Corner Kick: UCL DFS Picks for Matchday 5 with Ruslan Malinovskyi | 11/23/21

Welcome to the Champions League DFS coverage for Tuesday, Nov. 23. Below are the top UCL DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Matchday 5, which consider all aspects of the slate, from Awesemo’s expert projections to pricing to popularity for DFS fantasy soccer. These UCL DFS soccer picks should help with creating highly projected lineups in DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy soccer tournaments and cash games.

DraftKings & FanDuel UCL DFS Picks Today

**All Odds from BetMGM**

Barcelona (-160) vs. Benfica (+425), O/U 2.5

Young Boys (+310) vs. Atalanta (-130), O/U 2.5

Lille(+145) vs. RB Salzburg (+160), O/U 2.5

Sevilla(-185) vs. Wolfsburg (+250), O/U 2.5

Chelsea (-165) vs. Juventus (+450), O/U 2.5

Malmo (+270) vs. Zenit (-110), O/U 2.5

Forwards/Midfield

Memphis Depay (DraftKings: $10,500, FanDuel: $22)

Barcelona welcomes Benfica. Benfica took their previous meeting with a convincing 3-0 victory. Barcelona is now the home side and in a must-win situation with Xavi Hernandez at the helm. Memphis Depay is the highest-priced play across both DraftKings and FanDuel. He handles all free kicks situations for the home side and leads the club in scoring while contributing on 45% of their goals. His upside comes from 2.62 shots and 4.23 scoring chances created per match. Depay’s floor is built off 8.23 crosses and 3.38 drawn fouls per match, making him a core play across all formats and sites.

Gavi looks to start alongside Depay, which would offer a punt option in a favorable matchup and under $4,000. Gavi averages 2.43 drawn fouls per match and a mix of created chances and shots per match. He will not need much to pay the price, and should he contribute on a score he would look like a top value play. His lack of production thus far makes him a GPP play. His price of $16 on FanDuel is harder to pay given his lack of on target volume.

Duvan Zapata (DraftKings: $9,200, FanDuel: $20)

Ruslan Malinovskyi (DraftKings: $8,300, FanDuel: $17)

Atalanta will head to take on Young Boys with an opportunity to take the top seed in the group. Villareal will be busy with Manchester United, and a loss or draw by either will set up the Italian side should they collect 3 points in this one. Duvan Zapata is the goal hunter for the visitors. He contributes on 44% of Atalanta’s scoring and averages 3.47 shots per match. Young Boys ranks seventh worst in the Champions League in goals allowed and allow the fifth most shots on target, at 5.75 per match. Zapata will need goal contribution to pay his price, and the matchup and his contribution rate point to all good things.

The indirect set shares belong to Ruslan Malinovskyi. He averages 5.80 crosses per match and has contributed on 16% of his club’s scoring. He ranks second on the club in drawn fouls with 2.84 per match, trailing Josip Ilicic who looks to miss this match. Malinovskyi provides a floor to be slotted as a core play and makes a pairing with Zapata in GPP plays. The value spot for an Atalanta stack would point to Mario Pasalic. He is under $6,000 on DraftKings. He is a more appealing pivot off Gavi from Barcelona on FanDuel where the price is mirrored. On DraftKings Gavi is the clear better value, with a massive discount. Pasalic averages just 1.53 shots per match and 2.82 scoring chances. His upside comes with his 34% goal contribution via an even split of goals and assists.

Artem Dzyuba (DraftKings: $4,900, FanDuel: $17)

Malcom (DraftKings: $7,300, FanDuel: $16)

Zenit and Malmo are virtually out of the advancement to the knockout stage. They have been walloped by Chelsea and Juventus, and it has brought up an interesting price tag for a premier scorer against bad teams. Artem Dzyuba is virtually free. Should he get the start, he will have a plus matchup against the Champions League’s second worst defensive side in terms of goals allowed. Malmo also sits dead last in shots on target, allowing eight per match. They had battles against Chelsea and Juventus. Zenit has fared better against the host, with a 4-0 beat down in their first meeting. The Russian side is proud, and despite the inevitable exit from Champions League play, they will look to go out on a high note.

Dzyuba averages 3.17 shots per match with an on-target accuracy clip of 48.5%. He handles penalties for the club and contributes on 33.33% of the visitors scoring. The wingmen alongside are Claudinho and Malcom. Malcom averages 4.04 shots per match, leading the Russian club with an on-target rate of 41.7%. Claudinho averages 3.09 shots per match and hits target at 52.4%. There is a defender to join in on the mix by the name of Douglas Santos. Malcom ranks second on the club in crossing metrics, at 5.06 per match, and draws 2.05 fouls per match. Claudinho averages 3.38 crosses per match and adds value with won tackles and interceptions. The three can be used in a GPP stack, or one can be paired with Dzyuba to free salary for Depay and an Atalanta stack.

Other Options: Jonathan David (DraftKings $7,400, FanDuel $17), Burak Yilmaz (DraftKings $5,900, FanDuel $18), Brendan Aaronson (DraftKings $7,000, FanDuel $14), Nicola Seiwald (DraftKings $5,500, FanDuel $15), Christian Pulisic (DraftKings $8,400, FanDuel $16). Kai Havertz (DraftKings $8,100, FanDuel $18). Federico Chiesa (DraftKings $8,200, FanDuel $17)

Defense

Jordi Alba (DraftKings: $6,100, FanDuel: $13)

Douglas Santos (DraftKings: $5,700, FanDuel: $14)

Jordi Alba headlines the defender plays. The ownership will flow to the Chelsea wingbacks mentioned. They are solid plays, but the matchup for Barcelona is more favorable despite the odds lines currently having both home sides as near the same -160 favorites. Alba averages 5.22 crosses per match by way of the open play and 2.52 scoring chances created. He should see an uptick in the crossing metric, with time of possession looking to heavily favor the Spanish side. He can add to his value with 3.22 won tackles/interceptions should Benfica look to break out on the wings. On FanDuel Reece James looks more appealing with his willingness to take chances at the net, but the discount of $500 for Alba for a similar output makes more sense on DraftKings.

As mentioned above, Santos is a top play for the Zenit side with one of the best matchups on the slate. Santos averages 6.61 crosses per match and has been more willing to take his chances at the net in Champions League play. He does well to create chances and has one of the highest floors for any defender on the slate.

Other Options: Reece James (DraftKings $6,700, FanDuel $12), Ben Chilwell (DraftKings $7,200, FanDuel $13), Marcos Acuna (DraftKings $5,600, FanDuel $9)

Goalkeeper

Mikhail Kerzhakov (DraftKings: $5,200, FanDuel: $5)

Juan Musso (DraftKings: $5,100, FanDuel: $11)

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Author
Jovanni Vidal is accountant and finance analyst, with lifetime passion for fantasy sports. He has provided content and player analysis for season-long fantasy sites. He joined Stokastic to help new and current DFS soccer players learn new approaches to the game and how to succeed, with an overall goal to grow the DFS soccer sport and various league content offerings. You can reach him on Twitter @fluff_marsh.

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