DraftKings Champions League Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper: Wednesday 10/2/19
The second half of Matchday 2 is on Wednesday and features the defending champions, Liverpool. We don't know the true status of Lionel Messi, as the latest news lists him as available to play, but possibly off the bench. This would open up a number of plays on Barcelona and elsewhere because of the salary that we won't have to spend up to get Messi. So where will we spend our salary on this slate?
Forwards to Target
Mohamed Salah ($10,500): Salah will take the pitch for Liverpool against Red Bull Salzburg, and they are -320 favorites according to EPL odds. Salzburg impressively won their opening match of the group stage, but they also conceded two goals at home to Genk. This will be a much different match for them, and they will have to defend much better to keep Salah and company off the scoresheet. Salah is -185 to score at any time, which translates to about a 65% chance of scoring. I like those odds, so Salah becomes a great play on this slate.
Memphis Depay ($8,200): A favorite to roster for many DFS Champions League players is Memphis Depay, because of how many different ways he can score fantasy points and how fun he is to watch. On this slate, we will watch him take on RB Leipzig as a road underdog. Depay can still provide a lot of value being the primary set-piece taker for Olympique Lyon. He scored a goal on Matchday 1 and also has four goals in six Ligue 1 games this season. Set pieces and a significant goal threat are always what we want to target on DraftKings.
Sebastián Driussi ($6,200): Driussi is an intriguing young talent playing in Russia for Zenit St. Petersburg. Benfica makes the long trek to face them, and the home side is the favored side. Driussi is a forward who does a bit of everything, including scoring 11 goals in the Russian Premier League this season. He is also a crosser, with five in the first Matchday in a game against Lyon. $6,200 is a great value and now is the time to jump on a player who could be more expensive in the future given his talent.
Midfielders to Target
Hakim Ziyech ($8,600): Ziyech didn't meet his normal crossing expectations on Matchday 1 with only four. He still got 16.2 fantasy points. Now his price has come down to $8,600 in what Draftkings is perceiving as a tough matchup. However the odds say that this is about an even game, and Ziyech has produced good fantasy games in worse circumstances. Valencia have allowed the fourth-most shots per game and in the third most crosses per game in La Liga, per WhoScored. You should happily take the discount on Ziyech and put him in your lineup, as the floor he provides is unmatched on the slate.
Marcel Sabitzer ($6,600): Sabitzer is a set-piece specialist for RB Leipzig. Luckily for us, that includes direct free-kicks, as he has scored three goals from free kicks since last season, per Transfermarkt.com. In the first match against Benfica, Sabitzer had eight crosses and that was as a road underdog. Now as a home favorite, Sabitzer could improve on that if Leipzig have the majority of the possession.
Stefano Sensi ($6,000): Sensi has come out of relative obscurity to perform very well for an in-form Inter Milan side. He has three goals in six Serie A games for the league leaders. While he goes to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona, they are likely to be without Messi and have struggled to defend this season as well as they have in the past. Sensi was a standout player for Inter on Matchday 1, with six crosses and four-shot assists. He also gets corner kick duty when starting.
Defenders to target
Trent Alexander-Arnold ($6,700): A Liverpool player besides Salah to target is Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alexander-Arnold leads the Premier League in crosses by 13 over the next closest player. He has a floor as a defender that most midfielders can't match. He is expensive at $6,700, but with that floor in addition to the chances he can score a goal possibly from a free-kick and maybe add in three bonus points from keeping a clean sheet, he is viable at that price.
Alejandro Grimaldo ($5,300): Another defender who gets set pieces who isn't as expensive is Alejandro Grimaldo. He's an attack-minded full back who chipped in with seven goals for Benfica last season. He got in eight crosses on Matchday 1, with three of them being from corners. Benfica lost their opening match at home and will look to push for a win here, which could mean Grimaldo gets forward even more than usual if the game is tied late on.
Léo Dubois ($4,100): Dubois is a value option at defender for Lyon. He is a full-back that isn't always so attack-minded, but definitely can get forward when needed. In the last Ligue 1 game, he had 11 crosses in a losing effort. If Lyon get behind again, and go into catch up mode, Dubois could have upside to get a lot of crosses.
Goalkeepers to Target
André Onana ($4,700): Onana is priced like an underdog keeper when in reality the match is basically even. Valencia have not been great this season, sitting in ninth place in La Liga. Onana is a solid keeper who backstopped Ajax's incredible Champions League run last season.
Samir Handanovic ($4,000): Handanovic is only $4,000 going against Barcelona, who could be without Messi. Barcelona still would have a lot of firepower on the pitch, but it's not quite the same as if they had Messi. Paying down at goalkeeper makes sense since the position is so high variance, and Inter have been in great form in the league this season so there is a better chance of getting the win than Handanovic's price reflects.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
