This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Welcome to our second 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 available GPP contests for Champions League soccer Tuesday and Wednesday:
$10K Equalizer ($1,500 first prize), Entry Fee: $20
$10K Treble ($3,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $300
$4.5K Nutmeg ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $2
$3K Upper 90 ($1,000 first prize), Entry Fee: $100
$1.5K Corner Kick ($175 first prize), Entry Fee: $5
$1.5K Stoppage Time ($200 first prize), Entry Fee: $12
$1K Slide Tackle ($500 first prize), Entry Fee: $50
$300 Quarter Arcade ($43.50 first prize), Entry Fee: $0.25
$2K Nutmeg ($250 first price), Entry Fee: $2
and many more…
The following games are included:
Tuesday
Barcelona at Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund at Juventus
Wednesday
Atletico Madrid at Bayer Leverkusen
Monaco at Arsenal
Champions League returns for a second week with the other half of knockout qualifiers playing the first of two legs. The away teams are the group winners traveling to group runners-up, though group winners are certainly not always favored. The games included happen on two separate days, so keep this in mind when putting your lineups together. Having a backup plan if a player you have for the Wednesday games happens to not get the start is a wise decision. I often use the flex position for a player under this classification, so if needed, he can be subbed for a player from any position. With a litany of fitness questions, being sure to pick players in the starting XI is essential. 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:
David Ospina / Wojciech Szczesny ($5,400 / $4,300)
Arsenal is the week's biggest favorite, and rightfully so, against a Monaco side that got through a weak group with play that would put one to sleep. To say Monaco's scoring ability is lacking would be an understatement. This isn't the Monaco squad of Falcao and James Rodriguez that actually earned them their Champions League place. Arsenal has used three goalkeepers this season, with Ospina being the go-to man of late. He does appear to have a minor back problem that could lead to the Gunners reverting to the goalkeeper that entered the season as their starter, Szczesny. Arsenal is the most likely squad to record a clean sheet by considerable length, it's just a minor question of who will actually be in goal. Ospina is the more likely of the two, but it's certainly a development worth watching. If Szczesny does actually end up getting the start, he's great play at $1,100 less than Ospina and realistically just as likely to get a clean sheet. The biggest concern in using an Arsenal keeper would be a scoreless draw, as Monaco let up just one goal in the group stages.
Gianluigi Buffon ($4,800)
Juventus had a bumpy road through the group stages, qualifying over Greek side Olympiakos by just one point. However, Juventus is nine points clear on the top of Serie A, recording 51 goals to just 13 against through 24 games. Their home record is especially intimidating, and the team captain is none other than Buffon. Juventus will be looking a clean sheet, with manager Massimiliano Allegri calling not conceding a goal "tacchino (crucial)." Borussia Dortmund topped their group through goal differential over Arsenal, but ended on an unappealing note losing to the Gunners and tying Belgian side Andlerlecht in their last two group stage matches. Unlike Juventus, Dortmund's domestic play has been far from a success. A club normally fighting for a Champions League berth and the title, is instead fighting off relegation being now just three points clear. Dortmund's recent form has been slightly better, taking 10 points from five matches, but even that's out of a possible fifteen. Juventus plays a fairly slow Italian-type ball, while Dortmund is pretty much the opposite. Juventus will look to slow down Dortmund's frontline and exploit their defensive deficiencies.
Moya ($4,400)
Atletico Madrid's success, both domestically and in the Champions League, has continued from last year. They took their group over Seria A giant Juventus and were runners-up to almighty Real Madrid last year. Domestically, they won La Liga over Barcelona and Real Madrid last year, though they do find themselves third behind those two behemoths this time around. They are coming off a 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid earlier in the month, which is accompanied by a win in two legs over Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Their opponent, Bayer Leverkusen, find themselves fifth in the Bundesliga and were second in what is considered a weak group behind formerly mentioned Monaco. Leverkusen isn't nearly as scoring deficient as Monaco, but in the attempt to prevent any away goals, the biggest concern (similar the Arsenal keepers) is probably a scoreless draw.
Barcelona is the clear favorite traveling to the Ethiad to face off with Manchester City, but with Barca coming off a loss and City coming off a huge 5-0 win in the Premier League, there are probably better options than whichever goalkeeper they go with in what seems likely to be the highest-scoring affair of the bunch, with both managers indicating they'll be attack-friendly.
