DraftKings DFS UCL Picks for Tuesday, Oct. 1

It's back to regular scheduling for Champions League, but with more teams, that means the main Tuesday and Wednesday slates involve seven matches. Adding another team to the madness that already exists should be fun, but two massive favorites tower over Tuesday's slate, as both Manchester City and Barcelona are favored at roughly 90 percent to win.

MATCHES (ET)

• 3:00 pm: Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. BSC Young Boys
• 3:00 pm: Bayer Leverkusen vs. AC Milan
• 3:00 pm: Borussia Dortmund vs. Celtic
• 3:00 pm: Inter Milan vs. Red Star Belgrade
• 3:00 pm: PSV Eindhoven vs. Sporting CP
• 3:00 pm: Slovan Bratislava vs. Manchester City

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday Champions League Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Erling Haaland (MCI at SLO, $10,000): Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to fade Haaland, who is priced a couple thousand too cheap for having -400 goal-scoring odds. The reason to fade him is that he reportedly fought through Achilles pain over the weekend in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle. Of course, if he starts, Achilles pain probably won't matter against this back line that gave up five goals and nine big chances to Celtic.

Robert Lewandowski ($7,000) isn't far behind with -250 odds to score, though he's not in the peak of his career and doesn't seem to have the same three- or four-goal upside that Haaland has. Then again, he's priced like Chris Wood home against Fulham. You could opt for the even cheaper Lamine Yamal ($6,600), who doesn't have the same floor as set-piece taker Raphinha ($8,700), but he's much cheaper and has the same upside. Take your pick.

Any of the Inter forwards are decent pivots if you believe in the odds. It feels like every time Lautaro Martinez ($7,200) is in this spot, he'll rip 10 shots and fail to score. Sure, the 20-point floor is nice, but it's not enough when Yamal drops 30 for the same price.

Celtic won their Champions League opener, but their away record in Champions League is putrid, giving up 18 goals in their last five trips dating back to 2022. That puts Serhou Guirassy ($8,500) and Borussia Dortmund in tournament territory for me. He's coming off a brace in league play and surely won't draw the same rostership as Man City and Barcelona players.

Viktor Gyokeres ($7,500) is in a similar boat to Guirassy because he's in the same range as the Barcelona guys. His streak of nine matches with goals (club and country included) ended over the weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised if he started a new one against PSV. You could do a Victor stack with Victor Boniface ($7,100), but fading City and Barcelona goalscorers comes with risk.

MIDFIELDERS

Phil Foden (MCI at SLO $9,100): I don't think Foden is a lock, but assuming he starts, he'll split set pieces and figures to make the score sheet at least once. Given that he's been more of a bench option in the early season, a full 90 also seems likely, not too dissimilar from last week's EFL Cup win against Watford. He played as the false nine in that match and while he didn't score or assist, he had six shots and two chances created.

Pascal Gross (BVB vs. CEL, $6,200): Gross isn't a tournament option, but home to Celtic, he's in range for at least 10 crosses, which is fine for the price. He doesn't have the same upside as he did with Brighton, which makes him hard to play, especially without PKs. He's a fine option who figures to reach around 10-to-15 points, depending if he plays 70 or 90 minutes.

If you fade Foden or other City starters, there's not a ton that stands out. Hakan Calhanoglu ($6,200) is probably most intriguing because he's cheap, though if Piotr Zielinski ($7,500) starts, there is a question of set pieces. If Joey Veerman ($6,800) misses out due to injury, I'm not sure who benefits the most on PSV. Malik Tillman ($4,800) could possibly play in a more attacking role again, while Johan Bakayoko ($6,500) and Noa Lang ($5,700) are forward only.

I haven't mentioned too many Arsenal players, home against PSG who may finish with more possession in this matchup. The Gunners are priced similar to the Leicester City match over the weekend, which is reason enough to fade them in this spot in what figures to be a lower-scoring game.

DEFENDERS

Alejandro Grimaldo (LEV v. MIL, $6,100): No other defender on the slate can match Grimaldo's floor and upside with a split set-piece role and +250 odds to score. He already has two goals this season and is averaging 2.20 shots per 90 in league play. Home against Milan isn't the best spot, but it's not the worst, and given the underpriced City and Barca players, it shouldn't be too difficult to fit Grimaldo.

Federico Dimarco (INT v. RSB, $4,800): Speaking of underpriced players, Dimarco should be close to a lock in cash games if in the XI. Even without 90 minutes guaranteed, he almost always gets to 10 DK points and a home matchup against Belgrade should present him with great opportunities to make the score sheet. 

Any of the Man City defenders are playable since they should be in the attacking half the majority of the match. Josko Gvardiol ($5,600) has the most upside since he loves to rip shots from beyond the box, but Rico Lewis ($4,500) always seems to be in great spots against weaker teams. Jules Kounde ($3,900) is cheaper than all of them and while he doesn't get involved in Barcelona's attack that often, getting 10 points with possible upside isn't bad for less than $4,000.

GOALKEEPER

Dominik Takac (SLO v. MCI, $3,600): Every time I play an expensive goalkeeper, I vow to never play one again. Takac has negative-10 potential, but he could also finish with four points while allowing five goals or even 20-plus points with 10-plus saves. I know City and Barcelona have better than a 50-percent chance to keep a clean sheet, but I'm not sure the possible 12 or 14 points is worth it. Back one of the underdog goalkeepers and hope for the best. At a minimum, Takac and Slovan are at home while no other underdog can say the same.