DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday Champions League Values

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

Step 1 in building a good lineup: make sure your players are starting. There is a bit of guesswork in projecting lineups until they are actually announced, and all recommendations and projections are subject to change based on this. All said, be sure to check the lineups page approximately one hour prior to kickoff.

Goalkeepers:

Julio Cesar ($2,500)
The Benfica players must've broken the DraftKings pricing algorithm because Cesar, their starting goalkeeper, is minimum priced. No starting keeper should be minimum priced, and no other is. Benfica are the second sharpest favorites on the day, so accept this gift.

Andriy Pyatov ($4,000)
This could be the lowest-owned top-priced goalkeeper we've seen in a while, though I think the price is correct. Shakhtar has had a rough going in the Champions League this season, but they've been fantastic domestically and cannot be blamed for struggling mightily against PSG and Real Madrid that will undoubtedly finish 1-2 in this group. Pyatov had five saves (including one PK save) against Malmo last time out, and his side should finally get on the score sheet as huge favorites at home.

Other goalkeepers to consider:David de Gea ($3,700); Gianluigi Buffon ($3,800)

Defenders:

Ismaily ($2,000)
Ismaily earned 12 fantasy points last time out against Malmo and that's without a defensive bonus that is very plausible this time. How he's minimum priced, I do not know.

Nelsinho ($3,100)
Nelsinho is the preferred of the two Benifica fullbacks because of his slightly higher floor. Nelsinho gets a tad more free reign on the right than Eliseu does on the left because he is forced to compete with Nicolas Gaitan for touches.

Marcos Rojo ($2,600)
Rojo has been very productive since returning to the Man United starting XI and the Red Devils are extremely tough at Old Trafford.

Other defenders to consider:Serge Aurier ($3,100); Dani Carvajal ($3,300); Christian Trasch ($2,900); Andrea Barzagli ($3,100); Giorgio Chiellini ($3,200)

Midfielders:

Nicolas Gaitan ($3,900)
This price point is incredulous. Have 100 percent exposure; expect ownership to be 90+ percent.

Alex Teixeira ($4,100)
Admittedly, the Ukranian Premier League is weak, but scoring 18 goals in just 12 league matches (almost regardless of level) is spectacular. Shakhtar has been awful throughout the Champions League thus far, failing to score even one goal through three matches, but they are coming off seven goals in the Ukraine at the weekend and standing as the heaviest favorites on the card, this must-win home matchup against Malmo may bring the best out of the Ukranian squad that slipped into the knockout stages of this competition last year. All said, I'd be weary of Teixeira in cash games, as his floor isn't great.

James Rodriguez ($6,100)
With unknown comes low ownership. James hasn't played since August, and he may or may not return in this huge home matchup against PSG. James, when right, is among the most explosive offensive threats in the world. I can't predict exactly what output you're getting with him, making him largely a GPP play, but I can tell you his ceiling is among the highest of any player – even against a defense as talented as PSG's.

Paul Pogba ($4,700)
Without Carlos Tevez, Juventus hasn't been the same team we saw make the Champions League final last year while winning both titles in Italy. Their domestic struggles (though very modest in comparison to reigning Premier League champs Chelsea) have been well documented. Pogba, however, is better and now a very important part of the attack. He had 10 shots and 20 fantasy points without a goal last time these two squads lined up. Borussia Monchengladbach is offensively potent, but they are both banged up and very questionable defensively.

Other midfielders to consider:Kevin De Bruyne ($5,200); Zoran Tosic ($3,400); Daniel Caligiuri ($3,600); Jesus Navas ($4,700); Vitolo ($3,600); Darijo Srna ($3,300); Juan Cuadrado ($4,900); Andres Guardado ($3,600); Ashley Young ($4,400)

Forwards:

Cristiano Ronaldo ($10,000)
Just as it always is, much of the decision-making comes down to whether or not to fade Ronaldo. The new pricing structure makes this more of a question than it has ever been. But, there are still several pricing anomalies at such great value that you can build a Ronaldo lineup while still surrounding him with a very high-floor, high-ceiling squad. He's far from a must use against a PSG side that kept him scoreless last time they faced off in Paris, but this could be the best chance you'll ever have to use him at a reasonable ownership level.

Maxime Lestienne ($4,500)
PSV is undefeated at home in all competitions since last March and Lestienne has two goals and two assists through two Champions League matches. He produces well in peripheral stats to boot.

Alvaro Morata ($5,100)
Morata moved out to a wider role with Mandzukic manning the middle moves Morata's floor up via peripheral stats while keeping his goal scoring chances high. He's reached 15+ FPTs in every Champions League appearance.

Other forwards to consider:Raheem Sterling ($6,300); Goncalo Guedes ($3,600); Jonas ($5,900); Wilfried Bony ($5,300); Jese ($3,600); Wayne Rooney ($7,400); Luuk de Jong ($4,400)