FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday Champions League Targets

He's the most expensive player on Wednesday's eight-game slate, but Evan Morter explains why fantasy owners would be taking a big risk in fading Cristiano Ronaldo.
FanDuel Fantasy Soccer: Wednesday Champions League Targets

For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy Champions League: Wednesday Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (EDT)

2:45 p.m: Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v. Napoli (Italy)
2:45 p.m: Feyenoord (Netherlands) v. Manchester City (England)
2:45 p.m: Maribor (Slovenia) v. Spartak Moscow (Russia)
2:45 p.m: Liverpool (England) v. Sevilla (Spain)
2:45 p.m: RB Leipzig (Germany) v. AS Monaco (Monaco)
2:45 p.m: FC Porto (Portugal) v. Besiktas (Turkey)
2:45 p.m: Real Madrid (Spain) v. Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)
2:45 p.m: Tottenham (England) v. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Danijel Subasic, MON at RBL ($5,000): Leipzig will be without its star center midfielder Naby Keita, so Monaco have a high chance of getting a result. Timo Werner and the Leipzig attack will certainly press forward in search of goals, and Subasic may even concede one, but he also has high save upside. Subasic should be considered as a wildcard pick to save money on the rest of your team.

DEFENDER

Marcelo, RMD v. APO ($7,000): It will be hard to fade anyone in the Real Madrid starting lineup, and especially the attacking minded Marcelo, who is bound to grab an assist or maybe score a goal. This will be the most lopsided game of Madrid's season, so this should be Marcelo's most likely chance of a fantasy blowup.

Darijo Srna, SDK v. NAP ($6,000): Srna has been taking set pieces for Shakhtar and his country, Croatia, for many years now. At 35, he doesn't have the significant contribution in the run of play, but he can still create plenty of chances with the service from his set pieces.

Daniel Carvajal, RMD v. APO ($5,500): Carvajal is a great player to stack alongside Marcelo. He is much cheaper, though he offers similar attacking upside and almost a lock for a clean sheet. One of the fullbacks, if not both, are going to assist a goal or score one, so getting Carvajal helps ensure that that likely bonus comes in.

MIDFIELDER

Toni Kroos, RMD v. APO ($10,000): To add to the Real Madrid stack, Kroos is next up. He's more expensive than usual, but that is expected in a match as one-sided as this, and Kroos fits the FanDuel scoring to a tee with his defensive contributions that add to his attacking stats. He often takes free kicks, and he should be over all corners, making him one of the top chalk plays of the slate.

Isco, RMD v. APO ($8,500):Isco will be Kroos' partner in crime in the midfield Wednesday. He put on a show for Spain against Italy during the international break, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win. It was one of Isco's finest hours as a footballer, and he will be happy to know he is in line to start, with both Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema out.

Bernardo Silva, MCI at FEY ($7,000): Silva just looked out of place in the $7,000 range. Most of the midfielders at this price point are either entirely defensive players or non-starters, so Silva, who is projected to start, looks like a potentially great value play.

FORWARD

Cristiano Ronaldo, RMD v. APO ($12,500): How can you fade this man in this spot? The spread is at -3.5, so Madrid are supposed to score at least three goals and CR7 will surely be one of them, especially after seeing Lionel Messi bag a brace Tuesday.

Gareth Bale, RMD v. APO ($11,000): Bale doesn't have the best relationship with Ronaldo, but that might not matter Wednesday. He is too quality of a player not to produce in this spot. Look for Bale for score or at least grab a couple of assists. If you can fit him with Ronaldo, then you will have a strong chalk duo.

Taison, SDK v NAP ($6,500): Taison is a wildcard play. He has played in the Champions League for the past five seasons, and he has shown his potential as a fantasy asset. It is not the best matchup, but there are not many good ones Wednesday, so Taison makes for a solid value play given his strong track record.

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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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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