DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday-Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (ET)

• Tuesday, 3:00 pm: Liverpool vs. FC Porto
• Tuesday, 3:00 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City
• Wednesday, 3:00 pm: Ajax vs. Juventus
• Wednesday, 3:00 pm: Manchester United vs. Barcelona

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday-Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet.

FORWARDS

Lionel Messi, BAR at MU ($10,000): Messi is the most expensive player on the slate, and he is criminally underpriced. Barcelona are favored away to Manchester United, and Messi comes in with 13 goals on 47 shots (25 on goal), four assists on 17 chances created and 17 fouls drawn in his last eight games. His shot floor alone is unmatched, and there's no doubt that he'll be the highest-owned player in cash games and GPPs. Because of that, fading him makes sense in tournaments, at least from a leverage standpoint, but there may be no scarier fade. Paying up for Cristiano Ronaldo ($9,500) is always a possibility in the Champions League, but he's missed a number of games recently with a thigh injury and Juventus are playing away (i.e. the second leg is at home), so there may not be a huge need to push him.

Mohamed Salah, LIV v. POR ($8,400): Filling the second forward spot won't be that easy, especially if you consider the Tottenham v. Manchester City match one worth targeting, with any of the City options plus Harry Kane ($8,300) viable. However, Liverpool make much more sense because they are the biggest favorite on the slate. Salah finally broke his goal drought this past weekend, and he's always been a consistent shot-taker. Teammate Sadio Mane ($7,800) was the Liverpool forward worth targeting during Salah's drought, as he had seven goals in five games before failing to find the back of the net in each of the last two. Salah probably makes more sense in cash games, but Mane is at least more in the conversation than Roberto Firmino ($7,000), even if he has three goals on 14 shots (five on goal) and two assists on eight chances created in his last five starts.

Federico Bernardeschi, JUV at AJA ($5,600): Pricing seems soft on the surface (Messi at $10,000 shows that), but there are plenty of forwards in the high four-figures who are worth playing, so it's actually not as easy as it seems. That being said, Bernardeschi is quite underpriced for a player who has been taking set pieces for Juventus of late, even if he's sharing them with Miralem Pjanic ($6,600, midfielder). While there aren't a ton of players worth paying up for at other positions, using Bernardeschi as a second forward makes the other spots easier, especially when we get a player who has scored at least 8.75 floor points in four of his last five starts in all competitions.

MIDFIELDERS

Hakim Ziyech, AJA v. JUV ($9,600): If you prefer midfielders who don't score double-digit fantasy points every match, feel free to fade Ziyech. The Ajax midfielder has been one of the most consistent fantasy-point scorers in the competition this season, and while it's his high floor from shots, crosses, tackles won and fouls drawn that we are looking for, it doesn't hurt that he's scored in both of his last two Champions League matches (both legs against Real Madrid). Paying up for Messi and Ziyech doesn't leave a lot of money for the other spots, but going without them means you're fading the two most consistent players in cash games.

Kevin De Bruyne, MCI at TOT ($8,000): Manchester City are away for the first leg, but it's a trip they are familiar with and not nearly as long as what other sides have to deal with. Paying up for Manchester City forwards doesn't seem optimal in a match they aren't expected to dominate, but getting De Bruyne for $8,000 doesn't seem as bad, especially as he's coming off an FA Cup victory over Brighton when he had one assist on seven crosses, plus one goal on two shots and six chances created on 18 crosses in his last Premier League game. With a significant role on set pieces, De Bruyne will always be in the action for Man City, and since we know if he'll be starting on the first day, his availability is much safer than Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho ($7,800). De Bruyne isn't the only potential midfield-eligible set-piece taker, as James Milner ($6,800) could get a share of Liverpool's corners if he starts at left-back in place of the suspended Andrew Robertson, while Pjanic could split with Bernardeschi if both are in (and he could have a monopoly if Bernardeschi is out).

Arturo Vidal, BAR at MU ($4,300): The mid-tier midfield options, other than Milner and Pjanic, are pretty weak, and if you want money for at least one defender, you're probably going to have to pay down for one midfield spot and/or the utility. There isn't a whole lot to get excited about in the land of defensive midfielders, but Vidal has actually had a pretty decent floor lately (at least for his price this week) thanks to tackles won, fouls drawn and occasional shots. With Barcelona facing a fairly weak Manchester United defense (though admittedly they have had some very good defensive results), Vidal may be able to get a little more involved in the attack while still providing his defensive stats. Vidal doesn't really separate himself much from the other players in his price range, or even below, as Fred ($4,200), Blaise Matuidi ($4,100), Moussa Sissoko ($3,800) and even Nemanja Matic ($3,000) are fine, but he at least provides some exposure to a Barcelona side that were favorites to win the entire tournament.

DEFENDERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. POR ($5,600): With a role on set pieces for the biggest favorite on the slate, Alexnder-Arnold has to be in consideration for cash games. The inclusion of Milner at left-back will certainly reduce Alexander-Arnold's floor, but his open play value is still strong enough that he's worth paying up for, even with other high-end defenders available. I understand the idea of paying up for the Tottenham or Manchester City fullbacks, but I don't think there's enough there to warrant taking them over Alexander-Arnold. The same could be said about the Juve guys, as Joao Cancelo ($5,400) would be in the discussion if he wasn't batting a calf injury that has kept him from featuring in the past two games.

Alex Telles, POR at LIV ($4,600): Telles takes nearly all of Porto's set pieces, and while they aren't expected to win that many Tuesday, getting them at his price when we've all played him for nearly $2,000 more seems like a good deal. Porto are the biggest underdog of the eight games in play, and Telles comes in questionable because of a hip injury, but he still provides a decent floor for a player who isn't even in the top 10 most expensive at his position.

Joel Veltman, AJA v. JUV ($3,500): The bottom of the defender barrel is pretty ugly, but we could get a cheap Ajax right-back who scored a goal in their Eredivisie win this past weekend. It's not much to go on, especially since Veltman is recently back from a long-term injury, but $3,500 for an outside player isn't bad. Then again, his spot in the starting XI isn't guaranteed. Given the desire to pay up at other positions (it is the Champions League, after all), don't be surprised when you see more center-backs than usual in cash lineups, with some likely to prioritize favored sides like Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci ($3,200) or Barcelona's Clement Lenglet ($3,200), who are more likely to score zero fantasy points than 10, but their cheap prices will allow more roster flexibility.

GOALKEEPER

Hugo Lloris, TOT v. MCI ($4,000): Lloris is the cheapest home goalkeeper, and in a match that could be very close, it seems unlikely that he'll get lit up and finish with negative fantasy points. Additionally, if you aren't playing Manchester City forwards, it makes sense to roster the goalkeeper against them. Then again, if you're looking for pure save upside, it's tough to deny the opportunity that David de Gea ($4,300) has in front of him, but you have to rely on Messi putting more shots on net than in the back of it.