DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (EST)

• 3:00 pm: Borussia Dortmund vs. Club Brugge
• 3:00 pm: Dynamo Kyiv vs. Barcelona
• 3:00 pm: Juventus vs. Ferencvárosi TC
• 3:00 pm: Lazio vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
• 3:00 pm: Manchester United vs. Istanbul Basaksehir
• 3:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. RB Leipzig

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Cristiano Ronaldo, JUV v. FCS ($11,400): There are a number of big favorites on the slate, but none are as high as Juventus at home against Ferencvaros, who they beat 4-1 in Hungary a few weeks ago. And, unsurprisingly, no player has higher anytime goal scorer odds than Ronaldo, who failed to score in the reverse fixture but has five goals on 12 shots (seven on target) in his last three Serie A matches. Paying up for Ronaldo makes it imperative he scores at least once, though his +140 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to score at least two goals is better than the single anytime goal scorer odds for many players on this slate. Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland ($11,100) has the second-highest anytime goal scorer odds (-250 versus Ronaldo's -385), and he surely makes for a reasonable pivot for those searching for goals. And to accentuate just how much firepower there is on this slate, Neymar ($10,700) and Kylian Mbappe ($10,000) are also available and likely to be less popular than we usually see them because of the matchups Ronaldo and Haaland have. Their anytime goal scorer odds are also lower than some of the secondary and tertiary Juventus pieces, including Alvaro Morata ($9,000), who scored a brace in the reverse fixture, and Federico Chiesa ($7,200), who trails only Ronaldo and Morata in that category. We also can't ignore Paulo Dybala ($9,100) or Federico Bernardeschi ($6,400), the latter of whom is quite the salary saver and could potentially be on set pieces like he was this past weekend when he scored 17.8 floor points against Cagliari. There are a ton of ways to go in GPPs because of the ridiculous goal upside of lots of players, but Ronaldo seems likely to be the most popular in cash games and GPPs despite not taking set pieces nor being much of a chance creator.

Anthony Martial, MUN v. IBB ($8,400): Martial has struggled during Premier League play this season, but he comes in with two goals and an assist in three Champions League starts, including a goal in the reverse fixture against Istanbul Basaksehir earlier this month. With Juventus and Borussia Dortmund likely getting plenty of attention from fantasy players, we shouldn't ignore that Manchester United's implied goal total is almost the same as Dortmund's, and they are bigger favorites. Meanwhile, Martial and teammates Marcus Rashford ($9,600) and Bruno Fernandes ($10,300) are tied for the sixth-highest anytime goal scorer odds on the slate among expected starters, but Martial provides fairly decent salary savings. Fernandes is so pricey because he takes some set pieces and is presumably still on penalties, but Martial certainly shouldn't be forgotten in GPP lineups. And if you're looking to potentially stack this game, Edin Visca ($7,800) seems like a natural run-back after he had a goal and an assist in the first meeting in Turkey.

Pedri, BAR at DYK ($5,800): The absence of Lionel Messi ($11,900) creates a pretty significant attacking void, and the odds have tightened between Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv. That being said, the Spanish giants are still expected to win, and we can get pretty cheap exposure to their attack through guys like Pedri or Francisco Trincao ($6,200) if one starts with Ousmane Dembele ($8,100) and Antoine Griezmann ($6,200). You aren't likely to find attacking players for favorites in this price range, though given the upside available at the position it seems more likely fantasy players will pay up at both forward spots and find value elsewhere. And while this game is expected to be somewhat close (at least compared to the other matches on the slate), Barcelona will clinch a spot in the round of 16 with a victory.

MIDFIELDERS

Raphael Guerreiro, BVB v. BRU ($5,700): The Borussia Dortmund set-piece situation is always difficult to project, and while Guerreiro tends to have a role whenever he starts, he's been doing plenty in open play to justify his inclusion in cash games and GPPs in a game they're heavily favored in. He returned from a muscle strain suffered while on international duty to score one goal on four shots (two on target) against Hertha Berlin on Saturday, and he's primed to play a big role in their attack against Brugge on Tuesday. That being said, he was fairly stagnant in the reverse fixture, possibly because Dortmund went ahead 1-0 in the 14th minute and led 3-0 at half-time, limiting his need to move up in the attack. That could certainly happen again Tuesday, though the hope is that he's more involved from the outset. Fantasy players who are looking for even cheaper Dortmund exposure could also be drawn to Thomas Meunier ($4,400), who is usually good for a few crosses, though not a whole lot else.

Weston McKennie, JUV v. FCS ($3,100): The Juventus midfield is going to be of a lot of interest to many people because they provide cheap exposure to an overwhelming favorite. McKennie's playing time has been quite limited recently, but he represents just how cheap you can go for a player who is most likely not to get on the score-sheet. Arthur ($3,100) and Adrien Rabiot ($4,300) are also in play, though Rodrigo Bentancur ($3,900) comes in with anytime goal scorer odds similar to Antoine Griezmann ($6,200), Angel Di Maria ($9,300, midfielder/forward) and Philippe Coutinho ($8,700, midfielder) despite a significantly lower price.

Juan Mata, MUN v. IBB ($5,400): Mata is an attacking player for a huge favorite, and he sits in a salary range with either attacking players on underdogs or defensive players on other favorites. Guys like Emil Forsberg ($5,300) or Dani Olmo ($5,000) could get some attention too, but we can't ignore that RB Leipzig are decent underdogs away to Paris Saint-Germain. On the plus side, that game has the highest total on the slate, so getting pieces of those attacks is certainly a viable strategy, though Mata's team has a higher implied goal total than either PSG or Leipzig. If you want to focus on the defensive players from his team, Fred ($4,200) has shown the most attacking upside of the group for his price.

DEFENDERS

Juan Cuadrado, JUV v. FCS ($5,800): Cuadrado has had a pretty sizable share of set pieces lately, and it doesn't hurt that he has goal odds better than players like Jadon Sancho ($8,900 midfielder/defender), Marco Reus ($7,600 midfielder/forward), Griezmann, Di Maria and Coutinho. A focus on set pieces shouldn't be overwhelming in cash games during UCL play, but with Juventus such big favorites, Cuadrado is certainly in play at his price, especially with a 53.59 percent chance of a clean sheet.

Alex Telles, MUN v. IBB ($6,600): Telles is the most expensive defender on the slate, but he also has a decent role on set pieces for a sizable favorite. His upside is mostly dependent on getting an assist because he doesn't shoot enough to have much goal potential, but with Manchester United expected to dominate possession and win plenty of corners, Telles could still be a popular target. Rostering Telles at $3,700 less than Fernandes doesn't mean you're getting the same production, but it allows you to spend on guys from Juventus or Borussia Dortmund and hope their upsides hit while still getting a solid floor game from a United player.

Matthijs De Ligt, JUV v. FCS ($2,500): De Light's floor is very low, but we're talking about a minimum-priced defender for the biggest favorite on the slate with 53.59 percent odds at a clean sheet. He really doesn't have to do much to make value at this price, and it obviously helps tremendously to have the extra salary for attacking players.

GOALKEEPER

Georgiy Bushchan, DYN v. BAR ($3,900): Bushchan is priced as if Messi is playing, so we get a nice boost in that he saves money and doesn't have to face one of the best players in the history of the game. Dynamo Kyiv are still underdogs, but with few people likely focusing on the Barcelona attack, at least in cash games and generally in most GPPs, taking the goalkeeper against them makes plenty of sense (or at least as much sense as picking a goalkeeper can be).