Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon clinched their 23rd La Liga title in club history and solidified the first in a potential triple crown of trophies (the Copa Del Rey and Champions League still to come). It was no surprise that Lionel Messi scored the lone goal in that victory and while Barcelona has already secured the league title, the world’s best player will be chasing history when he takes the field for the team’s final La Liga game on Saturday. It will be on us to find a way to make his salary fit on our roster. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings La Liga Daily Fantasy Leagues.
GK: David Moya, Atletico Madrid
Salary: $5,400
Another loss to Barcelona has left Atletico Madrid on track to finish third as they head in to this final weekend three points up on Valencia for that spot in the table. There is plenty of reasons to expect them to earn the maximum three points with a win at Granada this weekend, which Moya a strong bet at a decent price. Both the win and the clean sheet should be in play to help his fantasy stat line.
D: Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid
Salary: $4,300
Godin has consistently been one of the better fantasy defenders on the board all season and the potential is definitely there for another strong performance in the season finale versus a weak Granada side.
D: Adrian Guinino, Cordoba
Salary: $3,000
Cordoba is buried at the bottom of the table and while their defenders have rarely made an appearance in our Daily Fantasy League lineups, we have no problem taking one of them here at a discount price in a relatively decent matchup versus Eibar on Sunday. Guinino is coming off a strong performance last week and if he can match last week’s line, he will be an excellent value play in this spot.
M: James Rodriguez, Real Madrid
Salary: $8,400
Real Madrid is reeling following its Champions League exit and missing out on a La Liga title. However, with so much criticism surrounding the club, they will do their best to keep the home fans on their feet one more time this weekend in their season finale versus Getafe. It’s a very favorable matchup at the Bernabeu and James has consistently been one of Real’s best players at a very reasonable price so it makes sense to plug him in here.
M: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid
Salary: $4,300
James is the stud midfielder that carries Madrid through the middle while Carvajal is more of a sneaky sleeper play that contributes from the wing. He’s available at a bargain price but still really has the potential to produce in their season finale this weekend.
F: Lionel Messi, Barcelona
Salary: $12,700
Every decision we have made to this point has helped build the optimal lineup while also leaving enough room for a potentially dominant forward tandem led by Messi up front. We look forward to what he will do this weekend with the chance to wrap a bow around an outstanding season. Messi has put up some world-class statistics this season and he will get one more chance to put on a show for the home fans at Camp Nou with Deportivo in town for the season finale.
F: Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
Salary: $6,400
We have already plugged in two players from Atletico for their season finale versus Granada but they will need to score goals if they want to win. Griezmann is available at a very reasonable price to plug him in as a second scorer.
FLEX: Carlos Bacca, Sevilla
Salary: $5,400
Bacca has been excellent all season for Sevilla and we still have just enough money left over to plug him in to this spot as our FLEX play for their season finale against Malaga. He’s the best player still available on the board that we can take with our remaining salary.
