FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (EST)

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

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Cristiano Ronaldo, JUV v. DYK ($22): Ronaldo has the best odds to score and will be one of the most popular players on the slate. He hasn't shown much in Champions League, failing to surpass 28 fantasy points in his two appearances, but he's never someone to doubt. He's made the score-sheet in all seven appearances this season and there's no reason to fade him after Juventus won the first meeting against Dynamo 2-0. Even better, Dynamo have given up at least two goals in all four UCL matches and lost to a mostly Barcelona B squad last week. The question is if you should stack Alvaro Morata ($20) with Ronaldo, as that'll only work if Juve score multiple goals. Morata doesn't get the same kind of opportunities when Ronaldo is in the team, but he'll undoubtedly get chances. Morata has eight goals and three assists in 11 appearances in all competitions, and has the third-best odds on the slate to score, only behind Ronaldo and Erling Haaland. Elsewhere, it's less certain for Juve because scoring is usually limited to the front forwards. Federico Bernardeschi ($11) is in play for GPPs, but he's yet to make the score-sheet this season. If you want to back the team with the highest-implied goal total, it's Ronaldo and Morata, and then everyone else.

Erling Haaland, DOR v. LAZ ($23): Haaland is slightly behind Ronaldo in terms of goal odds, only because Dortmund have a harder match against Lazio. That may be the case, but Lazio don't have the best back line and most recently gave up three goals at home to Udinese in Serie A play. As for Haaland, he'll be looking to rebound following a disappointing league result in which he didn't score. Prior to that, he had scored a ridiculous 12 goals in seven matches, including braces in each of his last two Champions League starts. In the last meeting against Lazio, he created two chances and had two shots on goal to go with a goal. Given Haaland's upside, it'll be hard to fade him on this slate and, similar to Ronaldo, he'll likely be on more than 50 percent of rosters, no matter the competition. And similar to Ronaldo, you have to decide if Jadon Sancho ($20) is worth it as a stacking piece. In fact, it might come down to Sancho or Morata because you can't fit all four guys on a roster. Sancho has been great in UCL, but his down performances in league play are worrisome, as he still hasn't scored in seven starts. Morata is probably safer, but as seen in the match against Brugge, Sancho has plenty of upside. Guys like Thorgan Hazard ($16) and anyone else who starts for Dortmund are in play to make the score-sheet, but none are reliable. Lazio players will also get some attention because they won the prior meeting 3-1. Ciro Immobile ($19) is the guy for GPP stacks opposite of Haaland, while Luis Alberto ($13) is mostly used for his floor from set pieces.

Martin Braithwaite, BAR at FCS ($15): Braithwaite will be popular if he starts again after bracing with an assist last week. His price also allows for a couple high-end guys like the ones mentioned above. After barely appearing the first couple months of the season, Braithwaite has started the last two, scoring in each. He makes too much sense after Barca looked fine playing with a slew of backups last week. They racked up 22 shots, including 11 on target, in a 5-1 win against Ferencvarosi last meeting and Braithwaite could get the same opportunities he had against Dynamo. Of course, everything with Barca depends on who starts up front. Antoine Griezmann ($19) has looked better in recent games and usually performs better when Lionel Messi isn't in the squad, though he costs a tad more. Francisco Trincao ($9) is cheaper but has struggled to hit the back of the net; then again, he plays in an attacking role on one of the bigger favorites on the slate. Ferencvarosi held strong against Juve last match, but they've still allowed 13 goals in four matches and Barca have the talent to capitalize again.

Ruud Vormer, BRU v. ZNT ($13): There's not another team that really stands out on the slate, as most cash lineups will include players from the three biggest favorites. PSG and Man United are always in play for goals, but that's not the easiest matchup to bet on as it could go either way, and it doesn't help that all of those guys are normally priced like Kylian Mbappe ($21) and Bruno Fernandes ($19). The same goes for Chelsea and Sevilla after they fought to a scoreless draw last meeting. That's why I'm leaning toward Brugge, the fourth-biggest favorite on the slate. They are four points behind Lazio in their group but still have a chance to advance to the round of 16 since those teams will play on the final day. While Brugge don't have a hands-down goal scorer, they'll be pushing for three points and they scored twice in the prior meeting. Hans Vanaken ($15) takes penalties, but he's more expensive than Vormer, who takes corners and created four chances in the first meeting. Charles De Ketelaere ($13) has been the lone starting forward in recent matches, but the possible return of Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis ($13) could make things more difficult to project who will score. For cash games, Vormer is most viable, but in GPPs, if anyone starts as the lone forward, he's worth a bet.

DEFENDERS

Abraham Akwasi Frimpong, FCS v. BAR ($6): Frimpong makes the most sense of the $6 defenders because he's a center-back going against Barcelona. He had 9.6 fantasy points against Juventus, and both Ferencvarosi center-backs had at least 14 fantasy points in the reverse fixture with Barcelona. Similar to Tuesday, there will likely be a random defender who starts Wednesday, but don't immediately put them in your lineup if they're $5. The main thing with unknown players is that initial formations are often incorrect, similar to Bayern listing 17-year-old Bright Akwo Arrey-Mbi as a center-back prior to the match. However, the match started and he was on the left wing and in turn didn't do anything before being subbed off early. Oscar Mingueza ($7) remains decent value and is in play for a clean sheet, while Marcel Heister ($6) can be used as well. He doesn't have the same floor as Frimpong, but that doesn't matter at this price.

Harry Maguire, MANU v. PSG ($9): There won't be a ton of money to spend on defender unless you fade Ronaldo and Haaland, which would be a risky strategy. Maguire is at a discount because he hasn't had much defensive action in recent matches against Istanbul Basaksehir, but he often hits a floor near 10 points against better competition and PSG will be looking for revenge in this meeting. If you have money, there's not a ton to go after since guys like Alex Telles ($13) and Jesus Navas ($13) are in tough spots. If anything, Alex Sandro ($13) is home against Dynamo and should get forward similar to the last match when he created two chances.

GOALKEEPER

Tomas Vaclik, SEV v. CHE ($9): Frank Lampard hinted he would rotate some players, which means another scoreless draw could be ahead for Chelsea and Sevilla. Vaclik is the underdog in the match with the lowest-implied goal total. In the reverse fixture, Bono had 22 fantasy points from four saves and a clean sheet. According to the odds, Wojciech Szczesny ($15) has the best odds to win and secure a clean sheet, but he's at max price. Neto ($14) is another option, and if you don't want to spend, you can test your luck on either the Dynamo or Ferencvarosi goalkeeper, but I'm not going to guess between the two. Simon Mignolet ($9) is also oddly cheap despite having the fourth-best odds for a clean sheet.