Champions League Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 4/4/18

The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals take place this week and FanDuel will offer their second UCL slate of the week on Wednesday.

The two games on the Wednesday slate includes Roma traveling to Barcelona and a Premier League clash at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City. The Champions League history is pretty even between Roma and Barcelona, but the last meeting was lopsided in Barcelona's favorite. Manchester City and Liverpool have been evenly matched over many years of play.

Barcelona is a heavy favorite while Liverpool's recent form has drawn them closer to Manchester City. Overall, there is more value in the match at Anfield as Barcelona should be in control of their quarterfinal.

Let's take a look at some players for Wednesday's slate at various price points.

Forwards to Target

Sergio Aguero ($12,000) -- The best forwards this week are going to cost a good deal of money, but that is what happens when you get to the quarterfinal stage. Prices for players like Aguero are justified as he has scored 15 goals in 15 games across all competitions this calendar year. He sat out the Premier League match over the weekend but should return for the match at Anfield. Aguero has a goal and two assists in two EPL matches against Liverpool this season. He is chasing history as a goal in this match would be his 200th for City, and what better way to do it than on Europe's grandest stage. Aguero has averaged 23.4 FanDuel points across his six Champions League games this year and has the best odds to score in Wednesday's game.

Roberto Firmino ($11,000) -- Firmino's odds aren't too far off from Aguero's. Remember, the last time these teams met, there were a combined seven goals scored and Firmino had a goal and an assist. His scoring touch has subsided a bit, but he should be slightly more rested than others in this match who played for their national teams since Firmino was on the field for only 25 minutes in Russia last week. Firmino averages slightly more than 30 FanDuel points per game in UCL play due in large part to seven goals in his European campaign. Goals are expected in this match, and the front three of Firmino, Sadio Mane ($9,000), and Mohamed Salah ($10,500) are possibly the most dynamic trio in the world.

Luis Suarez ($10,500) -- This is to take nothing away from Lionel Messi ($13,500), but Suarez provides some savings and knows how to score wonder goals against Roma. Barcelona already had the advantage playing at home, but Roma have been hit by an injury bug, with Radja Nainggolan out. Suarez has three goals and two assists in his last five games across all competitions. He scored a hat trick and added two assists against Girona at the end of February, showing that he still has plenty of creative talent. Outside of Messi, Suarez has the best odds to score in this match.

Midfielders to Target

Kevin De Bruyne ($10,500) -- De Bruyne averages 23.2 FanDuel points over six games in the Champions League. After a small dip in form, he registered an assist for City against Everton over the weekend after scoring for Belgium in a friendly during the international break. He also got a slight rest at the end of the Everton match and should be ready to go for the clash against Liverpool. In the first game between the two clubs, De Bruyne notched two assists and was given Man of the Match honors. He has 19 assists to go along with his 12 goals across all competitions.

James Milner ($7,500) -- Outside of Salah and Mane, the midfielder with the third-highest UCL FanDuel-points-per-game average on this slate is Milner. He is averaging 25.1 FanDuel points in six appearances, and he is expected to start at left midfielder behind Mane. Milner assisted on a Mane goal over the weekend against Crystal Palace. Milner was also credited with four key passes and five defensive actions in the match. He will look to contribute on both sides of the balls on Wednesday as well.

Daniele De Rossi ($6,500) -- Someone has to stop the Barcelona attack, and De Rossi will be patrolling the middle of the midfield. He is averaging a touch more than six defensive actions per game across all competitions, but he will likely find it necessary to be more active on the defensive end without the workhorse Nainggolan. The second leg against Shakhtar in the Round of 16 was De Rossi's best match across his six appearances in the competition. He was credited for eight defensive actions and drew two fouls. He also created a chance in both legs of that tie. Barcelona is obviously stiffer competition, but the chance for more defensive-action points makes De Rossi a good value play.

Defenders to Target

Aleksandar Kolarov ($7,500) -- Kolarov, a former City player, will not be green to the big stage in Barcelona and should continue to be one of the most productive defenders on FanDuel. Of those expected to play on Wednesday, Kolarov is the third-most productive defender in terms of FanDuel points per game. He created six chances in the two legs against Shaktar and has a chance created in each of his eight Champions League appearances this year. He has won Man of the Match honors in each of Roma's past two league games. In this past weekend's match against Bologna, Kolarov had 2 shots, 2 key passes, and 102 touches. He will get forward at any chance, but he is still willing to work on the defensive end. Kolarov finished the Round of 16 with 13 defensive actions.

Aymeric Laporte ($5,500) -- The City back line prepared for the Liverpool attack with some minor tweaks against Everton. And with the injury to John Stones, Laporte is being positioned at left back and will likely face up against Salah. It is not his natural position, but he passed the test against Theo Walcott last weekend and will be vital for the City defense against the on-fire Salah. Laporte did manage a shot from his left-back position while completing a bit more than 90% of his passes. Laporte scored 24.5 FanDuel points in his only Champions League appearance to this point after coming to City in January.

Trent Alexander-Arnold ($5,000) -- Alexander-Arnold has rotated with Joe Gomez this season, but Gomez is injured, allowing Alexander-Arnold to hold down the right-back spot. He has played in five Champions League games this season and averages 18.4 FanDuel points, a total well worth his $5,000 price tag. He has one goal, one assist, and five chances created thus far and should continue to get forward against City. However, much like Laporte, he will have to deal with great attackers like Aguero and Leroy Sane. In the first match against City, he was booked early on but finished with 10 defensive actions and grew into the game as it went along.

Keeper to Target

Marc-Andre ter Stegen ($5,500) -- There is only one keeper to target on this two-game slate. Goals are expected at Anfield while Barcelona should cruise to a victory, making ter Stegen the top option in goal. He has four clean sheets in Barcelona's last five matches. He is second in La Liga with 18 shutouts this season. Remember, a clean sheet is worth 10 points, so even if ter Stegen does not have a lot to do, there should be a return as long as Roma doesn't score.

Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.