FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EDT)

• 4:00 pm: Borussia Dortmund vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
• 4:00 pm: Club Brugge vs. Lazio
• 4:00 pm: Ferencvárosi TC vs. Dynamo Kyiv
• 4:00 pm: Juventus vs. Barcelona
• 4:00 pm: Manchester United vs. RB Leipzig
• 4:00 pm: Sevilla vs. Rennes

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Erling Haaland, DOR v. ZNT ($19): This one is pretty easy. Haaland should be in every cash lineup and almost every GPP lineup unless you're fading Dortmund. At home against Zenit, they are the biggest favorite on the slate and Haaland has the best odds to score by a wide margin. Making things better, he's the sixth-most expensive player on the slate in terms of projected starters. He has six goals in five starts this season and has already braced twice in league play. The question is if you should stack any other Dortmund players with him. Outside of Haaland, it's been a mixed bag of goal scoring for Dortmund this season, which is seen in the zero goals for Jadon Sancho ($18) and one from Marco Reus ($15). Of course, that can change in any match. Sancho had 17 goals and 16 assists in 32 league appearances last season and Reus was at 11 goals and five assists in 19 appearances. You could stack all three and then add a full-back or go with Giovanni Reyna ($12) as a value option if he starts. As for Zenit, they gave up two goals at home to Club Brugge last week and lost 2-1 at home to Rubin Kazan in league play over the weekend. If you fade Dortmund, know that they could win 4-0 and it wouldn't be surprising.

Lucas Ocampos, SEV v. REN ($14): Outside of Dortmund, there isn't a ton to like about Wednesday's slate. Sevilla are the second-biggest favorite, but they've failed to score in their last three matches, two of which were losses to Eibar and Granada. I'm not sure what the issue is, but Rennes have allowed at least one goal in every match this season, so it seems like the perfect time for Sevilla to break their cold streak. Ocampos has slightly better odds to score than Luuk de Jong ($18), though he's yet to hit the back of the net this season. I think Ocampos is a better bet for a full 90, and he's at least getting shots off, even if they aren't efficient, totaling 13 with only one on target in league play. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to like from a fantasy perspective on Sevilla unless you think they truly break their cold streak and bag a few. I'd rather look for a decent floor from Ocampos than putting all my chips in the Sevilla bag and getting burned.

Charles De Ketelaere, BRU v. LAZ ($15): Lazio are dealing with a COVID crisis and may only have 16 players for Wednesday's match, some of them youth players. As of Tuesday, it's unknown what their lineup will be, but Brugge were up to the third-biggest favorite on the slate. De Ketelaere was the guy in the UCL opener, bagging a late winner and finishing with 38.2 fantasy points helped by two more shots on goal. Brugge play in an attacking 4-3-3 formation and that should lead to goals in this match, no matter who plays for Lazio. Elsewhere, Ruud Vormer ($14) is the logical stacking piece as Brugge's main set-piece taker after hitting a floor of 15 points in the first match. As for Lazio, they should be ripe for at least a goal, and that depends on who is able to play. Ciro Immobile ($18) probably won't be an option, but Joaquin Correa ($12) looks to be clear of the virus and could even be on sets if Luis Alberto misses out. 

Bruno Fernandes, MANU v. LEI ($19): I'm avoiding Barcelona because they aren't playing well. Alvaro Morata ($20) and Paulo Dybala ($16) could be possible tournament plays, but I'm not sure Juve are playing much better than Barca. Morata has been good in recent matches, but his goals have come against Crotone, Dynamo Kiev and Verona. The next place to look is Fernanes playing at home against RB Leipzig, who have played well this season but have a lot of injuries and haven't had the most difficult Bundesliga schedule. When you don't know what to do on a slate, Fernandes is usually a good choice, having hit at least 20 fantasy points in every match this season. He's averaging 1.56 shots on goal and four chances created per 90 minutes in Premier League play and managed 23.5 fantasy points in the scoreless draw against Chelsea. The full Man United stack is reasonable, with Anthony Martial ($18) rested because of a league suspension and Marcus Rashford ($21), who has nine shots on target in his last three starts. The problem with Man United in GPPs is that they're probably the most well-known team on the slate, at least in terms of fantasy, and could be the preferred option, even over players from Dortmund.

DEFENDERS

Hamari Traore, REN at SEV ($5): For unknown reasons, Rennes have the two cheapest defenders on the slate. Some may be turned away from Traore's total last match (2.6 points), but Krasnodar and Sevilla aren't the same teams. He may not rack up 20 clearances against Sevilla, but he should be in range for at least 10 fantasy points and that's enough for the price. In fact, he's hit at least 9.5 points in his last five league matches, showing he can accrue defensive stats if the opponent allows him. I'm less confident in Dalbert because he was subbed out early last match, though he's still just five bucks. Otherwise, similar to the forwards, there isn't anyone who stands out for value plays and it doesn't help that all of the Zenit defenders are at least $12.

Dejan Lovren, ZEN at DOR ($13): Speaking of Zenit, if you have the money, they may be your best bet for a defender to hit a 20-point floor. Lovren had 16.7 points against Brugge from six clearances and three interceptions, and he should be close to those numbers against Dortmund, who force the third-most clearances and tackles in the Bundesliga. Yaroslav Rakitskiy ($13) plays alongside Lovren, though he oddly didn't make a clearance last match. Guys like Angelino ($15) and Juan Cuadrado ($14) provide more upside, but in difficult matchups, I'm not sure they're worth the money. 

GOALKEEPER

Bono, SEV v. REN ($13): Given the variety of cheap, viable forwards, it shouldn't be difficult to find a way to get a top goalkeeper into the squad. Roman Burki ($14) has better odds to win, but Zenit have a better attack than Rennes, according to the odds. If you don't back any of Sevilla's forwards, it may be better to go with Burki, mainly because he gives you better odds to win. That said, Sevilla have allowed three goals in six matches this season and Rennes only mustered one goal at home against Krasnodar in their UCL opener. If you need a cheaper option, Alfred Gomis ($7) is on the opposite end of Bono, while Denys Boyko ($5) is the starting goalkeeper and a favorite in the match with the lowest implied goal total.