FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Targets

MATCHES (ET)

• 3:00 pm: Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund
• 3:00 pm: Real Madrid vs. Liverpool

For detailed stats and odds, check out the

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Tuesday UCL Cheat Sheet

FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS

Kevin De Bruyne, MCI v. DOR ($23): De Bruyne has worse odds to hit the back of the net than five of his teammates, but I'll take my chances. Man City are a decent favorite on a two-game slate and De Bruyne is the best cash option on the team. Riyad Mahrez ($22) isn't far behind since he's stealing some set pieces, but De Bruyne is on penalties and that's worth the extra dollar. There was a time when Mahrez was a few bucks cheaper, but that's not longer the case. It's possible to get both in the team, but that'll limit the rest of your roster. Everything else depends on who starts, though it seems like Ilkay Gundogan ($16) is a guarantee after not playing over the weekend, with Phil Foden ($15) and Bernardo Silva ($13) in the same situation. Gundogan's fantasy value has kind of been all over because while he's scoring a bunch, he's also had matches in which he racks up chances for teammates, keeping his floor relevant. There's a slight chance Foden starts for De Bruyne and he'd be an easy cash play, and then Silva is an even bigger value. In their first leg against Borussia Monchengladbach, Gundogan, Silva and Foden all started, so there's a chance that's the case and if so, all three could be rostered in cash games. It seems unlikely both Sergio Aguero ($19) and Gabriel Jesus ($19) start again, but if one does, they'll be a logical GPP choice at the front of the attack. The other reason Man City are a sizable favorite is because Dortmund aren't having a ton of success in league play and they just barely got past Sevilla, allowing four goals in two matches. They've also allowed multiple goals in three of their last four in league play, so Man City should bag a couple if things go as expected.

Diogo Jota, LIV at MAD ($17): It makes sense to stack Man City because the other match is extremely unpredictable and the odds indicate that. Real Madrid have allowed just five goals in their last 10 matches in all competitions, while Liverpool have three straight clean sheets and seem to have found their form again with Fabinho ($12) in the midfield. Real Madrid tend to be a little more inconsistent as a team, so my first lean is Liverpool even though this match is in Madrid. Mohamed Salah ($20) and Sadio Mane ($18) are great, but Jota's form is hard to deny, especially at a cheaper price. After dominating for Portugal over the break, he came on and bagged a brace in 29 minutes against Arsenal on Saturday. He clicked immediately with Liverpool this season and I'm willing to bet on that in a tough matchup, especially against a back line that doesn't have Sergio Ramos. Jota doesn't have much of a floor, but he seems to be good for a couple shots on target every match, which has been more than Salah and Mane. For a cheap defensive midfielder, I prefer Thiago Alcantara ($9) over Rodri ($9).

Karim Benzema, MAD v. LIV ($22): Toni Kroos ($16) is usually only fantasy worthy because of set pieces, but I don't think he'll get an overwhelming number of them against Liverpool, keeping his floor around 10 points. That leads me to a boom-or-bust play of Benzema, who seems to be the only player who can score for Real Madrid. He's undoubtedly been awesome with nine goals in his last seven starts in all competitions, but I'm not sure he'll get the same opportunities against Liverpool as he's had against Eibar and Celta Vigo. That said, he's had multiple shots on target and chances created in each of his last four, and assuming Real Madrid don't get completely shut down, they will get opportunities. Otherwise, I'm not sure there's much else to consider for Madrid since Benzema is their goalscorer and no one else has much of a floor outside of Kroos. Marco Asensio ($13) is cheap and a viable stacking piece with Benzema in GPPs because he's scored in each of the last three matches, but he also has almost no floor.

Erling Haaland, DOR at MCI ($21): At this point, it's impossible to write a Champions League article and not include Haaland despite the matchup. The best players in the world always seem to step up in the biggest stages and that's what Haaland has done with four straight UCL braces. He'll likely be faded by many, so using him in GPPs could result in some winnings, though you're still betting against Man City, which almost seems like throwing away money at this point unless you're Manchester United. That loss in the Manchester derby at least shows City aren't invincible and in the right situation, they'll allow a goal or two. The problem with this slate is that no one else is even viable for Dortmund unless you dip into Thomas Delaney ($6) or Nico Schulz ($7) because they're cheap. The other downside to Haaland is that he's at his usual price, so even as the biggest underdog, he's about the same price as he was in the Sevilla games. Haaland can be considered because he's awesome, but he's a risky play in cash games.

DEFENDERS

Manuel Akanji, DOR at MCI ($6): Akanji usually starts when healthy and he went the full 90 over the weekend, so he should be healthy for this match. His floor has jumped between three fantasy points to 20 throughout the season, so there's no guarantee what his numbers will look like. Either way, he's the cheapest projected defensive starter by two bucks and should get a decent amount of defensive action against Man City. Even if you want to go with Raphael Varane ($8) over Akanji, it's not like his numbers are guaranteed, either.

Nacho, MAD v. LIV ($9): Joao Cancelo ($15) and Trent Alexander-Arnold ($14) are great fantasy players, but I'm not sure this is the slate to spend on them, especially in cash games. Nacho at least provides a consistent floor, hitting 8.9 fantasy points in each of his last 10 starts in all competitions. He's not an exciting option, but he'll get points and that's all that's needed on a two-game slate. Otherwise, a Liverpool stack of center-backs is possible if you're fading Real Madrid. Marcelo ($10) is a pure upside option if he starts, but he managed zero fantasy points in 68 minutes over the weekend.

GOALKEEPER

Ederson, MCI v. DOR ($13): There's a method to getting Ederson in your team since Foden and Gundogan are both fairly cheap. He makes the most sense with the best odds to win and secure a clean sheet. However, if you're betting on Liverpool or Real Madrid, you could use Thibaut Courtois ($10) or Alisson Becker ($9). That match could go 2-0 to either side, so if you really like Liverpool's attackers or Benzema, you might as well combine them with the goalkeeper. I'm not doing that in cash games, but it's a reasonable GPP route.