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Wednesday features eight Champion’s League matches, and plenty of fixtures to pay close attention to. Draftkings has plenty of contest ready to enter, so without further ado let’s jump right in!
Goalies
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen ($5,200)- It’s rare to see Barcelona’s top keeper priced this low at home, but it does make sense considering the matchup. Barcelona face their former manager, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City in what is clearly the most enticing matchup. Both City and Barca love to possess the ball, which makes the matchup that much more intriguing. Although City are off to a phenomenal start under Pep, don’t let that completely fool you. The quality of players is still well behind Barcelona, and Ter Stegen looks poised to get the W and potentially earn some saves. It’s difficult seeing Barcelona keep the Citizens off the scoresheet, but a high volume of shots should offset this.
Craig Gordon ($4,400)- The other keeper I highlighted is from the second fixture in group C. Celtic are home against a strong Borrussia Muchengladbach. The reason I really like Gordon, is that he is home against a squad that will not totally overpower Celtic. If Celtic have any chance to win a game in this group, it’s with this fixture here. Gordon should have plenty of save opportunities, and with a little luck could produce huge points for us. When picking goalkeepers, you have to remember that cheaper goalies have the highest ceilings unlike other positions.
Defense
Faouzi Ghoulam ($5,400)- Napoli are big favorites at home against Bestikas, and Ghoulam will be an integral part of their attack. He’s probably the best defender on the slate, in terms of point potential, because he is so heavily involved in Napoli’s offense. Add in the fact that he also takes corners, and we have a really high percentage chance of hitting double digits. Unless you are using a defender as a cheap option, your goal should be to target guys who will get you into double digits 9 times out of 10. Ghoulam should be that guy Wednesday.
Layvin Kurzawa ($4,200)- The French left back is yet to play in the Champion’s league for PSG, but should get the start against FC Basel. If he does, plug him into your lineup and you shouldn’t be disappointed. He is priced relatively low, and is capable of putting up crossing numbers as well as assists. Add in the fact that PSG should keep a clean sheet, and he makes for a no brainer. His price is cheap enough to help save money where it really matters, in the midfield and forward spots.
Vitorino Antunes ($4,100)- There aren’t a ton of cheap options for defenders as of right now, we’ll have to see if that changes once the starting lineups are announced. Antunes is a lower priced guy that could provide a safe option. In his first two Champion’s League matches he averaged 4.5 crosses and had 7 points in both matches. Dynamo Kyiv have a slightly more favorable matchup against Benfica at home, and it is possible that those point totals and crosses could climb. If they do Antunes would make for a great value play, and has the potential for double digits.
Midfield:
Alex Iwobi ($5,800)- Arsenal are the biggest favorites of the day and if you want a piece of their offense at a discount, Iwobi is your guy. He’s very goal and assist dependent, not really offering many crosses, but he’s got a great chance to get a goal and make his price worth it. In GPP formats, it’s nice to have a guy under 6,000 dollars who has the potential to put up big points.
Arjen Robben ($7,600)- Robben’s best days are certainly behind him, but Bayern Munich have a nice matchup against PSV at home and if Robben starts he can still score. He did play over the weekend, which makes me suspicious that they were resting Douglas Costa for this game. If he does start, Robben’s price is very low and once again he has the potential to put up a lot of points.
Dries Mertins ($7,500)-Mertins is another reasonably priced midfielder with the potential to score goals. Napoli face Bestikas at home and should dominate the game. Mertins was rested over the weekend, which leads me to believe he’ll start on Wednesday and will be very fresh. Mertins averages 4.1 crosses per game, which means he has a relatively high floor.
Forward:
Robert Lewandowski ($9,900)- With Arsenal big favorites at home and the City Barca matchup, I’m hoping people might forget about the German giants. Lewandowski has 5 goals in 6 games so far this season, and this game has his name written all over it. Bayern Munich have stumbled a bit of late, and usually when that happens they explode with goals. My personal suggestion would be to fade Barcelona players this game, and look for cheaper options at forward. Lewandowski could have a low ownership percentage, and always has the potential for a hat-trick.
Edison Cavani ($8,800)- Cavani is another player I prefer over the Barcelona three headed monster. Cavani has been on fire for PSG this season, and with a favorable matchup at home, I would expect that to continue. With Ibrahimovic off to Man United, Cavani is now the focal point of one of the best offenses in Europe, and his price is too low to ignore. Two goals are a reasonable expectation out of Cavani this game, and if he hits that mark we’ll be in good shape to fall in the money.
Yannick Carrasco ($7,400)- One matchup we haven’t talked about today is FC Rostov at home to Atletico Madrid. Right now Atleti look like the top team in Europe, sitting on top in La Liga and having beaten Bayern their last time in this competition. I don’t love the fact that this is an away match, and the fact that Atleti could very well score one goal and just set up shop at the back for the rest of the match. But that hasn’t exactly been their style this season, and coming off a 7-1 victory in La Liga, they could be in business here. Carrasco had three goals and two assists in that match, and has been on fire as of late. His price is much cheaper than Griezmann, and he has similar potential. I like Carrasco in GPP formats.