Defenders:
Stephan Lichtsteiner / Patrice Evra ($4,300 / $4,000)
I list both Juventus fullbacks not because there is much concern with them starting the game, but purely because the duo is very good. Juventus doesn't play with any wingers, so these two serve in that capacity, and both are proponents of the cross. Lichtsteiner is clearly the preferred of the bunch with more up-field ability in that he's collected both more goals and assists than Evra, who does tend to be a little more defensive. Regardless, both are very good targets.
Nacho Monreal / Hector Bellerin / Calum Chambers / Kieran Gibbs ($3,700 / $4,200 / $4,600 / $4,500)
Who will be starting at fullback for Arsenal is some serious guesswork. Monreal and Chambers have been most popular of late, but both Bellerin and Gibbs have proven to be healthy, being on the bench last time out, with the latter coming on against Crystal Palace as a sub. The lot of them, based on who starts, are suitable plays to be matched with or without the Arsenal goalkeeper, as a scoreless draw is not to the detriment of defenders who attain points only from a clean sheet and not a win. Luckily, all four are relatively close in price and can be swapped with relative ease according to whomever starts.
Juanfran / Guilherme Siqueria ($5,300 / $4,400)
These two have been the mainstays at fullback for Atletico, with nothing indicating at the moment that should change. Juanfran is the most expensive defender listed, but his mobility makes him possibly worth it. Just like the price indicates, Sequeira isn't as upwardly mobile as Juanfran but still does his fair share to constitute his price. If Cristian Ansaldi ($4,100) does end up with the start, he could be the best defender to use. It doesn't appear likely to be viable, but he has the most attacking prowess in terms of stat-stuffing of any defender in the week's Champions League matches. Whoever goes forward for Atletico is an advisable use alongside Moya.
Marcel Schmelzer ($3,300)
As stated, Dortmund is up against it with Juventus. However, they do have a chance for a clean sheet. I wouldn't necessarily favor it, but Juventus won't be all-out attacking, as their defense will be heavily looked-upon to attain a clean sheet. Schmelzer has been the more upwardly mobile of the Dortmund fullbacks, and at his price may very well offer the best value to be found on the defensive end.
If you want a Barcelona defender, I'd highly recommend Dani Alves ($5,200) over his similarly-priced counterpart. There's a decent chance Alves will walk away with more crosses than any other player upon the conclusion of this week's games.
Midfielders:
Samir Nasri / Jesus Navas ($5,000 / $4,900)
If Manchester City is going to walk away from Tuesday's match with Barcelona a victor, the key will be winning in the midfield. With their attacking-side centerfield counterparts being higher priced, and these two being proponents of the almighty cross, Nasri and Navas are good uses at discount prices. If he does indeed get the start, not a guarantee by any means, Navas is the preferred option given his higher propensity to send in crosses. Nasri has been the better in the scoring department, and may offer a tad more upside, but Navas is a safe bet through his crossing ability. As a note, City's midfielder superstar Yaya Toure is suspended for the match. David Silva ($7,300) had two goals and an assist on Saturday. Repeating that is mightily unlikely, but the performance merits mentioning.
Andrea Pirlo ($5,900)
The veteran has been one of Juventus' best performers on the season. He's not a play-every-game-type anymore, but he plays in the majority of their matches and especially the important ones. Most important of all, Pirlo is Juventus' more prolific crosser of the ball. He offers a little bit of everything in terms of fantasy-point production. Paul Pogba ($5,300) appears poised to break transfer price records this summer. His seven Serie A goals alone attest to that. The young midfielder gets better and gains more popularity by the day. Along with his ability to score goals, Pogba's excellence on the ball leads to a fair amount of fouls drawn. The Juventus midfield really gives a lot, but outside of Pirlo, don't cross the ball often and will likely rely on goals or assists to offer any value – all of them are extremely threatening in those categories though.
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco ($4,800)
Monaco is a sleepy side that greatly relies on their defense, but what offensive production they do produce is usually a result of Ferreira-Carrasco. He crosses the ball at a fair tick, leads the team in assists, and is second in goals scored. At the very least, he has upside from the fact that I wouldn't expect him to be a very popular coming from the squad seen as being the least-likely to advance to the next knockout stage of the group.
Hakan Calhanoglu ($6,400)
Calhanoglu is talented on the ball and attains his value from crossing it. His six-goal, four-assist tally in accompaniment with his on-the-ball ability that leads to crosses and fouls drawn make him a solid look. If Atletico Madrid get an early goal, Calhangolu will gain value as Leverkusen will ditch any defensive game plan in hopes of a goal to equalize.
