UCL DFS Targets: Tuesday, December 8th
With the Champions League group stages nearing an end, many teams already have their places in the knockout stages already set, while others are battling for a spot in the Europa League or even just jockeying for positioning.
It’s imperative to watch out for who gets the starting nod this week as teams will have different focuses and different goals out of the day’s matches.
This may turn out to be a high scoring day, so focusing attention on midfielders who take plenty of shots and can score goals may be what makes the difference between winning and losing.
Goalkeepers
Yann Sommer, Borussia M’Gladbach $3,300 – Sometimes with GPPs you need to target the goalkeepers in tough situations whosedefenses are expected to yield plenty of shots and who may be in line for several saves. These goalkeepers also tend to be fairly cheap due to the oddsmakers expecting their team to lose, thus they may not be likely to get the win bonus or even the clean sheet. Sommer and M’Gladbach are in that position this week against City. Expect Manchester City to be the second or third-highest shot taker in this matchup and for Sommer to have his hands full. The good news is that he’s coming off a great weekend in which he defended his team against Bayern Munich in a 3-1 victory over the German champs. His price is extremely cheap and his upside is very high if City manage multiple shots on target and Sommer gets a few saves.
Fernando Muslera, Galatasaray $3,800 – In will likely be a close 0-0 or 1-1 draw, Muslera will go underowned and overlooked by many. He fits in the price range of many other goalkeepers who are in more obvious spots to target. I do like Muslera however as Astana play their (likely) final European matchup away from home and will look to attack on the counter and try to upset Galatasaray who only need a draw to advance to Europa League. Muslera should see some save opportunities and given the lack of quality on the opponents side, maybe even a clean sheet.
Defenders
Serge Aurier, Paris St Germain $3,700 – It’s a doubt if he’s starting or if Van Der Weil will start. Either way, I like them both as defenders on this matchup for PSG as they look to win this matchup ahead of the knockout stage of the competition. Aurier is a talented crosser of the ball and a good defender on a team that should dominate possession and will look to break the deadlock early.
Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid $2,800 – Real Madrid have guaranteed their advancement into the knock-out stage and will be fielding a more back-up lineup as they host Malmo. Arbeloa should get some opportunity as a full back and that should lead to some crosses and other defensive statistics.
Fabian Johnson, Borussia M’Gladbach $4,000 – The American has been playing exceptionally well for the M’Gladbach team that is in form at the moment. He has four goals in three games and plays an attacking midfield spot while being marked as defender on DraftKings. Johnson is slightly overpriced, but I expect his ownership to be higher than usual, and he’s in a good spot, so fire away.
Midfielders
Nicolas Gaitan, Benfica $4,700 – He’s the major set piece taker for a team that likes to play the ball out wide more often than not. His floor appears to be in the double digits and if his team manages to cross the ball a bunch or get a few set pieces, then Gaitan will be the main beneficiary fantasy wise. The opponent is tough and he’s going against a tough defensive squad, but he should be capable of producing a decent floor and has a ceiling that could include some goals or assists.
James Rodriguez, Real Madrid $6,200 – He hasn’t been available for us to use in champions league this season as he has yet to record a minute of champions league play. However, this should be a match where he gets the nod to start and without Bale, and potentially without Ronaldo, expect James to lead the line and along with Benzema try to give Real Madrid one last good win before the knockout portion of this competition. James is a world class attacking midfielder and this is an ideal matchup against a team that will likely suffer 3-5 goals on Tuesday.
Lars Stindl, Borussia M’Gladbach $4,300 – This is the third play from Borussia M’Gladbach, but I cant ignore the price and opportunity for Stindl this week. He’s playing as a forward and marked as a midfielder. His team is in a good position and Manchester City have been trending downwards defensively without Vincent Kompany, targeting Stindl will give some exposure to a team that should have some opportunities.
Forwards
Luuk De Jong, PSV Eindhoven $4,500 – PSV are a high octane offense who haven’t been able to translate their local form over to the European stage. CSKA Moscow have not held a clean sheet in Europe since 2006 and have not had many of them in the Russian League either. De Jong averages close to four shots a game in the Dutch league and a goal a game. Look for him to add to his goal tally here in the Champions League matchup against Moscow.
Wilfried Bony, Manchester City $5,200 – Bony makes for a decent play who will have plenty of opportunity. I like the City midfielders here as well, De Bruyne, and Silva can both have great games, and Bony could take advantage of their playmaking ability to capitalize on it today against a strong BMG side.
Karim Benzema, Real Madrid $7,500 – Real Madrid will be fielding a weaker side, but I expect that Benzema will still get the nod at forward and while he may get subbed off at the 60-minute mark, he could do enough damage to pay off his salary. Others around this range that should be in good positions are Antoine Griezmann, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial.