This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Atlético Madrid vs. Manchester United
- 3:00 pm: Benfica vs. Ajax
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Antony, AJA at BEN ($10,300): Ajax are the biggest favorite on the slate and their 1.9-implied goal total is considerably higher than the totals of the other three teams. They split set pieces between three players, as Antony, Dusan Tadic ($10,600) and Steven Berghuis ($9,200) are all expected to take a few. I highlighted Antony because he's the most talented of the three and probably offers the best combination of floor and upside. He had two goals and four assists in five group stage games. Him, Tadic and Berghuis have similar goalscoring odds but Sebastien Haller ($10,900) is most likely to score at +115. His salary seems too high but it reflects the fact that he scored in all six group stage games and leads the competition with 10 goals. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo ($10,000) also seems too expensive, but he too scored in every group stage match. Manchester United are in a relatively tough spot away to Atletico which has me preferring all of the Ajax forwards to Ronaldo. Analyzing the midrange, Jadon Sancho ($7,500) has been in good form with a goal and two assists in his last three Premier League games and he usually plays 90 minutes, as well. Darwin Nunez ($7,300) and Rafa Silva ($7,200) are expected to lead the line for Benfica. Both make
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Atlético Madrid vs. Manchester United
- 3:00 pm: Benfica vs. Ajax
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Antony, AJA at BEN ($10,300): Ajax are the biggest favorite on the slate and their 1.9-implied goal total is considerably higher than the totals of the other three teams. They split set pieces between three players, as Antony, Dusan Tadic ($10,600) and Steven Berghuis ($9,200) are all expected to take a few. I highlighted Antony because he's the most talented of the three and probably offers the best combination of floor and upside. He had two goals and four assists in five group stage games. Him, Tadic and Berghuis have similar goalscoring odds but Sebastien Haller ($10,900) is most likely to score at +115. His salary seems too high but it reflects the fact that he scored in all six group stage games and leads the competition with 10 goals. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo ($10,000) also seems too expensive, but he too scored in every group stage match. Manchester United are in a relatively tough spot away to Atletico which has me preferring all of the Ajax forwards to Ronaldo. Analyzing the midrange, Jadon Sancho ($7,500) has been in good form with a goal and two assists in his last three Premier League games and he usually plays 90 minutes, as well. Darwin Nunez ($7,300) and Rafa Silva ($7,200) are expected to lead the line for Benfica. Both make for decent tournament options as they won't be overly popular and Benfica will fancy themselves to score at home.
Joao Felix, ATL v. MUN ($6,100): With Ajax and Manchester United being so expensive, we have to look elsewhere for value. Felix returned to the starting lineup with a goal and an assist against Osasuna over the weekend. Luis Suarez ($6,200) would be a similar option, as Manchester United have been conceding lots of chances and shots recently. For a bit more salary, Angel Correa ($7,100) will probably take a few corners and has goal/assist upside playing on the wing. Elsehwere in the cheap range, Adel Taarabt ($5,400) could start in central midfield for Benfica and if he does, he'll probably take a couple set pieces, as well. All of the players in this range are early sub risks, especially Taarabt. That has me favoring the cheap options from the Atletico as they have more goal/assist equity.
MIDFIELDERS
Dusan Tadic, AJA at BEN ($10,600): Even though Tadic is also forward eligible, I'm recommending him here because I prefer him, Antony and Berguis to Bruno Fernandes ($9,800). If Bruno had a near-monopoly on sets it would be different, but he ceded most of them to Luke Shaw over the weekend. Manchester United have a tougher matchup than Ajax and Bruno's +300 goalscoring odds are considerably lower than all four of the Ajax attackers. My plan is to roster two of Antony, Tadic and Berghuis.
Thomas Lemar, ATL v. MUN ($5,900): With Yannick Carrasco suspended, I'm expecting Lemar to take half of the sets for Atletico. He's improved this season from a DFS perspective as he's been playing more minutes and showing up on the score-sheet more often. That said, I wouldn't call him a "lock" by any means and he probably makes for a better cash than tournament option. There just aren't many (if any) appealing options at midfield. Rodrigo De Paul ($5,500) could take a couple corners, but he has less upside than Lemar. Joao Mario ($4,500) might take some for Benfica, but he doesn't do much else and probably won't play 90 minutes. Paul Pogba ($4,800) seems like the better GPP option. Even in a more defensive role, he still has goal/assist upside based on his elite passing, shooting and aerial prowess. Paying all the way down for Edson Alvarez ($3,800) or Julian Weigl ($3,600) is viable considering the lack of opportunity cost and the high salaries of the top targets.
DEFENDERS
Alejandro Grimaldo, BEN v. AJA ($5,700): Grimaldo has been taking the majority of Benfica's corner kicks recently. Their matchup against Ajax is tough, but it should be back and forth and they probably need to score at home if they stand any chance in the tie. Noussair Mazraoui ($5,800) has more open-play upside and might be the better tournament option as he'll be less popular and you can pair him with Ajax attackers.
Luke Shaw, MUN at ATL ($5,500): Shaw probably has the safest floor of the bunch. He took most of Manchester United's set pieces last time out and I'd expect that to continue Wednesday. The away matchup with Atletico isn't ideal, but they aren't a side that dominates possession and United should see plenty of the ball and create chances. Elsewhere, Daley Blind ($5,000) has been taking about one corner kick per game for Ajax. There's always a chance he finds Haller's head with a cross from open play. If I had to pick just one of these top four, it'd be Shaw. Looking a bit cheaper, Reinildo ($4,400) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka ($4,300) can be paired with their respective keepers in GPPs. Valentino Lazaro ($3,400) is also an option as the cheapest full-back on the slate.
GOALKEEPERS
David de Gea, MUN at ATL ($4,500): Ajax, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United have similar clean-sheet odds and none are more 32 percent, meaning it doesn't make as much sense to spend up at keeper. United have been allowing a lot of shots recently which has resulted in de Gea making a lot of saves. Jan Oblak ($4,900) is a similar option and should have opportunities to make saves against the likes of Ronaldo and Bruno. Lineup correlation will be the deciding factor in my choice for tournaments.
