Yahoo DFS Soccer: Tuesday Champions League Picks

Yahoo DFS Soccer: Tuesday Champions League Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Soccer series.

MATCHES (EDT)

3:45 p.m: Manchester United v. Sevilla
3:45 p.m: Roma v. Shakhtar Donetsk

Play the £1.5K Champions League GPP for only £5 ($7.11)

FORWARDS

Edin Dzeko, RMA v. SDK (€25): Roma come into the second leg down one goal on aggregate, so there's no thought that they can just sit back and defend for 90 minutes. They got an all-important away goal in the first leg, which Dzeko assisted on, and they should come out firing because a win guarantees they'll advance to the quarterfinal. No player on Tuesday's slate has taken more shots than Dzeko during Champions League play, and he comes in with the highest anytime goal scoring odds, which means we can roster him with the safety of his shot floor and the best goal upside.

Marcus Rashford, MUN v. SEV (€18): Getting his first start since Boxing Day, Rashford was electric in Saturday's 2-1 win over Liverpool, scoring two goals on both of his shots while adding two fouls drawn and two tackles. Alexis Sanchez (€26), who has one goal on 23 shots in his last nine games, and Romelu Lukaku (€25) are likely to get more attention, but Rashford has similar goal scoring odds for a fraction of the cost, especially in a match that doesn't figure to be all that high scoring.

Diego Perotti, RMA v. SDK (€21): The oddsmakers are expecting more goals from the Roma-Shakhtar match than Man United-Sevilla, which is why I favor Perotti slightly ahead of Taison (€16) and Facundo Ferreyra (€17) and well ahead of Luis Muriel (€16), who has taken four shots in each of his past two games, Wissam Ben Yedder (€23) or Nolito (€16). That being said, they are all well behind Dzeko or the Manchester United options.

MIDFIELDERS

Ever Banega, SEV at MUN (€18): If you can have a dominant fantasy performance without scoring, that's what Banega did against Manchester United in the first leg, finishing with 12.85 fantasy points thanks to two shots (one on target), 87 passes, five accurate crosses, three fouls drawn, three tackles won, one interception and one corner won. The stat that may stick out the most, which has no direct fantasy value, is the 10 chances he created, a ridiculously high number if not for the eight he created against Athletic Club nine days ago. Sevilla were unable to score at home in the first leg, but any goal at Old Trafford almost counts double because of the away goal rule, so you can expect them to be attacking more than they did in Spain to try and get beyond the Premier League giant.

Marlos, SDK at ROM (€18): While Shakhtar won the first leg, allowing an away goal to Roma puts huge pressure on them if they concede again Tuesday. Marlos and Bernard (€20) are likely to be very active, and given that their match is expected to be the higher-scoring of the two, rostering both isn't out of the question. Even Fred (€17) will get some interest after scoring a free-kick goal in the opening leg.

Cenzig Under, RMA v. SDK (€16): Under comes in with six goals on 17 shots (eight on goal) and one assist on 10 chances created in his last seven matches in all competitions, including Roma's only goal during the first leg at Shakhtar. He's the best attacking option among Roma's midfielders, made even better by the fact that he's taken some set pieces recently. For those looking for more defensive contributions, Radja Nainggolan (€15), who has three assists in his last two games, can provide that.

DEFENDERS

Aleksandar Kolarov, RMA v. SDK (€16): Kolarov is tied for the highest salary among defenders, but he may be underpriced based on what he provides in the attack. He's a major part of how Roma moves toward goal, especially with a decent role on set pieces, putting him in excellent positions to pay off his salary. He's a very solid crosser, as evidenced by two games in his last four with five accurate crosses, winning eight tackles, intercepting six passes, drawing four fouls and taking seven shots (two on goal) during that run, which included the first leg at Shakhtar. Given his floor and upside, he's likely to be one of the highest-owned players on the slate.

Antonio Valencia, MUN v. SEV (€16): It's a little disappointing that two starting fullbacks -- Ashley Young (€14) and Alessandro Florenzi (€14) -- are classified as midfielders, which brings me to Valencia ahead of the Manchester United centerbacks. He doesn't attack as much as he used to, but he's still a solid player on the wing who can move forward, though I'm a bit hesitant given how important it is for United to not concede at home.

Sergio Escudero, SEV at MUN (€14): Escudero is the most attacking player among the Sevilla back line (at least among the players expected to start Tuesday), and even though the Manchester United attack can score some goals, he won't be ruled out from moving forward. The floor is a bit low, but there aren't many high-upside defenders on the slate anyway.

GOALKEEPER

David de Gea, MUN v. SEV (€16): A Jose Mourinho-led team in a match where they can't allow a goal? Sign me up for de Gea, who has struggled a bit recently but still comes in with the best clean sheet and win odds while still making multiple saves in most starts.

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. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew M. Laird, the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's Head of DFS Content and Senior Soccer Editor. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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