This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 3:00 pm: Arsenal vs. Lens
- 3:00 pm: Bayern Munich vs. FC Copenhagen
- 3:00 pm: Benfica vs. Inter Milan
- 3:00 pm: Real Madrid vs. Napoli
- 3:00 pm: Real Sociedad vs. Red Bull Salzburg
- 3:00 pm: SC Braga vs. Union Berlin
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS
Harry Kane, (BAY vs. COP, $11,000): One of the most difficult decisions of the slate is how you should treat Kane and the rest of the Bayern Munich attackers. Kane's goalscoring form in all competitions is unreal and he has 22 goals in 16 starts in all competitions. The main issue is that Bayern are guaranteed to finish first place and are chasing down Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in domestic play. There's a chance Kane gets rested or is subbed off after 60 minutes if he starts, but he could easily get a brace in that amount of time.
Bukayo Saka ($10,500) offers a great floor/ceiling combination and Arsenal are able to guarantee first place in their group with a home win over Lens. He feels "safer," though I'm hesitant to consider fading Kane as safe in any format. Leroy Sane ($10,100) is another premium name worth considering, though minutes worries will surround any Bayern forward. He's in great form his past few starts and he has been chipping in with some corners even with Joshua Kimmich on the pitch. You'll have to make a decision if you think the risk of early substitutions are worth the reward for Bayern players.
If Bayern rotate their squad, there are some good values who have multiple goal upside. Thomas Muller ($7,500) is a tempting option, but the 34-year-old almost never plays more than 70 minutes when he starts these days. Serge Gnabry ($7,100) spent the month of October injured and has been working his way back into the Bayern attack, but he also rarely plays more than 70 minutes. Mathys Tel ($7,900) could also get his first non-domestic Cup start of the season for Bayern. He's an exciting young talent who has done well as a substitute, recording five goals and three assists in all competitions. When he started in the Cup loss to Saarbrucken, he totaled no shots and one chance created in 90 minutes from the left wing.
Maybe it's just better to play Arsenal options in a more meaningful match. Gabriel Jesus ($8,700) and Gabriel Martinelli ($9,300) are more expensive than the mid-ranged Bayern forwards above, but I feel more confident in their minutes. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Rodrygo ($9,200) as a premium option, as well. He has five goals and five assists in his last three starts. No, that is not a typo.
Angel Di Maria, (BEN vs. INT, $6,500): Di Maria splits set pieces for Benfica and generally plays 80 or more minutes per start. It's been a brutal UCL campaign for Benfica, who have lost all four of their matchups, and they'll need to beat Inter to have any chance of playing in the knockout rounds of the Europa League. Ricardo Horta ($6,600) is an active attacking midfielder for Braga and occasionally chips in with set pieces. An early substitution can happen with Horta, but Union Berlin have been terrible all season, so it may be the best spot of the group stage for Braga.
There are some cheap forwards worth taking shots on in GPPs. Casper Tengstedt ($4,300) has started the past two matches for Benfica, who have been struggling with injuries. The Benfica-Inter matchup doesn't project for many goals, but any starting center-forward at home at that price is worth considering. Basil Nabi highlighted Simon Bokote Banza ($4,400) on Braga as a tournament option that looked appealing to him in a guest spot on the UCL preview show. Banza took a penalty earlier this month and has an excellent domestic league scoring record, with 10 goals in eight starts this season.
MIDFIELDERS
Jude Bellingham (RMA vs. NAP, $9,600): Sometimes DFS is as simple as playing the best player in the world in a good matchup. Bellingham doesn't take set pieces, but he's active in open play scoring fantasy points in both offensive and defensive categories. He's likely to play 90 minutes and I think he can keep up with the forwards in his price range. With +140 goalscoring odds, he's a great tournament option and I think you can even spend up for him in cash if you prefer him to the similarly priced forwards.
Leandro Trossard (ARS vs. RCL, $7,400): This might be a contrarian opinion, but if Trossard starts for Arsenal, I think I prefer him to Joshua Kimmich ($7,800) in this price range in midfield. Kimmich takes most, but not all, of Bayern's set pieces, but I am extremely worried about Bayern's motivation in a meaningless game for them. If Bayern have a strong starting XI, I think Kimmich becomes more compelling, but if there is rotation, the case for Trossard becomes stronger. He's more likely to score a goal, will likely split set pieces, and getting a result means much more for Arsenal this week. An early sub for Trossard is always possible, but he's played at least 80 minutes in his past three starts.
Toni Kroos (RMA vs. NAP, $6,700): Midfield is very strong this slate and there are a few options just below Kimmich and Trossard worth considering. Real Madrid are dealing with a lot of midfield injuries, which is forcing Toni Kroos to play 90 minutes at a more frequent rate. If Luka Modric doesn't start, Kroos takes most of Madrid's set pieces. Hakan Calhanoglu ($6,500) has taken more of Inter's set pieces lately and he has also been taking penalties. Inter are slight road underdogs, but Benfica have been very poor in Champions League, so I think Calhanoglu can pay off his price with a good floor. Rodrigo Zalazar ($5,700) plays in a more defensive role and is a bit cheaper and he's taken some free kicks and corners for Braga. He's probably the cheapest I'd go in cash games.
One tournament target to keep an eye out for is Brahim Diaz ($5,600) should he start. I don't think Diaz is going to play more than 75 minutes, but that is reflected in his price. He's one of the best targets for a cheap goal or assist.
DEFENDERS
Federico Dimarco (INT at BEN, $6,300): I'm not crazy about Dimarco in this matchup and price, but he's capable of huge fantasy performances in almost any game. There are some reasonable roster constructions that allow you to afford him. I already mentioned Calhanoglu has taken more set pieces than Dimarco recently and nothing has changed regarding Dimarco being an early substitution risk. This is a "buyer beware" situation, but with not much to pay for at the defender position, he could be a difference maker in GPPs.
Cristian Borja (BRA vs. FCU, $3,300): Borja seems like the closest thing to a lock in cash games on this slate. He's too cheap for a favored full-back and occasionally takes some corners. His teammate Victor Gomez ($3,700) didn't do much on the road at Real Madrid, but I think he can be forgiven for that in a tough matchup. In other starts, he's produced strong floor performances. Dani Carvajal ($3,800) usually plays 90 minutes and is a good value playing as a home favorite. While you don't need to punt with a center-back with so many value full-backs, Kim Min-Jae ($3,000) is underpriced for Bayern's clean sheet odds. Maybe you can roster him with Sane and hope for a set piece goal in tournaments.
GOALKEEPER
Brice Samba (RCL at ARS, $3,700): It wouldn't be one of my UCL columns if I didn't highlight the goalkeeper for Arsenal's opponent! If you need to spend down at goalkeeper, Samba should see opportunities for saves and Lens did win the reverse fixture roughly two months ago. Kamil Grabara ($3,600) is fine if Bayern roll out a B squad. Any of the home favorite goalkeepers seem fine if you can afford them and I like Braga's Matheus ($5,100) in tournament formats. I'm already planning on using their full-backs as salary relief, so why not correlate them with their goalkeeper in GPPs?
