal total. Oh, and no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds. Paying up at forward seems to be a popular strategy during Champions League play, and Salah figures to be very popular Wednesday.

Neymar, PSG v. NAP (€31): And while we're paying up for forwards, we have to include Neymar, who has made the scoresheet in every Ligue 1 and Champions League match this season. It's tough to argue there is a better fantasy player in the world than Neymar, who has six goals on 19 shots, including 13 on target, one assist on 11 chances created and 18 fouls drawn in his past three games. The matchup against Napoli isn't nearly as good as what Salah has against Crvena Zvezda, but Neymar is simply on another level.

Guido Burgstaller, S04 at GAL (€10): Burgstaller has started each of the past two games, scoring one goal on seven shots, including

For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Wednesday Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (EDT)

3:00 p.m: Barcelona v. Inter Milan
3:00 p.m: Borussia Dortmund v. Atletico Madrid
3:00 p.m: Lokomotiv Moscow v. FC Porto
3:00 p.m: Liverpool v. FK Crvena Zvezda
3:00 p.m: Galatasaray v. Schalke
3:00 p.m: Paris Saint-Germain v. Napoli

FORWARDS

Mohamed Salah, LIV v. CRV (€31): Salah hasn't been as dominant as he was for most of last season, but he still comes in with multiple shots in every start while Liverpool have by far the highest implied goal total. Oh, and no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds. Paying up at forward seems to be a popular strategy during Champions League play, and Salah figures to be very popular Wednesday.

Neymar, PSG v. NAP (€31): And while we're paying up for forwards, we have to include Neymar, who has made the scoresheet in every Ligue 1 and Champions League match this season. It's tough to argue there is a better fantasy player in the world than Neymar, who has six goals on 19 shots, including 13 on target, one assist on 11 chances created and 18 fouls drawn in his past three games. The matchup against Napoli isn't nearly as good as what Salah has against Crvena Zvezda, but Neymar is simply on another level.

Guido Burgstaller, S04 at GAL (€10): Burgstaller has started each of the past two games, scoring one goal on seven shots, including four on target, and a matchup away to Galatasaray could have him back on the scoresheet. His recent solid play has kept Mark Uth (€18) on the bench, and while Schalke are slight underdogs, Burgstaller's salary could be really helpful in paying up at other spots, though his cash-game viability is suspect.

MIDFIELDERS

James Milner, LIV v. CRV (€18): Milner's role on set pieces makes him a very attractive piece given Liverpool's overwhelming win odds and implied goal total. He's really not much of a shooter, but he gets involved in the attack on dead balls and still chips in on the defensive side as well. That being said, Liverpool are likely to have a ton of possession Wednesday, which helps Milner's passing floor more than his defensive upside.

Angel Di Maria, PSG v. NAP (€22): If you want exposure to the PSG attack but don't necessarily want to pay all the up for Neymar in a forward spot, Di Maria has plenty of upside in his own right. He was subbed off after 59 minutes in last weekend's match against Nimes, but he still managed to assist two goals on five chances created while putting two of his four shots on goal. Oh, and five of his 12 crosses were accurate and he even won three tackles. That level of production against Napoli is unlikely, but the PSG attack is still really tough to slow down, and Di Maria is a major part of it.

Nabil Bentaleb, S04 at GAL (€10): Schalke are only the slightest of underdogs playing away to Galasataray, and getting their recent set-piece taker at minimum price has to be a consideration. Bentaleb plays more as a holding midfielder than a true attacker, but he's been more active of late, taking multiple shots in three of his last four starts, and then he connected on five of his nine crosses in last weekend's match against Werder Bremen. The upside isn't overly high, but at minimum price and the potential for set pieces, Bentaleb's risk isn't overly high.

DEFENDERS

Virgil van Dijk, LIV v. CRV (€16): Fantasy players could be loading up on Liverpool attackers, but don't forget to save room for their defenders thanks to their extremely high clean sheet odds. Van Dijk's passing floor and work on the defensive end make him an easy play in a match Liverpool should dominate, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him joined by Andrew Robertson (€17), Trent Alexander-Arnold (€16), Joseph Gomez (€17) or whoever else is along the back line. With their salaries a few euros cheaper than some of the other big clubs with not-as-favorable matchups, Liverpool defensive stacks will be popular.

Alex Telles, PTO at LOKO (€17): No away team is traveling farther than Porto, but they are still the fourth-biggest favorite on the slate. Meanwhile, Telles continues to take nearly all of Porto's set pieces, which gives him a solid floor for the favored side. Additionally, he's still expected to be on penalties despite missing one in their Champions League opener, a bit of upside not normally found with a defender.

Bryan Idowu, LOKO v. PTO (€11): If you're concerned that the 4,500-km trip from Porto to Moscow will take a toll on the Portuguese team, Idowu may be able to take advantage since he enjoys moving up in the attack himself. He took three shots or won three tackles in each of his first two Champions League matches, and while the upside isn't really that high since Lokomotiv are actually home underdogs, his low salary should help mitigate the risk.

GOALKEEPER

Alisson, LIV v. CRV (€19): Unlike the expensive goalkeeper options on Tuesday's slate, Alisson not only comes in with excellent win and clean sheet odds but also a track record of winning and shutting teams out. While he did concede twice to Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League opener, he's allowed just two goals in five matches since, including a 1-0 win away to Napoli at the beginning of the month. If there's a downside it's that Crvena Zvezda are unlikely to force many saves, but the bonus points for the win and clean sheet should be fairly easy to lock in.

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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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