This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Welcome to another edition of Champions League soccer coverage curtailed towards DraftKings contests. Your total available salary is $50,000 to build your best squad of eight players, which includes one goalkeeper, two defenders, two midfielders, two forwards and one FLEX. Points are awarded on DraftKings as follows:Goal = +10 PTs
Assist = +6 PTs
Shot = +1 PTs
Shot on Goal = +1 PTs
Crosses = +1 PTs
Fouls Drawn = +0.75 PTs
Red Card = -1 PTs
Saves (GK) = +2 PTs
Goal Allowed (GK) = -2 PTs
Clean Sheet (GK, D) = +5 PTs
One Goal Allowed (GK, D) = +2 PTs
Win (GK) = +5 PTs
Penalty Kick Save (GK) = +3 PTs
With that out of the way, here are the best available GPP contests for Champions League soccer Tuesday and Wednesday:
$6K Equalizer ($1,200 first prize), Entry Fee: $27
$4K Golden Boot ($2,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $200
$4K Striker ($300 first prize), Entry Fee: $3
and many more…
Be sure to check out the $100K Fantasy Soccer World Championship Satellites a $12, $33 and $55
The following games are included:
Tuesday
Paris Saint-Germain at Barcelona
FC Porto at Bayern Munich
Wednesday
Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid
Juventus at Monaco
The second legs of the Champions League quarterfinal kicks off Tuesday, and before jumping in on a fantasy front, let's understand what's on the line:
Barcelona went into Parc des Princes and took an impressive 3-1 victory, meaning PSG needs (at the very least) a 3-0 victory to go through. Barcelona isn't the kind of team to sit on the ball, hold onto possession and play deep and preserve, while PSG will obviously be in an all-out attack as they need a miraculous result to go through. This game has the most total goal scoring upside, and PSG gets the services of Zlatan Ibrahimovic back from suspension.
FC Porto dethroned European powerhouse Bayern Munich in one of the most shocking displays in Champions League history, tallying an impressive three goals to Bayern's one. The injury bug has hit Bayern hard with huge names like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on the sidelines. Despite the two-goal deficit, Bayern is a feasible 2-0 home victory from going through. Bayern will still go forward with dynamic strikers Robert Lewandowski and Thoams Muller, while Bastian Schweinsteiger is expected to be back. Bayern are huge favorites to win this match, and are still vaguely a 50/50 chance to go through according to the sportsbooks. Both the Bayern offense and defense are strong plays, though the actual number of save opportunities goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could see with Porto presumably taking a very defensive stance limits his upside.
Juventus will be happy enough to take a one-goal lead and a shutout into the second leg. Monaco showed up, especially on the defensive end, in the first leg as Juventus relied on a penalty to take their advantage. However, going into Monaco will prove a challenge, as the hosts will be able to limit Juventus' potency with their lack of a game out wide, while possessing what appeared to be the most talented winger in the last leg in Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, who took an impressive five shots (two on goal) in the opening tie. Ferreira-Carrasco has the ability to score, pass and cross the ball, and if Monaco has any chance to shock the world again (as they did against Arsenal) it'll likely be because of his offensive prowess. Juventus is not against shutting it down and playing a defensive game, and outside of some counters it's hard to see them being overly assertive on the offensive end.
Hey Bayern, Real Madrid feels your pain. Los Blancos will be without the trio of Gareth Bale (calf), Luka Modric (knee) and Karim Benzema (knee) due to injury, and just to add to the wound, Marcelo is suspended. The scoreless draw in the first leg wasn't a bad result, per say, for either side. Real Madrid gets to take an even score line into Santiago Bernabeau, while Atletico kept Real scoreless and gets the advantage that any goals they score will serve as the away-goal tiebreaker should this leg also result in a tie.
The first thing to figure out: who is going to start for Real Madrid? Bale is a big name, but his recent form has been down and they had some success earlier this season without him, doing so with a 4-4-2 starring Benzema and Ronaldo in front. Further speculating, James Rodriguez wide left, a role that boosts his fantasy value. Marcelo will likely be replaced by Fabio Coentrao, who himself has been on the injury report. Atletico Madrid will need to replace Mario Suarez (suspension), but they look fully healthy to go forward with the same lineup outside of that.
I, and many of their supporters, think going to the 4-4-2 could be beneficial for Real. Ronaldo is a striker in every way and will be in no way disadvantaged from this move. Isco has been very effective in limited action and should thrive out wide. James has been in spectacular form with goals in each of Real Madrid's last two league matches (the last of which saw him playing in the position he'll likely be in come Wednesday). Many will ask questions of Real Madrid, but I think they silence all doubters with an impressive display over their cross-town rivals and move on to the semifinal.
There is a bit of guesswork in projecting until the lineups are actually announced, so every recommendation comes with the same warning label: check the starting lineups upon their announcement approximately one hour prior to kickoff.
