DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday-Wednesday UCL Picks

MATCHES (EST)

• 4:00 pm: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• 4:00 pm: Valencia vs. Atalanta
• 4:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Atlético Madrid
• 4:00 pm: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund

For detailed stats and odds, as well as expected lineups, check out the

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday-Wednesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS

Neymar, PSG v. BVB ($12,600): The most expensive player on the slate, Neymar is $1,600 more than teammate Kylian Mbappe, the second-highest priced player, and $2,200 more than the next-highest, Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic. It seems sub-optimal to spend so much salary on a single player, but no one has a higher floor, and if he doesn't have the highest ceiling, he has one of the highest. He was rested for last weekend's Ligue 1 game after taking a heavy knock during last week's Coupe de France match against Lyon, but he should be a full go Wednesday. Mbappe obviously has loads of upside, and this match is expected to have goals in it as PSG try to overcome a 2-1 aggregate deficit; however, his floor isn't great for cash games even though he's an awesome GPP play. There will also be some who consider Angel Di Maria ($9,000) because he also takes some set pieces, even when Neymar is on, though the better play per dollar for upside is surely Edinson Cavani ($7,000) if he starts. Like Mbappe, Cavani's floor isn't high, but leading the line for the team with the highest implied goal total has be considered for tournament lineups. The other side of this match has plenty of upside too, led by Erling Haaland ($8,700), who has been absolutely incredible for Borussia Dortmund since transferring from RB Salzburg, scoring 11 goals on 23 shots (14 on goal) and assisting another on five chances created in nine Bundesliga and UCL games (six starts), including a brace in the opening leg.

Patrik Schick, RBL v. TOT ($4,800): RB Leipzig come in with a 1-0 aggregate lead, which isn't nearly big enough to just sit back and defend for 90 minutes, especially since this team isn't built to do that anyway. Timo Werner ($8,900) will lead the line and comes in with the highest anytime goal scorer odds on the slate, but he's also only scored two goals in his last eight Bundesliga and Champions League appearances (seven starts), though one was against Spurs in the opening leg. Meanwhile, Schick has three goals on 26 shots (10 on target) and one assist on 10 chances created in his last eight (six starts), and he comes in quite cheaply given his position and opportunity. He could be a popular pay-down option for fantasy players wanting to spend up for Neymar and others, and we're not sacrificing a ton of goal upside, as his anytime goal scorer odds are better than players like Di Maria and Roberto Firmino ($7,600), and they're only slightly below Sadio Mane ($8,400).

Joao Felix, ATL at LIV ($5,700): If you're looking for an upside play that's likely to be very under-owned, we have Felix, who scored a goal last week and is playing for a team expected to defend heavily for 90 minutes against arguably the best team in the world. It seems highly likely that people will be rostering some of the Liverpool attackers like Mohamed Salah ($8,600), Mane and Firmino because they have to score to get back into the tie, and even if you focus on teams that are ahead like RB Leipzig, Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund, you have to pay a premium for their attackers. That leaves Felix in a comfortable zone of being low owned and fairly cheap, allowing you to still pay up for some of the expensive chalk. Is Felix likely to score? Nope. But he could be a huge contributor to a fantasy roster if he does. And if you really want to go nuts, Alvaro Morata is $800 less.

MIDFIELDERS

Denis Cheryshev, VCF v. ATA ($4,200): Valencia have to make up a 4-1 aggregate deficit, so they're going to be on the front foot a lot more than they're used to. It's been 13 La Liga and UCL games since they've scored more than two goals, but they're going to have to push a ton against Atalanta if they want to move on (a 3-0 win would see them through thanks to the away goal they managed in Italy two weeks ago). Any consideration for Valencia players usually starts with Dani Parejo ($7,200) because of his dominant role on their set pieces, and he could certainly be popular this week because of that. However, he doesn't do much attacking in open play (no one really does consistently), but we've seen Cheryshev show signs lately, as you can see in their shot trend and cross trend. The significant cost savings from Parejo is helpful on a slate when you may want to pay up for Neymar, though pairing Parejo and Cheryshev isn't a bad strategy either, especially since their forwards have been so inept. And with Valencia having to push so much in this one, spending up highly on Atalanta's Alejandro Gomez ($9,300) seems like a poor use of salary since you're completely relying on what they can do on the counter.

Christopher Nkunku, RBL v. TOT ($6,100): Nkunku has been sharing set pieces with defender Angelino ($6,000) lately, though he is still creating chances at a great clip, assisting 16 shots in his last three games, one of which resulted in four assists. Leipzig grabbed an important away goal in the first leg, but they are likely to still come out firing this week given that only one goal allowed evens things up, which means we shouldn't hesitate that he'll be a big part of the attack once again.

Giovani Lo Celso, TOT at RBL ($4,700): On the other side of that match is Lo Celso, who is likely to take a majority of set pieces for a Tottenham side that has to score one goal just to even things up. Lo Celso played 45 minutes off the bench this past weekend and still managed eight crosses and two shots. A lot of his value will come from those set pieces, but Tottenham need to attack to get back in this tie. His price is pretty affordable on a slate with a few guys worth paying up for, and if you're looking for a little more upside, Dele Alli ($5,100), who is also forward eligible, could be that guy since Steven Bergwijn ($5,500) has been ruled out with a significant ankle injury.

DEFENDERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV v. ATL ($7,200): Set pieces for a home favorite that needs to make up a goal deficit, Alexander-Arnold figures to be the most popular player in cash games, and he'll be highly owned in GPPs. His price is $1,200 more than the next-highest defender, RB Leipzig's Angelino, and while the latter has a share of set pieces, he doesn't have nearly the crossing consistency of Alexander-Arnold. And if you think Liverpool really come out attacking, Andrew Robertson ($5,600) should be a consideration too, though more so as a complement to Alexander-Arnold rather than a replacement.

Jose Gaya, VAL v. ATA ($4,600): Gaya was solid in the first leg, finishing with 10.4 fantasy points despite no set pieces and losing 4-1. He's a more well-rounded fantasy scorer than Daniel Wass ($4,800), so the slight salary savings are helpful. You could also consider the Dortmund fullbacks, Achraf Hakimi ($5,400) and Raphael Guerreiro ($4,200), though the latter seems a bit over-priced and the latter, unfortunately, has played to his price recently because he doesn't have set pieces anymore.

Jan Vertonghen, TOT at RBL ($2,700): Vertonghen started as a left wing-back this past weekend, a position that helped him send in seven crosses, a significantly bigger attacking contribution than when he plays his normal center-back role. Thankfully, we'll know if Vertonghen is starting before the slate locks, though there's no guarantee he will play out wide again, and even the presence of Toby Alderweireld ($2,600) and Davinson Sanchez ($2,600) doesn't guarantee he's playing as a fullback or wing-back because he could be in the back three. However, his price is low enough that it might be worth the risk is there's an indication he's playing out wide.

GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak, ATL at LIV ($3,800): Oblak, who posted a zero-save clean sheet in the first leg, is the cheapest goalkeeper on the slate. Atletico Madrid are understandably underdogs at Anfield, but the match has the lowest total of the four and Oblak figures to get plenty of save opportunities as Liverpool try to fight their way back from a one-goal deficit. Paying up for a 'keeper seems like a poor use of funds on the slate, both because there are attackers worth paying up for and because there aren't any easy wins or clean sheets.