FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Targets

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

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Cristiano Ronaldo, JUV v. FCS ($21): Ronaldo may be the best floor option on the slate since Lionel Messi isn't playing. This slate is stacked with big favorites, but Juventus are the biggest and have an implied goal total almost 0.50 higher than anyone else. Ronaldo can't be faulted for his prior 23-point performance because he was a few days removed from a COVID-19 return. Following a busy international break, he should be back in form and looking to add to his tally after scoring three goals the last two league matches. At this price, there's no reason not to use Ronaldo in cash games, as he's averaging a combined four shots on goal and chances created per 90 minutes in all competitions. Alvaro Morata ($20) will also be a favorite after bracing against Ferencvarosi, but I wouldn't be overly confident in him. He had no floor in that match and needs a goal to make value. While it's a favorable match, it wouldn't be surprising if he blanked and a couple other Juve players made the score-sheet instead. For example, Federico Chiesa ($7) is at minimal pricing despite making the score-sheet in three of the first four league matches this season. Morata could brace again, but he could also fail to score and finish with fewer than five fantasy points.

Erling Haaland, DOR v. BRU ($23): Haaland is almost a guarantee to hit the back of the net, and I don't care that he has worse odds than Ronaldo to score. He's scored in each of his last six starts in all competitions and has 14 goals and two assists in 10 appearances this season. After bracing against Brugge in his last UCL match (a 3-0 win), Haaland should be set for numerous opportunities in front of net. Unlike Manchester United, who tend to get production from a variety of places, Haaland is the known goal scorer for Dortmund. That's why you don't need to stack him with any teammates because no one is as consistent, including Jadon Sancho ($19), who has just one goal this season. Comparing that with Man United, it's usually a mix of everyone up front outside of Bruno Fernandes ($19), who has one of the better floors in the game. Marcus Rashford ($22) and the rest may have good odds to score, but you'll have to guess the correct player, which isn't as easy as locking Haaland into your squad.

Ousmane Dembele, BAR at DYK ($18): Messi was set to be the highest-priced player maybe ever at FanDuel, but he's not in the traveling squad for Tuesday's match. The big decision is what Barcelona player to use in his absence because none stand out. I think Dembele gets the slight edge because he didn't go anywhere over the international break and the previous time Messi was rested this season, he took all of the corners (Antoine Griezmann, $16, took the penalty and missed). Dembele went the full 90 over the weekend, but it was the first time he played more than 66 minutes, so that's something to keep in mind for cash games. Griezmann may have a bigger role without Messi, but it's hard to back him given his continued struggles at Barca. Philippe Coutinho ($18) is another option, but he recently returned from injury and seems unlikely for a full 90. Similar to a lot of the big favorites in this slate, you can go after a cheaper midfielder with the hopes of making the score-sheet, but most of them, like Pedri ($13) and Miralem Pjanic ($11), have unreliable floors. Barcelona should still win, but Messi's production is likely to be split between a few players, which doesn't help. It may be that Barcelona become a top GPP stack without Messi, meaning if they score four or five goals, Dembele and Griezmann could be two of the best players on the slate (I laughed as I wrote this sentence).

Kylian Mbappe, PSG v. LEI ($21): I usually don't like recommending four guys over $20, but that's how you win this slate. Mbappe started over the weekend and is an option to start against Leipzig, which is all he needs to bag a brace in a match with the highest-implied goal total. PSG struggled when these teams met earlier this month, but with Mbappe and a few others likely back, namely Neymar ($20), things will likely play out differently. Leipzig are a good team in the Bundesliga, but they also lost 5-0 in their last UCL away match against Man United. The main question with any of the PSG guys is if you want to spend on them over players from Barcelona or Juventus. However, because they have a tougher matchup, they'll be less popular in all formats and will probably be better GPP options, especially since they're always in play for three or four goals. If you're short on money, Angel Di Maria ($18) could be a great cash play if Neymar doesn't start (he played 30 minutes off the bench Friday). He didn't have a high floor in that first meeting, but that should change with more quality around him.

If you don't like any of the cheap options previously mentioned, whoever starts up front for Lazio could be intriguing. Luis Alberto ($13) returned from COVID-19 before the break and is a great cash play because of set pieces, while Ciro Immobile ($17) and Joaquin Correa ($12) are most likely to start up front. The underdog with the highest-implied goal total is Leipzig, but their production is usually random and something not worth betting on unless you really believe in Yussuf Poulsen ($15) or Christopher Nkunku ($17).

DEFENDERS

Oscar Mingueza, BAR at DYK ($5): If you want the best players on the slate, you'll need the cheapest defenders and Mingueza is set to start for the injured Gerard Pique. While the defensive stats may not be there, he's at least in play for a clean sheet, which is all you need, and the same goes for Matthijs De Ligt if he starts. Ferencvarosi will likely use Miha Blazic ($12) and Adnan Kovacevic ($9) at center-back against Juve, which keeps them out of the value defender conversation. Artem Shabanov ($6) is another option, but again, he could move back to a bench role if Dynamo Kyiv get other defenders back from COVID-19. If none of them start, Lazio have a couple $7 defenders. Otherwise, the rest of the projected starters are at least $8, which would make getting the high-end players a tad difficult.

Tomasz Kedziora, DYK v. BAR ($10): I can't bring myself to pay up for any of the top defenders, mainly because a lot of them are higher priced after making the score-sheet and not because their floors are guaranteed 20 points. That's why I'm sticking with the Dynamo defenders, who should all be set for around 10 fantasy points, at a minimum. Kedziora had 17.1 points last match because of a shot on goal, and he scored at last 12 points in each of the last two contests. Through three UCL matches, Barcelona have forced the second-most interceptions and third-most tackles. If you prefer center-backs, Illia Zabarnyi ($9) and Denys Popov ($9) are each a dollar cheaper and have almost identical fantasy value.

GOALKEEPER

Georgiy Bushchan, DYK v. BAR ($5): When everyone was healthy, Bushchan started in net for Dynamo. He's cheap and Dynamo goalkeepers have finished in the positive in all three UCL matches, including Ruslan Neshcheret ($7), who made 12 saves and had 31 fantasy points in the prior meeting against Barcelona. While it's tough taking the goalkeeper who faces Barcelona, it's viable since it's not like Griezmann and Dembele will be widely owned. Wojciech Szczesny ($14) has the best odds to win and secure a clean sheet, but his price likely means you'll need to skimp at two forward sports. Peter Gulacsi ($7) is an option if you're fading PSG, while Keylor Navas ($11) is one of the cheaper favorites and should have a healthier team around him than the last contest.