This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For details odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Quarterfinal Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EDT)
Tuesday, 2:45 p.m: Borussia Dortmund v. Monaco
Tuesday, 2:45 p.m: Juventus v. Barcelona
Wednesday, 2:45 p.m: Atletico Madrid v. Leicester City
Wednesday, 2:45 p.m: Bayern Munich v. Real Madrid
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Marc Andre ter-Stegen, BAR at JUV ($6,800): Ter-Stegen's price seems a bit high, but he's actually the second-cheapest expected starting goalkeeper, as long as Manuel Neuer ($7,400) returns from his foot injury and starts ahead of Sven Ulreich ($5,800). The matchup against Juventus in Turin isn't the easiest, but the Italian giants actually have the lowest expected goal total among the home teams, which means the odds of ter-Stegen getting lit up and not making enough saves to compensate is low. With so many great high-priced options on the slate, saving where you can will be key.
DEFENDER
Nacho, RMD at BYM ($5,700):Nacho is expected to start in place of the injured Raphael Varane (thigh) and Pepe (ribs), and he should get plenty of opportunities for clearances, blocked shots and interceptions while trying to slow down a Bayern attack that is at full throttle of late. He may not have the highest upside, but his price certainly helps fit in some of the starts of the slate.
Jerome Boateng, BYM v. RMD ($5,200): Boateng also fits into the mold of a cheap fill-in center-back who will help free up salary cap room for other players. With Mats Hummels sidelined with an ankle injury, Boateng is expected to line up alongside Javi Martinez ($5,800) and try to slow down the vaunted Real Madrid attack, one that will be looking for that all-important away goal. Like Nacho, his upside isn't all that high, but he should get opportunities for blocked shots and other defensive stats.
Filipe Luis, ATL v. LEI ($6,000): Luis is a do-it-all defender who has been packing the stat sheet of late in both defensive and attacking stats. He showed his attacking prowess against Real Sociedad a week ago when he had one goal on four shots (three on goal) while also creating three chances, and he showed both ends in their prior match, which came against lowly Malaga, when he had one goal on his only shot while also adding three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and two blocked shots. The matchup against Leicester should allow him to move forward more than he did in the Madrid derby this past weekend, giving him solid upside at the defender position. Teammate Juanfran doesn't have quite the same upside, though his $5,500 cost is certainly attractive.
MIDFIELDER
Arjen Robben, BYM v. RMD ($9,200): Robben is in flying form, as he's coming off an excellent eight-shot, one-goal performance against Borussia Dortmund this past weekend, one that also included two chances created. In fact, he's gotten multiple shots on goal and/or created multiple chances in six consecutive Bundesliga starts, and he'll be attacking a Real Madrid defense that will be down two center-backs. Fellow midfielder Franck Ribery ($7,400) has also been playing well, as he has one goal, two assists, 12 chances created and seven tackles won in his last three league starts.
Casemiro, RMD at BYM ($7,500):Casemiro is more of a defensive pick, as he's excellent at racking up defensive peripheral stats from his holding midfield spot. With Bayern Munich's attacking flying of late, Casemiro will have plenty of interception, tackle and clearance chances, something he's shown very capable of doing by scoring over 20 fantasy points in each of his last four Champions League matches. His goal upside is very low, but his floor is incredibly solid.
Koke, ATL v. LEI ($7,000):Koke is expected to take most set pieces for the biggest favorites on the slate, one that is expected to dominate possession as well. While he's not a high-impact goal scorer, he has found the back of the net twice in the past six league games while also adding two assists, 10 chances created, 15 tackles, nine interceptions and 11 fouls drawn over that span. Teammate Yannick Carrasco ($7,100) has much better goal-scoring odds, but his fantasy floor is considerably lower.
Joao Moutinho, MCO at DOR ($5,500): With Tiemoue Bakayoko ($5,900) suspended, Moutinho looks slated to start in the defensive midfield against a Dortmund attack that has forced the fourth-most clearances, fifth-most interceptions, third-most blocked shots and sixth-most tackles in the Bundesliga this season. The upside isn't too high despite 10 chances created in his last six Ligue 1 games, but Moutinho's opportunities for defensive stats and low salary could be very helpful.
FORWARD
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, DOR v. MCO ($12,300): Aubameyang has been red hot in Bundesliga play, scoring eight goals on 29 shots (17 on goal) in his last seven games, with last weekend's 4-1 loss to Bayern Munich the only time he was kept off the score sheet. He has the best anytime goal scoring odds among a slate packed with the world's best goal scorers, and only Lionel Messi has more Champions League goals this season among players still left in the competition.
Kylian Mbappe, MCO at DOR ($8,900): Mbappe found the back of the net in both round of 16 legs against Manchester City, and he's scored nine goals on 18 shots (15 on goal) in his last five Ligue 1 starts. Monaco may not be favored, but they have the highest expected goal total among away teams, and Mbappe looks primed to play a big part.
Fernando Torres, ATL v. LEI ($8,100): Paying up for Antoine Griezmann ($12,100) is obviously a solid strategy, though doing so with Aubameyang really cripples the rest of the lineup. Enter Torres, who has three assists on seven chances created in his last three La Liga matches. He's also taken eight shots (two on goal) and won five fouls over that span. You're unlikely to get a major fantasy score from Torres, but it's worth noting he has better anytime goal scoring odds than Luis Suarez ($9,900), Karim Benzema ($11,000), Arjen Robben ($9,200), Gareth Bale ($10,700), Neymar ($11,200) and Paulo Dybala ($10,500).
