This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Royal Antwerp
- 3:00 pm: FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. FC Porto
- 3:00 pm: Feyenoord vs. Celtic
- 3:00 pm: Lazio vs. Atlético Madrid
- 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. Red Star Belgrade
- 3:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Erling Haaland (MCI vs. CZV, $11,800): Unfortunately, this slate isn't going to be very fun. Specifically, Manchester City are 92-percent favorites to win and have an implied-goal total just under three for their home matchup against Serbian minnows Crvena Zvezda. If that wasn't enough, DraftKings has decided to underprice the whole team, so much that the optimal cash-game build should include anywhere from four to six of them, in my opinion. We're used to seeing outlandish goalscoring odds for Erling Haaland, but in this spot, he's a whopping -500 to score. He will be the most popular player on the slate and there's no reason to fade that in cash games.
Some will have a decision about whether or not to pair him with Robert Lewandowski ($11,400) considering that Barcelona should have a cakewalk, as well, home against Royal Antwerp. Lewandowski is -275 to score and it's feasible to afford both him and Haaland with the cheap value at other positions. The problem is that you're then not able to afford the other two Manchester City forwards. Hence, a relatively tough decision considering Lewandowski has clear hat-trick upside in this spot. For GPPs, consider that this is a rare opportunity to get leverage by rostering Kylian Mbappe ($12,000), who will clearly get squeezed by Haaland and Lewandowski. It's not a bad spot for PSG, either, as they have nearly a 2.00 implied total at home against Dortmund.
Julian Alvarez (MCI vs. CZV, $8,100): Alvarez continues to take the majority of set pieces in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, and he's likely to play 90 minutes. Nothing else needs to be said because he's $2,000 too cheap. GPP options include Joao Felix ($8,500), who took corner kicks over the weekend, though he may lose that role with the expected return of Ilkay Gundogan. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal ($8,900) and Ferran Torres ($9,700) are the other candidates to start alongside Lewandowski with the latter likely being more overlooked. Yankuba Minteh ($6,800) is expected to step in for the suspended Santiago Gimenez and offers cheaper exposure to Feyenoord, who have a favorable matchup at home against Celtic.
MIDFIELDERS
Phil Foden (MCI vs. CZV, $8,200): Similar to Alvarez, Foden is $2,000 too cheap. He will continue to split set pieces without De Bruyne in the lineup and he's a good bet to score or assist in a soft matchup. Starting with him, Haaland and Alvarez is a no-brainer for me. If I decide to spend any significant amount of salary outside of Man City and Barcelona, it's likely to be on Calvin Stengs ($8,400). Feyenoord have nearly a 2.00 implied total for their home matchup against Celtic and Stengs has been taking the majority of their set pieces since arriving from Nice in the summer.
Ilkay Gundogan ($6,900) is expected to return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench over the weekend. It remains to be seen as to who has priority on corners between him and Felix as they've yet to start together. Nevertheless, it's a soft matchup for Barca and Gundogan is relatively cheap, making him a fine option for cash games regardless.
Oleksii Kashchuk (SHK vs. POR, $3,100): No matter who you decide to roster at forward, you're going to need a cheap midfielder to make it work. Kashchuk is essentially minimum priced and likely to split corners with Heorhii Sudakov ($3,600). I don't expect many set pieces but Kashchuk offers more from open play than Sudakov does. The best option in the cheap range might end up being Matheus Nunes ($4,200), should he receive his full debut for Man City. If I can find the salary, I'd rather get more exposure to City than rostering a player from an underdog.
DEFENDERS
Rico Lewis (MCI vs. CZV, $2,900): I mentioned about Man City's attackers being underpriced and the defenders are no different. If Lewis doesn't start, Kyle Walker ($3,500) can easily be afforded.
Nathan Ake (MCI vs. CZV, $3,200): I'm planning to punt both defender spots which is why I highlighted Ake here. Man City are likely to keep a clean sheet and he's good in the air when attacking set pieces, and the same goes for Ruben Dias ($3,300). If spending up, the Barcelona full-backs offer the most upside. Marcos Alonso ($5,800) and Joao Cancelo ($5,700) offer the best chance at a ceiling and a way to differentiate in tournaments.
It might be worth nothing that Nahuel Molina ($5,300) has been splitting corners for Atletico Madrid, but I want no part of their matchup at Lazio, which features the slate's lowest-implied total by a significant margin. If you're looking for a cheap defender who doesn't play for Man City, you could do worse than Irakli Azarovi ($3,000). He's a cheap full-back who offers some attacking upside, if Shakhtar have any.
GOALKEEPER
Ederson (MCI vs. CZV, $6,000): City are better than 55 percent to keep a clean sheet which makes Ederson slightly underpriced if you can afford it. I'm more likely to spend down, especially in tournaments on a six-game slate. In that case, Ivan Provedel ($4,400) looks good at home against Atletico. That game is essentially a toss up and its low total makes the keepers appealing. Provedel at home seems like better value than Jan Oblak ($4,900) away. Spending all the way down is fine, as Jean Butez ($3,700) and Omri Glazer ($3,600) should have the chance to make plenty of saves as massive underdogs away from home.
