RADIO
Hello, RotoBallers! It has been a long, long time since I had the time and drive to break down a fantasy soccer slate with you guys. I'm pumped to be back writing for the RotoBaller family for this UCL Round of 16 slate. Hopefully, I can get back into a more consistent schedule of providing some fantasy advice for you all as we come into the end of the season. This breakdown will focus on the main 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 3/9/22 for the slate that locks at 3:00 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
Manchester City vs Sporting Lisbon
The first leg between these two clubs a few weeks ago got out of hand as Manchester City (-625) cruised to a 5-0 win in Portugal. They are massive two-goal favorites in this game on home turf. It would take a miraculous comeback for Sporting to advance, but even so, I expect City to come out searching for a few early goals to put any doubt to bed. There will be several ways to target some Manchester City exposure on this slate, and I don't see many reasons to prioritize Sporting players on Wednesday. The goal total over/under is 3, 3.5 which is higher than the second game.
Real Madrid vs PSG
There is still a lot to be decided in this game on Wednesday. PSG came away with a 1-0 win at home in the first leg on the back of a late-game goal from Kylian Mbappe. PSG dominated a lot of the first game, but we could see that switch a little bit as Real Madrid will get to play this game at home. They just need a one-goal win to send things to extra time. Speaking of extra time, it is much more likely that there will be additional time played in this game than the first game, so there's some good reasoning to get prioritize some players in this game. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Lionel Messi ($19) is one of my top plays on this slate. He'll be back playing in Spain at the Bernabeu where he is incredibly used to playing after his many years at Barcelona. He was productive in the first game with four chances created which gives him one of the safer floors on the slate. He has +145 anytime scoring odds, and I think there should be more fantasy-friendly action in this game environment. If the game happens to go into extra time, he's virtually a lock to stay on the field which boosts his appeal.
Marco Verratti ($14) is a fair-priced attacker from this game to take a look at and possibly pair with Messi. He created six chances in the first game - and while he likely will not be doing that again - he can still collect several different peripheral stats at a nice rate in this game.
PSG's defense has been a little faulty on the road in Ligue 1 play this year with 1.21 goals allowed per game. Real Madrid is far better competition than what they're seeing on a weekly basis on France, and Real will need to score in this game to have a chance at advancing. Therefore, Karim Benzema ($19) is another one of my top plays on the slate. He is averaging 0.92 G/90 in La Liga this year which is a fantastic mark. He has the best anytime scoring odds in this game at +105. His floor could also be heightened in this game if Real still needs a goal late. He will start taking shots and other risks often.
Vinicius Junior ($17) is another Real attacker worth a look on this slate especially when they need to attack against a suspect road defense.
A lot of my final decisions as far as Manchester City attackers go will depend on exactly who is out there for the kickoff. Kevin de Bruyne ($20) is an elite play, but you already knew that. He was dominant against Manchester United this weekend and should do well in a home matchup like this. My only worry if him is that he could start and get subbed off the field early.
Raheem Sterling ($18) is a little underpriced for me on this slate. He has been in solid goal-scoring form and has an elite matchup for this stage of the competition. Riyad Mahrez ($17) is also very-fairly priced if he starts the game.
Lots of people will be on Bernardo Silva ($16) with a 50-piece against Sporting last game. He's definitely still a viable play, but I think it's smart to save $2 and some ownership to slide down to Ilkay Gundogan ($14) who is in just as good of a spot. Gundogan almost becomes a must-play at this price if KDB happens to remain on the bench.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
Manchester City are down a handful of defenders which could open up some value for us at this position. John Stones ($8) is almost going to be a surefire starter in this game. He's really cheap considering all he needs are a few defensive stats and a clean sheet bonus to be worth his salary. Luke Mbete ($5) might also be forced into a start here. Any minimum priced defender is worth a look at this stage of the Champions League because you can prioritize your big studs on a small slate. Mbete could score single-digit points and still be in a GPP-winning lineup.
Achraf Hakimi ($9) is another affordable defender in my player pool on this slate. He's dealing with a leg injury but could still be fit enough to start this game. He had a great first leg with three chances created and several other defensive stats on top of a clean sheet bonus. I don't expect another clean sheet bonus this time around, but $9 is fair for an attacking defender like him in a decent game environment.
If Real remains down 1-0 aggregate (or more) late in the game, it is going to force Daniel Carvajal ($12) and David Alaba ($10) up the field to get more players involved in the attack. They are other reasonable plays on this slate.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
It is going to be difficult to not take Manchester City's goalkeeper on this slate. They should get the win bonus, will likely make a few saves with Sporting shooting often, and could get a clean sheet with their dominant defense. The only downside is the price.
Gianluigi Donnarumma ($10) is an absolute beast, but he does not have the best backline in front of him. Real also needs to goals and will likely get one Wednesday, so no clean sheet bonus. However, he should have high save upside in this matchup. I would be all over playing him if you think PSG win the game.
Thibaut Courtois ($11) is the last viable GK on the slate, and he has the home field advantage in this one. I think it's more likely that Real Madrid keeps a clean sheet at home than PSG does on the road which is likely why he's more expensive than Donnarumma. I don't like playing him because he makes some bad mistakes, but Courtois is the number two GK on the slate and might just be #1 as far as dollar-per-dollar value goes.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