Goalkeepers
Manuel Neuer ($5,400)
Bayern is the hottest favorite of the day, and rightfully so. The side will come out guns ablazing, while Neuer and his backline will just need to hold steady and not make any mistakes (look at last week's terrible performance as motivation, Neuer is still considered the best goalkeeper in the world). Neuer isn't the flashy play, but he's the best play. As stated earlier, there does seem to be limited upside, as he may not get many save opportunities.
Iker Casillas ($4,900)
I'm bolder on Real Madrid this week than the bookies, and their defense is always prone to criticism. They didn't get much credit for holding Atletico Madrid scoreless, as opposing keeper Jan Oblak put on a display to keep Real scoreless, but Casillas has a fire lit and wants to prove his worth after his shambolic performance against Schakle in the last round by keeping Atleti scoreless once again. Casillas posses the saves upside Neuer lacks and does so at $500 less.
Other Options: Juve's Gigi Buffon will see the best offense Monaco can put forward, but honestly, the game could set up to be very stale because Juventus is good at this. It wouldn't be a shock at all to see Monaco come through with a goal here. Barcelona's Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will see the best of PSG's offense, and with Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani at the helm, it is extremely volatile. Both Oblak and Porto's Fabiano look to be overmatched by the offensive prowess their opponents will be putting forth against them. At home Danijel Subasic ($3,900) gets a look as a discount GPP type, stopping Juventus from scoring last week outside of an unlucky penalty.
Defenders
Philipp Lahm ($4,000)
Lahm, at his best, is the best. He once had an 11-assist season, and playing in a wide midfield role figures to be an extremely important part of Bayern's offense in this spot. In this game, being listed as a defender at a price well below his defending compatriots, Lahm makes more sense than ever.
Dani Carvajal ($4,300)
Carvajal plays on the right side, Bale's side. He already had an impressive performance last week, taking home 12 FPTs. No Bale, plus needing goals, Carvajal should be more pertinent shooting up the right side and slotting in more crosses than ever. Not to mention, he's also $700 less than his fellow fullback Coentrao.
Layvin Kurzawa ($3,500)
Trying to stay on the cheap end, Kurzawa is the perfect off-pace high-upside player. He is a pacey fullback with the ability to serve a high quantity of crosses. Kurzawa will be an important spark for a Monaco offense that desperately needs a goal, and his Monaco defense could very well be in store for a defensive bonus.
Other Options: There are a number of quality defenders to choose from. Those not looking to save on this position can go with the likes of Dani Alves ($5,400), Jordi Alba ($5,300), Rafinha ($5,100), Coentrao ($5,000), etc. Go with what you like, but if you're short on cash, be sure to check out the three discount options above.
Midfielders
James Rodriguez ($8,700)
When you consider there are eight available forwards more expensive than James, his price doesn't seem so bad. He's in prime goal-scoring form, and moving out wide with the absences of both Modric and Bale will only boost his fantasy stats. The Colombian sensation is just now rounding into form after the injury that forced him to miss several months of play.
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco ($4,800)
Ferreira-Carrasco has made very meaningful contributions this Champions League season. He scored the goal against Arsenal that really sank the Gunners. In the first leg of the quarterfinal, he looked extremely dangerous whipping shots at the Juventus goal. Ferreira-Carrasco has high upside as Monaco's most versatile and speedy offensive threat. He'll be a thorn in Juventus's side for as long as he's on the pitch.
Isco ($5,000)
Much cheaper than James, Isco is a great discount option in what figures to be a prominent role for the Real Madrid side in the absence of Bale. His upside isn't nearly as high as James, but out wide, it's fair to think he'll have some meaningful offensive production.
Other Options: Looking past the top three, there are a few other discount options to proposition. Lucas Moura ($5,700) is an explosive winger that could be very busy motivating the PSG offense and could attract the stat lines to prove it. Thiago Alcantara ($4,600) made a very meaningful contribution in his goal against FC Porto that gives his side a feeling of hope. Arturo Vidal ($5,900) has gained a great deal of confidence from the penalty he scored in the first leg and will look to carry it into the deciding fixture. Oliver's ($3,000) goose egg last week was disappointing, but at the minimum price the talented young midfielder is still worth posturing. Lastly, it seems a longshot he'll start, but Raul Garcia ($5,000) has had a surprising amount of success against Real Madrid.
Forwards
The world's best are showcased here. You'll recognize these names, so try to go with who is in-form and figures the best in their respective matchup. They are listed in order of my preference. Stacking one team isn't inadvisable, as second legs can turn into goal scoring frenzies.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($12,800)
2. Luis Suarez ($9,900)
3. Robert Lewandowski ($9,200)
4. Thomas Muller ($9,300)
5. Lionel Messi ($12,400)
6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($9,100)
7. Edinson Cavani ($8,500)
8. Carlos Tevez ($8,200)
9. Neymar ($9,800)
10. Alvaro Morata ($6,400)
11. Antoine Griezmann ($6,300)
12. Javier Hernandez ($6,000)