DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

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

MATCHES (EST)

3:00 p.m: Borussia Dortmund v. Club Brugge
3:00 p.m: Paris Saint-Germain v. Liverpool
3:00 p.m: Napoli v. FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade)
3:00 p.m: PSV Eindhoven v. Barcelona
3:00 p.m: Porto v. Schalke
3:00 p.m: Tottenham v. Inter Milan

FORWARDS

Lorenzo Insigne, NAP v. CRV ($8,100): There are some who automatically turn to Jose Maria Callejon ($7,400) when Napoli are in a good spot because of his role on set pieces, and while he's had some big crossing games recently, including 19 against Roma and 12 against Chievo, he's actually only sent in one more cross than Insigne over the last three games, while the latter has taken 11 shots to the former's eight. Their floors remain very similar, and while Callejon comes in with zero goals and seven assists combined between Serie A and the Champions League, Insigne has 10 and three, respectively. For only $200 more, why not grab the guy with the same floor but much higher upside? Then again, Insigne and Callejon aren't the only Napoli forwards worth considering, as Dries Mertens ($7,900) comes in with eight goals and four assists in Serie A and Champions League this season, and he's taken 17 shots, including eight on goal, in his last three games. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Napoli are the biggest favorite on the slate with the highest implied goal total, so pairing two of them is certainly viable, even with elite attackers in other games.

Lionel Messi, BAR at PSV ($11,600): Paying up for Messi likely means you're not rostering Neymar ($11,100) or Mohamed Salah ($10,200), and while they are electric players in their own rights, Messi's matchup is significantly easier, even if the Paris Saint-Germain v. Liverpool match has the highest implied goal total. Messi has had another tremendous season, even one limited at times by injury, as he's scored 14 goals on 62 shots (30 on target) and assisted six others on 41 chances created in 13 appearances (12 starts) between La Liga and the Champions League. Napoli and Borussia Dortmund both have higher implied goal totals, and while you can get their attackers for lower salaries, none are as reliable as Messi.

Marco Reus, BVB v. BRU ($8,600): Reus is one of those not-as-reliable forwards, but he's been hot during Bundesliga play, as he had three goals on 14 shots (seven on goal), one assist on six chances created, seven tackles won and five fouls drawn in his last four league games. He does have an occasional role on set pieces, though it's not guaranteed and we're really after the fact that he's Dortmund's most prolific overall attacker and they have the second-highest implied goal total on the slate. Paco Alcacer ($7,700) could also be a consideration, but he doesn't shoot nearly as much as Reus, who has better anytime goal scorer odds than players like Salah, Philippe Coutinho ($8,500, midfielder), Kylian Mbappe ($9,600) and Moussa Marega ($7,100).

MIDFIELDERS

Jadon Sancho, BVB v. BRU ($5,900): Identifying Borussia Dortmund's set pieces is always a tricky endeavor, but a quick look at their team trends page shows that Sancho has taken 16 of their last 27 over four Bundesliga matches, and it's entirely possible that Raphael Guerreiro ($5,600, forward), who took nine over that span (none in the last two games) doesn't start Wednesday. Sancho had a run from Sept. 26 through Oct. 27 when he got on the scoresheet in seven consecutive matches (five goals and five assists), and while he's been held off in each of the last four, a spot on set pieces for the second-biggest favorite on the slate with the second-highest implied goal total should be worth $5,900, right?

Christian Eriksen, TOT v. INT ($8,300): There has been plenty of talk about Eriksen playing deeper than in the past few seasons, but it's done little to slow his overall fantasy production, as he had two shots, including one on goal, and sent in 18 crosses playing as a defensive midfielder against PSV in Tottenham's last Champions League match, and he then had two assists on seven chances created, as well as four crosses and two fouls drawn in last weekend's win over Chelsea as a left-sided midfielder. The matchup against Inter Milan isn't expected to be high scoring -- in fact, it has the lowest implied goal total on the slate -- but there were three total goals in the reverse fixture back in September when Eriksen had one goal on three shots (all on target), six crosses, two tackles won and three fouls drawn. Say what you want about his positioning, but the productive fantasy stats are still there.

Nabil Bentaleb, S04 at POR ($3,900): Bentaleb has been a bit of a Champions League tease this season, as he's been a steady corner-taker for Schalke during Bundesliga matches and when he features in the Champions league, but he has come off the bench in three of their four games, with his lone start coming at home against Porto on Sept. 18. He actually didn't take corners in that match, though he took one shot and won an impressive six of 10 tackles. He now comes into Wednesday's match having taken corners in six of his last seven appearances, failing to get on any dead balls in last weekend's win over Nurnberg; on the plus side, Bastian Oczipka, who did take them, isn't on Schalke's Champions League roster, which means Bentaleb won't have to fight for free kicks. If he doesn't start, we can always fall back on Sebastian Rudy ($3,900) in the price range, though it's definitely possible that Daniel Caligiuri ($5,900) is on those set pieces, but his price isn't nearly as attractive considering they're an away underdog.

DEFENDER

Alex Telles, POR v. S04 ($6,300): Telles is likely to be one of the highest-owned defenders on the slate, as his monopoly of set pieces for a home favorite makes him very attractive. In fact, no player on Wednesday's slate has sent in as many crosses as Telles, and while he doesn't contribute a ton in terms of defensive stats, he did draw five fouls and create seven chances through his first four UCL matches this season.

Ben Davies, TOT v, INT ($4,500): While he wasn't the most productive fantasy scorer in last weekend's win over Chelsea in the Premier League, Davies has stepped up his attacking contributions with Kieran Trippier ($6,000) sidelined, accounting for five shots, six chances created, 16 crosses and three fouls drawn in two games before the match against Chelsea. He also took two corners against Chelsea, though he didn't cross either. The matchup against Inter won't be easy, but Davies has shown enough to get consideration over Serge Aurier, who sent in four crosses against Chelsea but also committed five fouls.

Dani Alves, PSG v. LIV ($2,500): Alves made his long-awaited return from a torn ACL in last weekend's Ligue 1 match against Toulouse, sending in three crosses and creating two chances in 21 minutes off the bench. Getting his first start of the season against Liverpool in the Champions League seems pretty unlikely, and while it's not a stellar matchup, it will be hard to ignore a minimum-priced right-back who averaged 1.18 shots, 4.36 crosses, 2.49 tackles won and 1.48 fouls drawn per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 last season.

GOALKEEPER

Samir Handanovic, INT at TOT ($4,400): Handanovic has made the third-most Champions League saves among goalkeepers on the slate, and while he's won just two of four UCL starts, he's scored at least 7.00 in each one, including at least 12.00 three times thanks to his saves. He had 13.00 in a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the reverse fixture, and while Wednesday's match at Wembley should be a tougher situation, Handanovic has shown he has plenty of save upside to make up for any potential conceded goals.