DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for Champions League 10/20/20

Champions League daily fantasy in the group stage are some of the best slates of the season. There’s six games all starting at the same time, making this a lot easier to play than what we’ve seen in the EPL lately. There also tends to be more goals in the group stage matches, so that adds even more excitement. Let’s take a look at the games that will kick off Match Day 1, with odds courtesy of FanDuel SportsBook:

Forwards to Target

Lionel Messi ($11,800): Being the best player in the world means we have to contemplate playing Messi on every slate. When Barcelona are this big of favorites, it means that Messi is an easy play. The odds listed above aren’t a typo -- Barcelona really is a .-1200 favorite in this game against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. Messi is a stunning -600 to score at anytime and is +350 to score a hat trick. When you consider that Ferencvaros are +1200 to get a draw in this match, these odds suggest that it’s much more likely that Messi gets a hat trick than Barcelona drops points in this match. When you toss in the fact that Messi also has taken the majority of Barca’s corner kicks, it makes it tough to even think about making a lineup without Messi on this slate.

Jadon Sancho ($6,900): Sancho stuck around at Dortmund after being highly coveted by teams back in England, as he is one of the most talented youngsters in the world. His 17 goals ranked third in the Bundesliga last season, with his 16 assists putting him second. He gets at least a share of set pieces for Dortmund. While the matchup away to Lazio is not an easy one, Dortmund are still favored in this game. This is an opportunity to get a player who can score fantasy points in a lot of different ways at a low salary.

Antoine Griezmann ($5,900): Anyone who has seen Griezmann at Barcelona over the last year and a bit won’t be thrilled to roster him. He hasn’t been the same goal-scorer that he was at Atlético Madrid, and has no goals in four games to start this season. However, we know what an incredible spot Barcelona are in on Tuesday, and yet Griezmann’s salary is just $5,900. His anytime goal scoring odds are -180, something you don’t see for a player at this salary. You hope that Griezmann’s poor form will keep his popularity down, because he’s in a great spot against a team that he shouldn’t have a problem scoring against.

Midfielders to Target

Ángel Di María ($9,300): Di María has been suspended for PSG’s Ligue 1 matches lately, but he should be raring to go against his former club Manchester United. Despite missing three of seven league matches, has taken the most corner kicks for PSG this season. He has been a crossing machine ever since joining the French club, and has taken it to new heights so far this season, averaging 11.75 crosses per 90 minutes. He also is one of the best chance-creators in Europe and does take a good amount of shots. All of these make his floor very high, just from accumulating these stats. If Di María is able to contribute with any goals or assists, he’ll be able to beat even this high salary.

Christopher Nkunku ($6,800): Nkunku is good value for his salary in the mid-tier of midfielders. He was one of the Bundesliga's leading assist-makers last season with 13. Now his RB Leipzig side are taking on İstanbul Başakşehir and are the second biggest favorites on the slate. Nkunku has taken the majority of Leipzig's corner kicks this season, and has 18 crosses in his last two games. He checks a lot of boxes in what we look for in a midfielder, yet his salary is below $7,000. This makes him one of the best plays at the position.

Giovanni Reyna ($5,100): It doesn't seem too long ago that Christian Pulisic was the young American at Dortmund that was making a name for himself throughout the soccer world, and now it's Giovanni Reyna doing the same thing. The 17-year-old has started all four league matches for Dortmund, and has a goal and three assists to his name. He also has been sharing set piece duty with Jadon Sancho, giving him a solid floor. He's scored double-digit DraftKings points in every match this season, yet his salary is just $5,100. Dortmund loves to feature young players and play fast, attacking football, making Reyna and Sancho both viable for their salaries, even on the road in this match.

Defenders to Target

Angeliño ($5,900): Even as the highest-salaried defender on this slate, it's hard to look at what Angeliño has done and not think that his salary is still too low. He has scored a goal in his last two league matches for Leipzig, and has 14 crosses and 5 chances created in those matches. He'll split the corner kicks with Nkunku for the German side, and with them being large favorites, there should be plenty of opportunities. Typically, when we see an attacking full back with set pieces on a favored team, their salary will be around $7,000. So take the discount and put Angeliño in your lineup.

Ben Chillwell ($5,200): Chillwell delivered for us in the Premier League on Saturday, getting an assist and taking four corner kicks. He has shown that he will still get forward for his new club, and perhaps even more than he did for his old one. Chelsea are at home and favored against Sevilla, which should mean Chilwell can attack again. He's another player whose salary doesn't match his role of being an attacking full back, and we can take advantage of that on this slate.

Marcos Acuña (3,700): Acuña is the punt play at defender that might require somewhat of a leap of faith to get behind. He has been an elite crosser in the past, crossing seven times per game for Sporting CP last season in the Europa League. He has yet to show that kind of attacking upside and consistency for Sevilla, but they are a club who are known for getting their full backs forward a lot. In this game, he's facing a Chelsea team that have recently conceded three goals to West Bromwich Albion and three goals to Southampton, so they haven't exactly been stellar defensively. If you need a low-salaried defender with upside, Acuña is your man.

Goalkeepers to Target

Neto ($5,900): Neto comes with a $100 discount with normal Barcelona starting keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen being injured for this match. He has Champions League experience with Valencia last season, and this match with Barcelona being such big favorites shouldn't be anything he can't handle. Barcelona are a massive -240 to keep a clean sheet in this match, so Neto getting at least 10 points is a very likely outcome.

David De Gea ($3,900): With Manchester United's leaky defense, De Gea could see a lot of shots. We've seen De Gea make lots of saves in games previously, setting the Premier League record with 14 in a match back in 2017. If he gets anywhere close to that, he'll pay off this salary, even if he concedes multiple goals and doesn't get the win.

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.