DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (EDT)

• 4:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Lyon
• 4:00 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool

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

FORWARDS

Lionel Messi, BAR v. OL ($10,400): Messi is likely to be very popular on the four-game slate, and that's when he was $400 more than Wednesday's two-gamer. The reasons to use him Wednesday remain the same, as he's scored double-digit fantasy points in 21 consecutive stats in La Liga and the Champions League, and he has 26 goals and 12 assists in 23 domestic starts, plus six goals and an assist in four UCL starts. The difficulty in fading him  is that you don't get the opportunity to try to make it up with guys like Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Cristiano Ronaldo, who all played Tuesday, which is likely to cause him to be the highest owned player in cash games and GPPs. Pairing him with Luis Suarez ($8,400) is theoretically an option, but Suarez has just two goals and zero assists in his last eight matches in all competitions.

James Rodriguez, BAY v. LIV ($7,300): James is likely to take a majority of set pieces for Bayern in place of the suspended Joshua Kimmich, which will certainly make him cash viable because Bayern are favored at home against Liverpool. He's also been excellent of late, taking 11 shots, sending in 37 crosses and creating 26 chances in his last seven starts, including 10.50 fantasy points at Anfield without getting on the scoresheet. Tournament players could stay in this price range but target the other side of the game, with Liverpool's Sadio Mane ($7,400) coming in with a brace in two of his last three games.

Nabil Fekir, OL at BAR ($6,900): Lyon are big underdogs away to Barcelona, but any goal they score basically counts as two because of the away goals rule. Choosing between Fekir and Memphis Depay ($6,400) is always tough because they are both dynamic attackers with a role on set pieces, but Fekir's floor is slightly higher, as is his ceiling because of his shots. Lyon aren't likely to have much possession, but Fekir is a good enough fantasy scorer to take a shot at this price.

MIDFIELDERS

Javi Martinez, BAY v. LIV ($4,000): Martinez provided a cheap 7.00 fantasy points at $3,300 in the first leg, and while his price is up from then, it comes after he scored a goal in two of his last three games. He's highly unlikely to find the back of the net Wednesday, but his floor from defensive stats should be relatively secure for such a low price. With forwards worth paying up for, plus a general lack of elite midfielders, using a spot on Martinez should open things up elsewhere.

Philippe Coutinho, BAR v. OL ($8,100): Coutinho is laughably expensive for how bad he's been for Barcelona, but with an opportunity to start in an attacking three with Messi and Suarez, he certainly makes sense for GPPs. The midfielder pool is pretty light Wednesday, enough so that you could theoretically play four forward-eligible players, but if you want to stack the team with the highest implied goal total, including Coutinho makes sense.

DEFENDERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV at BAY ($5,600): With a role on set pieces for a Liverpool team that many are expecting to advance, Alexander-Arnold seems likely to be the highest-owned defender in cash games. The game script can change pretty suddenly if Bayern go ahead early because Liverpool would need to attack since a score-draw would see them through, and whenever they are looking for some help on the wing, Alexander-Arnold is always there to send in crosses.

Andrew Robertson, LIV at BAY ($4,300): Robertson shouldn't be ignored, even though he's not nearly the crosser Alexander-Arnold is on a regular basis. Similar to midfield, there are few impact defenders worth targeting, and while Alexander-Arnold seems like the safest bet, Robertson is no slouch in the attack, making an appearance on the scoresheet more plausible than many other options.

Ferland Mendy, OL at BAR ($3,600): As mentioned before, Lyon aren't likely to have much possession, but they're going to have to attack more if they fall behind early, especially since they didn't allow an away goal to Barcelona in the first leg. Mendy is an inconsistent crosser, though he's been attacking more of late, including 12 fouls drawn in his last four matches, three of which came in the reverse fixture when he had 5.50 fantasy points, a total that would be more than serviceable at his Wednesday price. You can't expect much in this price range, but Mendy at least has theoretical upside.

GOALKEEPER

Alisson Becker, LIV at BAY ($4,400): Liverpool are away underdogs, but I still think they are going to advance, so why not roster the second-cheapest goalkeeper on the slate? Neither team scored at Anfield, so it's not like one side will be opening up immediately after kickoff, but this could be a tight stalemate with saves to be had. If you want to gamble, Lyon's Anthony Lopes ($3,800) probably has the highest save upside on the slate, but a repeat of his last Champions League performance (16.00 at the Camp Nou) seems much more unlikely than him getting blasted.