This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Ajax vs. Liverpool
- 3:00 pm: Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen
- 3:00 pm: Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich
- 3:00 pm: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Marseille
- 3:00 pm: Napoli vs. Rangers FC
- 3:00 pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Sporting CP
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
This slate is more difficult than most, especially for cash games as there are few clear-cut decisions. Napoli are the biggest favorite and their 2.42 implied goal total is almost half a goal higher than the next closest team. They've lit the competition on fire with 17 goals through four matches and dominant displays against Liverpool and Ajax. The star of the show has been Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ($10,500). The silky-skilled Georgian has seven goals and six assists in 14 starts through all competitions, but he's the most expensive player on the slate and doesn't take set pieces which rules him out for cash games. I wouldn't consider Robert Lewandowski ($10,300), either. He has the top goalscoring odds among projected starters at -135 and Barcelona are in a must-win spot, but the price is too steep for a tough matchup against Bayern.
Son Heung-Min, TOT vs. SCP ($9,800): Tottenham have the second-highest total and plenty of motivation as the top three in their group are separated by one point. The recent set-piece history says that Son is the majority taker and his +110 goal odds give him plenty of upside. He's also gone 90 minutes in three consecutive starts and I feel pretty confident in his minutes Wednesday given that Spurs are still dealing with injuries to Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Antoine Griezmann, ATL vs. LEV ($9,200): This is a must-win spot for Atletico and a pretty good matchup at home against Leverkusen. They have a 1.75 implied total and Griezmann is coming off two goals over the weekend against Real Betis. He's played 90 minutes in four of his seven starts this season and I'd rank him just ahead of Son, mostly because of the $600 salary difference. Elsewhere, Ousmane Dembele ($9,400) has been a crossing machine, but the matchup against Bayern puts him behind Son and Griezmann when ranking them based on the combination of floor and upside. Whoever starts at center forward for Napoli, whether it's Victor Osimhen ($9,300) or Giacomo Raspadori ($8,900), will be a good option for GPPs. Osimhen would have the best goal odds on the slate at -145.
It's difficult to afford two expensive forwards and maybe that isn't the optimal construction. The mid-range doesn't offer much, though. Mohamed Salah ($8,600) is strictly a tournament option away to Ajax. Hirving Lozano (7,800) could be considered for cash games as he's the cheapest of the Napoli attackers and it's such a good spot. He has goals in three of his last four games and he's taken three shots in five straight. Moussa Diaby ($6,700) will probably split sets for Leverkusen but away to Atletico doesn't seem like a spot to target for cash games. Moving to the cheap range, Randal Kolo Muani ($5,300) seems slightly underpriced, but he's a center forward and his +220 goal odds don't exactly jump out. Callum Hudson-Odoi ($5,100) probably has the higher floor but his playing time is a bit of a question mark after he missed a match with a knee injury and returned over the weekend to play 29 minutes off the bench. Maybe it's mistake if you're in this range for cash games.
MIDFIELDERS
Piotr Zielinski, NAP vs. RAN ($8,700): Zielinski is the highest-priced midfielder and the salary is probably fair given that he's the majority set-piece taker for the team with the highest implied total. He already has three goals and two assists in the competition and put up 18 floor points in the previous meeting with Rangers. I still wouldn't call him a must for cash games, though. The salary is tough to afford if you're spending up at both forward spots and the Napoli players have a risk of being subbed. You could save $1,500 and roster Joshua Kimmich ($7,200) instead. He had 11 floor points against Viktoria Plzen in the last round and nine in the reverse fixture against Barcelona before that. He had 12 in the win over Hoffenheim at the weekend and nine against Freiburg in the round before. It's hard to get excited about that, but he's definitely the safest midfield option as he pretty much always plays 90 minutes. Even still, the matchup away to Barcelona will likely have me taking a pass. I wouldn't call you crazy if you chose Daichi Kamada ($7,000) instead. He's taken the majority of set pieces for Frankfurt over the past month and has three goals in as many games coming into a rather favorable matchup at home against Marseille. I wouldn't consider Jesper Lindstrom ($6,100) for cash games, but he's quite appealing for tournaments as he's been in great form with a brace over the weekend against Gladbach and a goal against Leverkusen the week prior.
Jordan Veretout, MAR at SGE ($3,600): As weird as it may seem, Veretout is the closest thing to a lock for cash games. He's been splitting corners for Marseille and has at least 8.7 floor points in three consecutive starts. You'd sign up for that in a heartbeat for $3,600. He's half the salary of Kimmich and they play the same position in similar matchups as small underdogs away from home.
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold, LIV at AJA ($6,400): It continues to be the same story with Alexander-Arnold as his salary is yet again too cheap. Maybe it isn't a great matchup for Liverpool away to Ajax, but for the bargain salary, he's the first player in my cash-game lineup. Kostas Tsimikas ($6,300) would be too cheap if you knew he was going to play 90 minutes, but that isn't the case with Andrew Robertson ($6,100) back healthy. Nevertheless, Tsimikas would be a fine option with three defenders looking like the optimal construction. Either Napoli full-back would be a good option for tournaments. As would Nuno Tavares ($5,400), who actually has a noticeable floor for a player who doesn't take set pieces.
Christopher Lenz, SGE vs. MAR ($4,400): Lenz has started three consecutive matches on the left wing and he's taken at least one corner in all of them in addition to playing 90 minutes in two of them with assists in back-to-back games. That's good enough for me with the price tag pretty affordable. Moving down the list, you could consider Jeremie Frimpong ($4,300) or Mitchell Bakker ($3,700) playing on the wings for Leverkusen, or even James Tavernier ($4,200) and Borna Barisic ($3,500) sharing corners for Rangers. I wouldn't expect them to get many in Naples, however. Either way, the salaries are cheap enough and the floors are higher than midfielders in the same range, besides Veretout.
GOALKEEPERS
Alex Meret, NAP vs. RAN ($5,900): Napoli's clean sheet odds are nearly 50 percent and they're considerably higher than the rest so spending up for Meret seems fine if you can afford it. Jan Oblak ($5,500) is where I would look next with his 38-percent clean sheet odds and Atletico in a must-win spot.
Antonio Adan, SCP at TOT ($3,800): I highlighted Adan here because there is less downside risk, but if you don't mind playing with fire, Allan McGregor ($3,700) has the most save upside as his goal should get peppered with shots against Napoli. He's coming off of seven goals conceded and negative nine fantasy points last time out against Liverpool and a similar outcome is possible here. He conceded three and made seven saves in the reverse fixture and you'd be happy with eight points for $3,700. Play any cheap keeper you want. There is a lot of luck involved.
