DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wed. Champions League Values

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Gareth Bale (leg), Karim Benzema (hamstring), James Rodriguez (thigh), Sergio Aguero (hamstring), David Silva (ankle), Aleksandar Kolarov (hamstring) and David Luiz (knee) are just a few players who will not be participating Wednesday, which actually makes our lineup decisions a bit easier. We have a few clear favorites, and many solid fantasy options from those sides are not overly expensive.

But of course, the ultimate question is simply: do you fade Cristiano Ronaldo ($14,000)?

Three Games to Target

Atletico Madrid v. FC Astana

Unsurprisingly, goalkeeper Jan Oblak ($5,900) is the most expensive keeper, though as the heaviest favorites, he's may have the clearest path to a clean sheet victory.

Atleti's defenders are also expensive, with Juanfran ($5,000) one of four players at the position to reach that price level, though Kolarov is among that group. For some salary savings, Filipe Luis ($4,400) offers the same clean sheet opportunity and also crosses the ball well. If any other fullbacks start, they're solid plays.

I'd argue the midfielders don't have as much upside as we'd like in GPPs, but forward Antoine Griezmann ($8,800) may be the best option on the slate given his price. And for fun, here was his goal this past weekend against Real Sociedad:

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Juventus v. Borussia Monchengladbach

Monchengladbach started the season off very poorly, but they have turned it around of late, scoring multiple goals in four of their last five games, including a 5-1 drubbing of Eintracht Frankfurt last Saturday. Raffael ($5,300) led the way with a brace, and he now has three goals and five assists in his last four Bundesliga matches.

However, Juventus will likely be the more popular options from this match, with forward Alvaro Morata ($7,000) leading the way. Morata suffered what appeared to be a very serious leg injury while playing for Spain over the recent international break, leading to speculation that he may have fractured it. However, he was able to start and play 71 minutes against Inter last weekend and should start Wednesday well. His partner is still up in the air, with Paulo Dybala ($5,600) and Mario Mandzukic ($8,700) the options there.

Paul Pogba ($6,400) is the big name in the Juventus midfield, but Juan Cuadrado ($6,700) is the better stat sheet filler, accounting for 20 fantasy points in his last two UCL matches without a goal or assist.

Manchester City v. Sevilla

Despite being without Aguero, Silva and Kolarov, Man City remain solid favorites thanks to their plethora of talent. Wilfried Bony ($7,300) will likely get another start after he had two goals, one assist, five shots (four on target), three crosses and one foul drawn last weekend against Bournemouth. Sevilla are obviously better than the promoted Premier League side, but Bony's upside is still excellent, particularly at the price.

Another player who is underpriced is midfielder Kevin De Bruyne ($7,100). With at least 14 fantasy points in four of his last five games, De Bruyne could arguably be a solid play in the $9,000 range. Jesus Navas ($6,400) also deserves a look because of his crosses, and while he's picked up an assist in back-to-back matches, his crosses are historically so inaccurate that you're almost buying crosses without assist upside. I should mention Raheem Sterling after his hat trick last weekend, but at $8,900 I'll be staying away.

On the defensive side, I don't think the Man City options are that solid, as Sevilla have been finding ways to score of late, but with Kolarov out, it looks like Pablo Zabaleta ($4,200) and Bacary Sagna ($4,300) will start out wide. Unfortunately, Sevilla haven't had a clear-cut goal-scorer during their run, so any pick from the side is mostly a dart.

What About Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain?

Some of the best players in the world are in this game, with Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo ($14,000) leading the way. That price tag is almost prohibitively high, but no one has as much upside, particularly in this slate, as Ronaldo. However, without Bale, Benzema and James, PSG could extensively focus on shutting Ronaldo down (good luck!), with the hope that if they get beat, it'll have to be thanks to huge efforts from guys like Jese ($5,000), Isco ($5,900) or...I don't even know who else. That's my biggest hesitation about Ronaldo.

On the flip side, Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($10,800) and Edinson Cavani ($9,400) are attractive plays, with the former playing significantly better of late by scoring six goals in his last five club matches and six goals in his last four games for club and country. And for those who love narrative, Angel Di Maria ($9,900) faces off against his old club that shipped him to Manchester United last summer even though he didn't want to leave, and he said he will not celebrate if he scores (for the record, I find this practice incredibly dumb).

Given the explosive firepower in this game, many could look away from the defensive options, but given the DraftKings scoring system, particularly with crosses, it's still worth considering a few players. Madrid's Marcelo ($6,000) is the most expensive defender, and while he has plenty of cross upside, that's a hefty price. Dani Carvajal ($4,600) was a popular pick in the last Champions League set of matches thanks to his 10 crosses, but he picked up an ankle injury while on international duty, which has pushed Danilo ($4,400) into the starting lineup.

PSG defenders may be the better play of the two teams given that Madrid are so shorthanded, which gives us Serge Aurier ($4,200) and likely Maxwell ($4,400), though if Gregory van der Wiel ($4,100) gets the start he would be very attractive given his crossing ability.

Can We Get Some More Value Plays?

Wanting to fit Ronaldo and Ibrahmovic into a lineup will require a few cheaper options and thankfully there are a couple more to consider.

CSKA Moscow's Seydou Doumbia ($5,900) paid off very well for fantasy owners in the last UCL gameweek, scoring two goals on six shots (he also infuriatingly missed a penalty by skying it over the bar). Playing at home against Manchester United should be no deterrent from selecting him again, as the trip to Russia from Manchester is easier said than done.

On that subject, it's not crazy to fade Manchester United on Wednesday, including playing CSKA defender Mario Fernandes ($3,600). Western European teams playing in Russia are always stay-aways for me, so focusing on a defender fits right in.

Wolfsburg's Daniel Caligiuri ($4,900) also scored in the last gameweek, and he has 30 fantasy points in his two Champions Leagues matches this season.

Nicolas Gaitan ($5,300) of Benfica has scored in back-to-back UCL matches, including one at Atletico Madrid, though the trip to Turkey may be a bit tougher from a physical standpoint. If you feel strongly that Benfica won't be able to break through then defender Lionel Carole ($3,600) is worth consideration given his crossing talents.