Hello, RotoBallers! I'm happy to be back with you for some mid-week soccer. The busy European soccer schedule stays busy this week with the continuation of Matchday 5 of UCL group stage play. This breakdown will focus on the early-only UCL slate on FanDuel for Wednesday. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Wednesday's slate.
The large majority of my DFS content will be EPL or UCL-related, however, there is always more soccer DFS to cover. If you want to chop it up with myself and other RotoBaller writers about non-EPL/UCL leagues or other sports, consider becoming a premium member and joining our ever-growing community of DFS and fantasy sports enthusiasts! We have had some great conversations in the Premium Slack chat about the past few UCL slates.
You can also get access to my brain for questions and edits to lineups for Wednesday for the main slate. In this article, I will be providing you with my UEFA Champions League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/2/20 for the slate that locks at 12:55 pm ET. Be sure to also check out our other DFS lineup picks for other active sports. You can always find me on Twitter @vdray5 if you have any questions. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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UCL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Istanbul Basaksehir vs RB Leipzig (-225), o/u 3.0
Krasnodar (+160) vs Rennes, o/u 2.5
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
RB Leipzig are by far the slate's largest favorite, and they will likely dominate ownership among attackers on Wednesday. The Champions League has been a massive struggle for Yussuf Poulsen ($21) this year. He does have four goals and two assists in games in Germany this season, and he is one of the most likely scorers on this slate at +130. His matchup is also great against an Istanbul side that has not defended well this year.
Christopher Nkunku ($18) is actually my favorite Leipzig attacker to spend up on. He has been much more productive in UCL play this season with one goal, one assist, and 2.25 chances created per game among other defensive stats. As a team, Leipzig can get goal/assist production from a wide variety of players, which makes Dani Olmo ($20) viable as well. I do not feel the need to put more than two Leipzig attackers into my lineup on this slate as there are plenty of other good mid-tier GPP plays to come.
On the other side of the ball, it is going to be difficult to trust some Istanbul attackers. Leipzig have been a strong defensive team in the Bundesliga this year having only conceded six goals in nine games. Still, Edin Visca ($17) has some GPP appeal here with his five goals and four assists this year. Deniz Turuc ($14) is a decent way to get some value Istanbul exposure.
Rennes have not been that good on either end of the pitch in UCL play or in Ligue 1. They are allowing 1.75 goals per game in UCL play, and 1.3 goals per game in away matches in France. I want to get some Krasnodar exposure on this slate. Marcus Berg ($19) and Remy Cabella ($17) are the two best options. Berg leads the team in goals this year with seven, and he also two assists. Cabella's five goals are second on the team. Berg has the best anytime scoring odds in this game at +130. Wanderson Maciel ($12) is one of my favorite value attackers on this slate. He is +300 to score and doesn't cost much.
As for Rennes, they will be without their best goal scorer in Serhou Guirassy ($17), which will likely put Adrien Hunou ($16) into the starting lineup. He has decent goal upside, but if you're going to spend that on a Rennes attacker, I like Benjamin Bourigeaud ($17) a touch more with his floor. He leads the team in assists and chances created. He put up 23.5 fantasy points in the first meeting against Krasnodar. One of my other favorite value attackers on this slate is Eduardo Camavinga ($12). Camavinga is just 18 years old, but he is well on his way to stardom. He is +400 to score on Wednesday, and he scored 19.9 fantasy points against Krasnodar before.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Angelino ($15) is easily the expensive defender to target if you have the salary. He leads Leipzig in goals this year with six, and he has two assists as well. He is also creating over two chances per game. This is a great home matchup for Angelino to exploit. Istanbul had no answer for Angelino's attacking presence last game as he scored twice. He should be involved in the attack a ton again on Wednesday.
Gerzino Nyamsi ($9) is a nice value piece on this slate. He had a great 18 point game against Chelsea last week. That was a great matchup, and he likely will not repeat that performance. However, he still gets enough defensive stats to be useful for this price.
I want to get some exposure to Istanbul's backline. They should be under pressure from Leipzig often in this game which gives their defenders plenty of opportunities to collect defensive action. Alexandru Epureanu ($12) is the cheapest way to do that. He has been inconsistent with defensive peripherals in UCL play, but he has shown upside into the mid-teens even in a difficult matchup against Manchester United. If you have the money, Rafael ($15) has been a monster with defensive stats and has a really strong floor because of that on Wednesday.
Nordi Mukiele ($12) is the final defender in my player pool on Wednesday. He has the most attacking upside out of the Leipzig defenders not named Angelino. He also gets really good defensive stats. A bonus to Leipzig defenders on this slate is that they are most likely to get the clean sheet bonus.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
Peter Gulacsi ($14) is the easy GK to play on this slate. Leipzig are heavy favorites, so he should see a win bonus. They are a good defensive team in Germany, and they have been stingy in UCL play aside from their five goals allowed to Manchester United. They should be able to contain Istanbul's weak attack and pick up a clean sheet in this game.
I like Evgeni Gorodov ($9) on this slate too. He is a cheap home favorite against a Rennes team that has struggled to score goals in the UCL this year. They have just two in four games. They have been better in Ligue 1 though with 1.6 goals per game. However, Krasnodar will pose a more difficult test compared to some of their French opponents. If you fade Rennes goal scorers, Gorodov should fit you lineup well.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!