Koke ($7,700)
First off, Koke is of some doubt to go in Wednesday's match. However, if he does play, he is the most prolific crosser of anyone in this week's action. With a heading sensation like Mario Mandzukic in the box, crosses are a very big part of Atletico Madrid's game. Koke has 12 assists this year, which is second to only Lionel Messi. If he does indeed go, Koke is an excellent play, and playing him with Mandzukic would be advisable. In the event Koke doesn't go (or really even if he does), teammate Arda Turan ($5,500) is a very suitable replacement. His stats are less than Koke in most categories, but he is better at drawing fouls and is arguably a little better at scoring goals.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($7,400)
Borussia Dortmund offers some surprisingly good value in the midfield. First off, Aubameyang has been playing striker. He's fast, like really fast. And he just so happens to lead the team in both goals and assists. I don't fancy Dortmund in the match, but I can't help but to like Aubameyang at that price and getting him in the midfield.
Both Nuri Sahin ($3,000) and Ilkay Gundogan ($3,000) come in inexplicably at the minimum price. Neither is a safe pick for points, but both have the potential to pick up fantasy value in every category.
Ivan Rakitic ($5,600)
If you are a Barcelona fan like so many, the only usable player out of the midfield is Rakitic. Barcelona have Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in the front; their midfield simply isn't needed to produce much. Rakitic is the most-likely candidate for goals, assists and crosses, and is thus the most usable.
Santi Cazorla ($7,800) / Mesut Ozil ($8,000)
For Arsenal, the fact that Cazorla is designated on free kicks and penalties makes him appealing He's 6-for-6 on penalties in the Premier League this season. Ozil is more threatening on the ball with his three goals and four assists in limited time due to injury, all coming to old-fashioned way. Both have their negatives and positives, but regardless of the result, its hard seeing Monaco allowing an abundance of goals, and so it's risky taking any single Arsenal threat as they are all of considerable price.
Forwards:
Carlos Tevez ($8,100) / Alvaro Morata ($5,200)
If Morata start, he has been very productive in limited action, scoring six goals and assisting on four others in just over half the amount of time that Fernando Llorente (the other striker he's been swapping time with) has taken to score four times and assisting just one. Tevez, on the other hand, is without a doubt to start and is in fantastic form with 14 goals and seven assists on the season. His ability to cross the ball and draw fouls cannot be discounted either.
Lionel Messi ($12,700)
If you can afford him, it's really hard to talk you off Messi; his only negative, being the second best player in the world. He accounts for 34 goals and 15 assists between La Liga and Champions League. He's expensive and rightfully so. You just feel bad for whoever tries to defend him; his dribbling ability is among the best there's EVER been. If you don't have the cash reserves to afford him, its commendable to take his partner in crime Neymar ($10,200). His 20 goals are not to be scoffed at, and his skills and trickery on the ball lead to a lot of fouls drawn.
Sergio Aguero ($9,600)
He's the Premier League's co-leading goal scorer and will be doing absolutely everything he can to score for his side, as his country-mate Messi will lead an offense that is near impossible to shutdown.
Antoine Griezmann ($6,800)
Griezmann and teammate Mario Mandzukic ($8,200) have lead to prosperous things for Atletico Madrid this season. Griezmann has scored 16 goals to Mandzukic's 17 on the season, but has done so in roundabout 500 fewer minutes (about 5.7 games). He has more pace and dribbling ability, making him a stronger source for points outside of goals and at a price much lower than Mandzukic.
Josip Drmic ($3,300)
Drmic has a decent chance, though far from guaranteed, to start. He has managed four goals in fewer than 720 minutes (eight games), and at a price that low, he certainly deserves at least a look.
Olivier Giroud ($8,100) / Alexis Sanchez ($10,000)
The Arsenal attack will be headed by Giroud and Sanchez, the former of which has been the more prolific goal scorer of late. He has a mark of eight goals in fewer than 900 minutes (10 games). At a scoring rate of nearly a goal per match, it really is hard to overlook his production. Sanchez has an astounding 15 goals and eight assists on the season (Premier League and Champions League), and is much more active than Giroud in every category outside of goal scoring. It seems his production has dipped a bit upon the return of Mesut Ozil to the midfield, and he has a nagging injury. Not sure he still constitutes his five-figure price tag, but he could always return to his goal-scoring form and in a big way.
