FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday Champions League Targets

FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday Champions League Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.

For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Wednesday Cheat Sheet, which is available to RotoWire subscribers. Not a member? Join now!.

MATCHES (EDT)

1:00 p.m: Besiktas v. Bayern Munich
3:45 p.m: Barcelona v. Chelsea

FORWARDS

Lionel Messi, BAR v. CHE ($13,500): Messi shines brightest in the biggest moments, and on a slate where there are not many sure things, it would be foolish to fade the Messiah.

Luis Suarez, BAR v. CHE ($9,000): Suarez looks to be too cheap on this slate, under both Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller in price, who are likely to sit out Wednesday's match. The Uruguayan played some brilliant football in his years at Liverpool, which got him the job at Barcelona, so he is familiar with the opponent. He is likely to be accompanied by Messi up top as part of the two strikers that lead the 4-4-2 formation, and his closer proximity to Messi should provide him with enough chances to break through.

Alvaro Negredo, BES v. BAY ($7,000): The Besiktas players are priced down due to their matchup with the mighty Bayern, but the comfortable lead will likely cause Bayern to field its second team, while giving some vital starters the day off. This should result in a tighter match than expected, and there should be more opening in the defense for Negredo to exploit.

MIDFIELDERS

Eden Hazard, CHE at BAR ($8,500): Hazard's midfield eligibility may come in handy, as it's hard to find safe plays to fill the three spots on your roster. He and Willian were the center of Chelsea's attack in the first leg, and it is no surprise that these two linked up for the Blues' only goal. It is a very bad fantasy spot on paper, away at the Camp Nou, but a player of Hazard's quality should not shrink in the moment. The series, tied 1-1, is still up for grabs, and all Chelsea may need is one goal, which will be sought by Hazard with his dizzying pace and agility.

Willian, CHE at BAR ($8,500): This is a player who is almost a must-have due to his scintillating form and affordable price, and he comes in with five goals in his last four starts. He produced a stellar 2016/17 season, but manager Antonio Conte has overlooked him for much of the year due to an abundance of attacking options. However, it looks like his spot in the starting lineup should have never been in question, and it is no surprise that he scored the team's only goal in the first leg.

Anderson Talisca, BES v. BAY ($8,000): Talisca may have been silent in the first leg, but that was due to his side being down a man and on the road against a world juggernaut. Now at home, and with nothing to lose, Talisca is the perfect man to grab a goal or two to bring Besiktas to a respectable deficit on aggregate. He is coming off a goal over the weekend, and he produced three braces in the five games leading up to the first leg. Talisca has been giving off the vibe that he desires to move onto a bigger club, so look for him to display his talent in what will likely be his last time on the grand stage this season.

DEFENDERS

Marcos Alonso, CHE at BAR ($6,500): Alonso should be regarded as the top choice Wednesday. He will be deployed as a left wing-back, as usual, which makes him a hybrid midfielder who can get up the field without having to man-mark the mighty Messi. Messi should work on Alonso's side of the field on many occasions, but the three defenders behind Alonso give him a bit of backup when he decides to bomb upfield. Victor Moses, who plays the same position on the other side, is listed as a midfielder, so Alonso provides the upside of a midfielder while occupying the defender slot.

Adriano, BES v. BAY ($6,000): The former Barcelona man should be eager to get forward in the second leg, after being restricted in the first due to Bayern's man advantage. Down 5-0, Besiktas has nothing to lose Wednesday, so there is no reason why Adriano won't be heavily involved in the attack. It is hard to see how this one goes, as Bayern are likely to rotate some of their players due to the comfortable lead, while Besiktas will surely look to avoid an embarrassing aggregate scoreline.

Gokhan Gonul, BES v. BAY ($5,000): Gonul is one of the cheapest starting fullbacks on the slate, and in a game where Besiktas need a ton of goals, Gohenul has no choice but to move up the field and get involved in the attack. In the first leg, Besiktas sat back in a defensive shape, especially after Demagoj Vida got sent off in the first half. So, things should be different in the second leg, assuming Besiktas won't go down to 10 men again.

GOALKEEPER

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, BAR v. CHE ($5,500): Goalkeeper is a dangerous position Wednesday, so it may be best to play it safe and go with arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. Chelsea found it difficult to score at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, and they should find it even harder at Camp Nou. The only other player I would consider outside of ter Stegen is Fabri ($4,500) because if he makes a ton of saves, and maybe even gets a clean sheet, then he will blow past his price, which is the cheapest of all starting keepers.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Evan Morter plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: MeccaWorld.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Evan Morter
Evan was a soccer writer for RotoWire. He is from the Los Angeles area and has played fantasy soccer since the days when season-long leagues were relevant.
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