Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Tuesday’s DraftKings Champions League Daily Fantasy Leagues.
GK: Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus
Salary: $3,800
Despite their current position in the Champions League Group D standings, Juventus will approach this game with a strong sense of urgency as they attempt to gain some momentum with a win over Monchengladbech. Buffon continues to prove his detractors wrong and he could be in line for a clean sheet win with Juventus focused on slowing down the pace and tempo of this game on the road.
D: Gregory van der Wiel, PSG
Salary: $3,000
PSG will have its hands full against Real Madrid but van der Wiel has been surprisingly good from a fantasy perspective. His very reasonable price makes him worth taking a shot on in this spot.
D: Mario Fernandes, CSKA Moscow
Salary: $2,600
Manchester United hasn’t looked particularly impressive at the offensive end of the pitch and their lack of consistency is another reason to buy in to a strong performance from CSKA Moscow’s defenders. Fernandes isn’t the best option but he is a quality bargain value play that is worth taking a shot on here in order to save more money for the other positions we still need to fill.
D: Lionel Carole, Galatasaray
Salary: $2,600
Carole is another excellent sleeper bargain play that has the potential to contribute at a very low price. There are a number of strong forward options that we would like to spend a little more money on so the fact that we can lock in three quality defenders at under $9K is a huge bonus.
M: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
Salary: $5,200
Manchester City has been hit by the injury bug early on this season but they have persevered thanks in big part to players like De Bruyne stepping up. De Bruyne has made an immediate impact in City’s midfield and he looks like a quality option at a very reasonable price when you consider everything he brings to the table.
M: Nicolas Gaitan, Benfica
Salary: $3,900
Gaitan will be on a number of rosters after he scored in back-to-back Champions League games but he is still available at under $4K and that makes him worth plugging in here as our second midfield option.
M: Daniel Caligiuri, VFL Wolfsburg
Salary: $3,600
Caligiuri isn’t as well-known as some of the other midfielder options but he is one of the best sleeper options at under $4K. Caligiuri has been a steady contributor over his last couple of Champions League appearances and we will take a shot on him in this spot.
F: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG
Salary: $7,900
The fact that we saved so much money at the other positions allows us to spend big on our forwards. That means locking in a stud in Ibrahimovic. PSG could very well end up in a shootout with Real Madrid and while Ibrahimovic is relatively expensive, he is still just over $2K less expensive than Cristiano Ronaldo as the second-highest priced forward on the board.
F: Mario Mandzukic, Juventus
Salary: $6,300
Mandzukic might not be the biggest of names available for Tuesday’s slate but he has had some moments of brilliance in the Champions League over the years. Juventus will continue to lean heavily on his abilities up front. The fact that he is available at such a decent price makes him that much more of an attractive option so lock him in here as the second forward.
FLEX: Raheem Sterling, Manchester City
Salary: $6,300
Sterling has found his offensive flare again at Manchester City this year and with injuries hurting England’s top club right now, he remains one of their best options. City has shown it can still score goals in bunches so locking in Sterling and De Bruyne makes a lot of sense.
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FLEX: Seydou Doumbia, CSKA Moscow
Salary: $4,300
With under $5K left to spend on our final FLEX position, it looks like Doumbia has the best potential for a higher scoring performance. CSKA Moscow should be able to create some quality offensive chances against Manchester United and after impressing earlier on in the competition Doumbia looks like a good sleeper option here to fill out our roster.
