This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
- 4:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Lyon
- 4:00 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool
FORWARDS
Lionel Messi, BAR v. LYN (€32): Messi is the most expensive player on the slate, but it's completely justified given that he has the highest floor and ceiling, regardless of position. Barcelona are heavily favored at home against Lyon, and Messi has by far the highest anytime goal scorer odds, which comes after he already scored 26 goals and assisted 12 others in 23 La Liga stars, plus six more goals and one more assist in four Champions League starts. He may be expensive, but Messi will likely be the highest owned player in cash games and tournaments even after failing to find the back of the net in the first leg, a match he still managed to score 13.3 fantasy points in.
Sadio Mane, LIV at FCB (€22): Passing on Mohamed Salah (€27) is always tough, but his struggles of late, combined with Mane's four goals in the last three games, makes it a bit easier to stomach the lost upside for the salary savings. Salah has made the scoresheet just once in his last eight starts, and while he still managed to take 27 shots, including 11 on target, in that span, €27 is just too much if he can't find the back of the net, and even then it's probably not enough if Mane also manages to make the scoresheet. Liverpool are underdogs away to Bayern, but a win or a score-draw would see them through, so there's certainly reason to think they'll be attacking, and getting a slight discount from the favored Robert Lewandowski (€29) seems prudent.
Nabil Fekir, LYN at BAR (€22): Fekir was suspended for the first leg, and while €22 isn't nothing for an attacking player lining up against Barcelona in Spain, Fekir is dynamic enough to make the investment worth it. The Barcelona defense is hardly a lock-tight unit, and even if you didn't want to spend up for Fekir, Memphis Depay (€16) is an interesting price as well since he'll share set pieces with Fekir.
MIDFIELDERS
Sergio Busquets, BAR v. LYN (€15): Barcelona are likely to have a ton of possession Wednesday, and that similar game script in the first leg helped Busquets to an even 100 completed passes, his fourth-highest total of the season. He added a shot on target during the match, something that isn't likely to be repeated (he's taken six shots in 23 La Liga starts), but the passing floor at his price is worth taking, especially with few high-impact midfielders on the slate.
Serge Gnabry, FCB v. LIV (€16): Paying up for James Rodriguez (€24) is also a possibility because he's likely to take nearly all of Bayern's set pieces in place of the suspended Joshua Kimmich, but his price pretty much requires a goal or an assist (then again, he's made the scoresheet in each of his last three Bundesliga starts). Meanwhile, Gnabry comes in significantly cheaper and has three goals on 17 shots (nine on target) in his last six games, a span that has seen him take three shots five times. You could also make the case for Franck Ribery (€16), who had three assists in 35 minutes Friday against Werder Bremen, as well as four goals in his last four starts, though he provides close to nothing if he can't get on the scoresheet.
Philippe Coutinho, BAR v. LYN (€29): Paying this much for Coutinho seems a bit mad given how poor he's been for Barcelona, but he still has really good upside while playing for the team with the highest implied goal total, and you're likely to get him at pretty low ownership. He's expected to start in place of the injured Ousmane Dembele (€25, forward), and while he could inherit some set pieces, you need a ton of shots to help make his salary serviceable.
DEFENDERS
Joel Matip, LIV at FCB (€13): Matip will be one of the cheapest starting defenders on the slate outside of Lyon, and while Liverpool are away underdogs, this match figures to be tight and possibly low scoring. Another clean sheet can't be ruled out, though Matip's cheaper price is really the most important thing he brings to the table. You can say the same thing for Bayern Munich's Rafinha (€13), who is expected to start at right-back with the task of slowing down Mane.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV at FCB (€16): Sticking with Liverpool, though not because of their clean sheet chances, Alexander-Arnold could be involved in most of their set pieces, giving him an upside no other defender on the slate can match because Kimmich is out. He managed a solid 9.95 fantasy points in the opening leg (including an assist), and it wouldn't even be bad if Liverpool fell behind early because it would just ensure that Alexander-Arnold moves up for more attacking points.
Gerard Pique, BAR v. LYN (€16): Barcelona have the best clean sheet odds, and while they really aren't that good defensively, Pique is on the ball enough to at least get a relatively safe floor from his passes. He leads Barcelona's defenders in the category, and while he doesn't take shots often, he's still a solid target on set pieces and could move up quite a bit if Barcelona happen to allow an away goal.
GOALKEEPER
Alisson Becker, LIV at FCB (€15): Alisson is €3 cheaper than Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has the highest win and clean sheet odds among the four goalkeepers, and while he is technically an underdog, I'm on the side that Liverpool win this match. If you're looking for saves, Anthony Lopes (€11) is likely to provide that with significant salary savings, but it's more likely he gets blasted.
