The Champions League returns on Tuesday with seven games on the schedule and that will mean plenty of options to choose from when it comes to building a winning fantasy lineup. We considered the talent, matchups and price tags when putting together what we feel is the perfect combination of star talent and sleeper value picks in order to help you earn some serious money. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Tuesday’s DraftKings Champions League fantasy tournaments.
GK: Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid
Salary: $6,000
Atletico Madrid is off to an excellent start in La Liga and their record speaks for itself when it comes to their recent history in the Champions League. Atletico is among the biggest favorites on the board for Tuesday’s clash with Rostov so it should be no surprise that Oblak is the most expensive goalkeeper option on the board. The combination of Oblak’s ability and the favorable matchup make it worth spending a little more money to have the Atletico goalkeeper in your DraftKings lineup so make sure you lock him in for Tuesday afternoon.
D: Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid
Salary: $3,600
With Atletico Madrid in a very favorable matchup for Tuesday it only makes sense to plug in a reliable fantasy defender that is available at a very reasonable price from their roster. Godin fits the bill at under $4K with the potential to deliver a Champions League fantasy score that exceeds what you would expect from a player available for just $3.6K.
D: Mats Hummels, Bayern Munich
Salary: $3,400
Bayern Munich is another reasonably priced defender with the potential to deliver a way better fantasy score than you might expect based on his price tag. Hummels has been a staple in Bayern’s deep lineup and the potential is there for him to benefit from a clean sheet bonus in a favorable matchup versus PSV on Tuesday afternoon. At just $3.4K, it doesn’t make sense to ignore the value that Hummels provides as a sleeper value pick.
M: Pizzi, Benfica
Salary: $7,100
Benfica will be favored at home against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday and Pizzi could be an underrated play as a top midfielder option on DraftKings. Pizzi, who has played both the midfield and forward positions for Benfica, is tied for the team lead with four goals through nine starts this season. Pizzi is more than capable of producing a quality Champions League fantasy score on Tuesday and he is available at a very reasonable price on DraftKings.
M: Thiago Alcantara, Bayern
Salary: $5,800
Alcantara hasn’t been the most productive midfielder in Bayern’s lineup so far this season but he will get his fair share of opportunities to get on the score sheet on Tuesday when they play PSV. Alcantara might not seem like the sexiest midfield play but at under $6K he offers incredible value that will help us load up with two of the most expensive plays on the board at the forward positions.
F: Lionel Messi, Barcelona
Salary: $10,400
If there is one star play on the board for Tuesday that we will want to make sure we lock in it is Messi, who has the potential to absolutely dominate every time that he takes to the pitch. The potential is there for Barcelona and Manchester City to get in to a shootout so it makes sense to spend big on one of the best players in the world and hope that Messi delivers another vintage performance on Tuesday in Champions League fantasy.
F: Luis Suarez, Barcelona
Salary: $9,400
While we have enough money to take a chance on Robert Lewandowski or Alexis Sanchez, our preference for Tuesday is to stick with a Barcelona stack and pair Suarez with Messi at the forward positions. The Spanish giants have the potential to score goals in bunches and a matchup with City could very well result in the highest scoring game of the day on Tuesday. Suarez is another expensive option but after finding some excellent value on the back end and in the midfield we have more than enough money to load up with Messi and Suarez.
FLEX: Nelsinho, Benfica
Salary: $4,200
With just over $4K left over to address our final FLEX position it makes sense to take a chance on another defender that should be in a favorable position on Tuesday. Nelsinho is primed to play big minutes for Benfica and his upside is high enough that he is worth taking a chance on as our final FLEX play for Tuesday’s DraftKings Champions League fantasy tournaments.
