DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for UCL 3/10/21

There's more second leg action in the Champions League on Wednesday. Let's look at the games, with odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:

Forwards to Target

Lionel Messi ($11,000): The debate for who to roster between Messi and Kylian Mbappé will be a huge decision point for most players on this slate. I prefer Messi for a few reasons. He has been in great form of late, as he just ended a streak of scoring in nine straight appearances on Saturday, but still had two assists in that game. Messi has been taking all of Barcelona's corner kicks of late, which should give him a higher floor than Mbappé. He also has better goal-scoring odds than Mbappé, despite the Frenchman's hat trick in the first leg. Barcelona will need to attack from the off if they want to get back in the tie, and obviously, Messi will be involved in any comeback they might mount. It is possible to get both in a lineup if you go really low at midfield, but if only playing one, Messi is the better choice.

Diogo Jota ($7,200): Jota was Liverpool's stand-out player in the group stage, scoring four goals in six games. He hadn't made an appearance since the last group stage until the Premier League game on Thursday. He was one of Liverpool's best attacking players before getting injured, with nine goals in all competitions. He was getting a lot of opportunities too, with over three shots per 90 minutes in the league, according to Rotowire. Considering those things, his salary is a decent value. He could be what unlocks Liverpool's attack and helps them get out of their recent scoring funk.

Mauro Icardi ($6,500): Icardi should get the start for PSG upfront. He's a pure goal poacher, who won't get many fantasy points if he doesn't score a goal. However, with solid goal-scoring odds of +125, this salary of $6,500 makes him viable for tournaments.

Also consider: Kylian Mbappé ($10,500), Mohamed Salah ($9,900), Alexander Sørloth ($6,400).

Midfielders to Target

Marcel Sabitzer ($6,300): Sabitzer has been a solid floor player at midfield, getting at least seven points in his last five Champions League appearances. He is known for scoring long-range goals, so he has more upside than the average midfielder on this slate. There also will be some set pieces opening up for RB Leipzig in this match due to the absence of Angeliño, and Sabitzer could take some as a player who has done so in the past. He also has taken penalties and could score from the spot if he gets the chance.

Leandro Paredes ($4,300): Parades was the key to the slate last time out, as he scored 16.4 DraftKings points. He's been able to accumulate points from his midfield position, recording over seven DraftKings points in four of his last five games. He's a good play regardless as long as he is starting, but he becomes an even better one if Ángel Di María is not in the lineup, because he could get set pieces again. At a midfield position that is lacking a lot of quality options, Parades is one that you can use.

Tyler Adams ($3,500): Adams could be utilized as a wide midfielder/wing back for Leipzig in this game. For just $3,500, if you are trying to play Messi and Mbappe, someone like him is necessary, making him usable on this slate.

Also consider: Dani Olmo ($5,900), Emil Forsberg ($5,500), Thiago ($4,000).

Defenders to Target

Trent Alexander-Arnold ($7,100): Alexander-Arnold has separated himself from his fellow fullback Andrew Robertson. Even though Robertson has taken corners, he hasn't been able to match the production of Alexander-Arnold. TAA has at least 10 DraftKings points in every start since the beginning of February, while Robertson has only had two games above 10 points in the same time span. It's a similar situation to what we saw on Tuesday, as Juan Cuadrado was a better play on paper than any of the midfielders around the same salary. Now, we can't expect a 50-point game from Alexander-Arnold like we saw from Cuadrado, but him being one of the higher scorers on the slate wouldn't be too surprising.

Marcel Halstenberg ($4,800): Halstenberg sounds like he is going to play after missing the league match on the weekend. With Angeliño missing, Halstenberg will step into his role as the left wing back. He had been playing mostly center back this season, which is why his game logs from the Champions League are not good. In his last league start, he played that wing back position and had eight crosses. He was once a fairly attacking wing back, with 5.56 crosses per 90 minutes in the 2018-19 Bundesliga season. With those game logs, it could keep his popularity down for fantasy players who aren't fully researching the slate.

Also consider: Andrew Robertson ($5,600, not a bad play for the salary just not as good as Alexander-Arnold), Layvin Kurzawa ($4,400), Dayot Upamecano ($2,800).

Goalkeeper to Target

Péter Gulácsi ($4,400): Gulácsi has the lowest salary of any starting keeper. In these two matches with odds that suggest the game will be close, there isn't really one keeper that stands out above the rest. That makes just spending the lowest amount possible a viable strategy. Gulácsi's opponents, Liverpool, have really struggled to score goals of late, scoring just one goal in their current six match home losing streak.

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.