This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
For details odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Tuesday-Wednesday Cheat Sheet.
MATCHES (EST)
2:45 p.m: Porto v. Juventus
2:45 p.m: Sevilla v. Leicester City
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Iker Casillas, POR v. JUV ($6,500): Porto have been excellent in Primeira Liga this season, and while they don't play anyone of Juve's caliber, they can absolutely hang with the Italian giants in Portugal. Casillas is unlikely to post clean sheet, but he should certainly get enough shots coming to him that he could put up a big save figure, outweighing any goals he may give up.
DEFENDER
Alex Telles, POR v. JUV ($6,600): The price isn't low, but neither is Telles' ceiling, as he takes a solid number of free kicks and leads the team in tackles, a great combination for a fantasy defender. He is second on the team in chances created and has scored at least 20 fantasy points in four of his last five Champions League appearances, and if Porto are going to make some noise against the Italian giants, Telles should play a part. Teammate Maxi Pereira ($5,300) should also be considered, though his ceiling isn't as high.
Daniele Rugani, JUV at POR ($5,400): Rugani looks set to start in place of the benched Leonardo Bonucci, and he figures to get plenty of opportunities for clearances on the road at Porto. Rugani had 18 clearances in his last two appearances (spanning 162 minutes), while also completing an astounding 195 passes in that time. Ultimately the low salary is the draw, and it becomes even more so if Mehdi Benatia ($5,200) gets the start.
MIDFIELDER
Miralem Pjanic, JUV at POR ($9,300): Pjanic recently recovered from a hip injury that affected some of his recent fantasy performances, but he is fully fit and ready to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. He's a solid source of chances created and isn't afraid to shoot either, which both pair well with the fact that he's likely to grab a good share of free kicks from forward Paulo Dybala.
Pablo Sarabia, SEV v. LEI ($7,000): Sarabia had a goal and seven chances created in his last three starts, and his role on set pieces should allow him to continue that strong play. Sevilla are the biggest favorites on the day, and rightfully so given how awful Leicester have been this season, and Sarabia should be involved in any of their scoring.
Demarai Gray, LEI at SEV ($5,200): Gray has been a solid piece of the Leicester attack of late, though it's more of a "big fish in a small pond" situation, as the team has been awful. However, he created five chances in his last two Premier League appearances, one of which was only 45 minutes off the bench. He's not a high-volume shooter, so it's more of a set-up-a-goal play than scoring one. Teammate Wilfried Ndidi ($6,500) could also be a useful piece, as Leicester figure to be defending quite a bit and he can collect tackles and interceptions.
FORWARD
Wissam Ben Yedder, SEV v. LEI ($9,300): Even though he hasn't scored in his last six La Liga matches (one was cut short after seven minutes due to injury), Ben Yedder comes in with the highest anytime goal scorer odds. He hasn't been able to find the back of the net, but he's still gotten at least one shot on goal or created one chance in each of those games (other than the injury-shortened one). His non-goal-scoring upside was evident against Las Palmas on Feb. 12 when he took two shots, both on target, and created six chances. Teammate Stevan Jovetic ($8,500) is also an interesting option after picking up two assists on three chances created last weekend, but his upside isn't as high as Ben Yedder's.
Soares, POR v. JUV ($7,400):Andre Silva ($8,700) will get plenty of attention because he leads Porto in shots and shots on target, and he has two goals and three assists in his last four Primeira Liga games. However, Soares has put that to shame, with four goals in his three league matches for Porto since joining from Vitoria de Guimaraes. He's been extremely active in the attack (obviously), taking 10 shots, including six on target, while also creating three chances. Silva is the proven commodity over the length of the season, but Soares could be a key differential.
Gonzalo Higuain, JUV at POR ($12,500): Higuain comes in as the most expensive player on the slate, but he has arguably the highest upside. No one has more Serie A goals this season than Higuain, who had scored at least once in nine of his past 10 league matches, bagging 12 on 22 shots on target over that span. There are some who could be tempted by the cheaper Paulo Dybala ($9,100), but with Pjanic expected to start, Dybala loses some of his free-kick upside. Mario Mandzukic ($9,800) could be a solid tournament pivot, though he has just one goal in his last nine Serie A appearances.
