âš½ The Corner Kick: UCL DFS Picks: UCL DFS Picks: Nkunku to Lead Leipzig Upset? | 2/16

Welcome to our UCL DFS coverage for Tuesday, Feb. 16. Here you’ll find our top UCL DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel, which consider all aspects of the slate from projections to pricing to popularity across soccer DFS. These picks should help you create highly projected lineups in DraftKings and FanDuel Champions League tournaments and cash games.

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UCL Odds Report

Barcelona (+100) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (+240), O/U 3.5

RB Leipzig (+200) vs. Liverpool (+130), O/U 3.5

UCL DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Lineups | Feb. 16

These are listed in order of what I believe are the top plays, including median projection, floor and upside.

UCL DFS Picks: Forwards/ Midfielder

Lionel Messi (DraftKings $12,300, FanDuel $24)

The Champions League opens the Round of 16 with a two-game slate. Barcelona hosts Paris Saint-Germain, who is without Neymar and Angel Di Maria. Both clubs possess firepower, with Barcelona leading in expected goals per match and Paris Saint-Germain ranking second. The key absences for Paris Saint-Germain should favor Barcelona, and Lionel Messi is the core play in all formats.

His asking price is a tough fit, but the upside is always there. He averages 7 shots per match in the Champions league and handles the set pieces for his club. Messi builds a floor off open-play/set-piece crosses at an average of 4.85 per match, and he draws fouls at a rate of at 2.6 per match.

On the corners he can be paired with Ousmane Dembele, who is averaging 2.3 shots per match; that has ticked up to 3 in Champions League play. Asking for multi-goal contributions to continue for Dembele will be difficult given the step up in competition, but time of possession should favor Barcelona. Even at a high asking price Dembele will have opportunities to find the back of the net.

On the other wing, you get a solid discount on Antoine Griezmann, who has been providing shot/assisted shot output at an average 3.6 per match. Sergio Busquets is pure punt option for salary relief. Busquets makes his living through 3.66 won tackles/interceptions per match and 2.64 drawn fouls. His defensive talents over the depleted possession men for Paris Saint Germain should allow him to pay off the min-price ask.

Christopher Nkunku (DraftKings $8,700, FanDuel $14)

The home squad RB Leipzig is the underdog and should put up a fight against a struggling Liverpool team. Leipzig advanced to the Round of 16 off of their defense, as their offense is around league average. Liverpool is capable of scoring on any team, but given their defensive struggles, I still like Leipzig to edge out the match.

Christopher Nkunku handles corner shares and provides volume crosses at an average 5 per match in Champions League play. The playmaking distributor adds to his floor with 2.8 shots/assisted shots per match. His upside lies in his teammates finishing his setups.

Dani Olmo and Yussuf Poulsen round the attack for Leipzig. The preference is Olmo because of his $1,700 discount. Olmo averages 2.16 shots/assisted shots per match,  Poulsen 1.33 per match. Given the goal-or-bust for both, I would take the savings and consider both as GPP plays.

Other Options: Kylian Mbappe (DraftKings $9,900, FanDuel $22), Moise Kean (DraftKings $5,900, FanDuel $17), Sadio Mane (DraftKings $9,300, FanDuel $19), Mohamed Salah (DraftKings $10,800, FanDuel $21), Marcel Sabitzer (DraftKings $5,900, FanDuel $13).

UCL DFS Picks: Defenders

Angelino (DraftKings $6,400 FanDuel $14)

Sergino Dest (DraftKings $4,400 FanDuel $10)

The defenders are hard to fit in with the likes of Messi, Mbappe or Mohamed Salah. Below are some pure punt options for salary relief, along with two floor plays. Angelino sticks out because of the floor and price. He could get overlooked, with top options around. He averages 4.66 crosses per match and is heavily involved in the offense. Angelino contributes on 22% of Leipzig’s overall scoring in the Bundesliga, and his numbers were just as impressive in the Champions League. Notable performances in Champions League play came against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, both of whom have slightly better defenses than Liverpool’s current form.

Sergino Dest is a lower-priced wing back that can push up the pitch. His crossing volume of 3.4 per match allows for a solid floor. His defensive metrics have a small sample at 2.36 won tackles/interceptions per match. The opportunity for about that number to continue should be there, as Paris Saint Germain likes to play the long ball to their attacking forwards, and they should not pose a huge threat to Dest. His upside comes in his 2 shots/assisted shots per match and his teammates finishing.

Other Options: Trent Alexander-Arnold (DraftKings $6,700, FanDuel $15), Jordi Alba (DraftKings $5,400, FanDuel $13), Clement Lenglet (DraftKings $3,000, FanDuel $11), Ozan Kabak (DraftKings $2,900, FanDuel $8), Dayot Upamecano (DraftKings $2,900, FanDuel $11), Layvin Kurzawa (DraftKings $4,200, FanDuel $12).

Goalkeepers

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (DraftKings $5,000 FanDuel $13)

Peter Gulacsi (DraftKings $4,400 FanDuel $9)


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Looking for more UCL DFS picks content for DraftKings and FanDuel? We have loads of Champions League articles, data, cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo Soccer home page. Just click HERE.

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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