Champions League Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 3/6/19

The Champions League, the best soccer competition on the planet, resumes this week with Round-of-16 action, and FanDuel is offering daily fantasy contests for the entirety of the campaign. The Wednesday main slate starts at 3 p.m. EST and includes both of the day's matches.

Here's the full main slate.

PSG are the slate's biggest favorite, boasting implied win odds of 67.7%, per EPL odds. The Parisians -- who cruised to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the first leg -- are a 1.0-goal favorite with a 2.0-goal implied total. In the Porto-Roma clash, host Porto own implied win odds of 50.0%. Roma won at home in the first leg, 2-1.

Let's scan the slate and look at some players to target at each position.

For those who last played DFS during the 2017-18 UCL campaign, FanDuel has made some changes to their scoring system, so make sure you're up to date on how the new settings impact things.

Forwards

Kylian Mbappé ($12,500) -- As was the case in the first leg, PSG are expected to be without Neymar and Edinson Cavani on Wednesday, which should result in Mbappé being deployed as a central striker once again. He filled that role in PSG's 2-0 first-leg win, scoring a goal on his way to 30.0 FanDuel points. The French superstar has totaled four goals, four assists and 11 shots on goal over nine UCL matches this campaign. With PSG favored at home and carrying a 2.0-goal implied total, Mbappe -- who has scored six times in four matches since the opening leg at Old Trafford -- is in a money spot versus Manchester United. The only negative here is that he'll likely be the slate's highest-owned player, so you have to think about fading him in GPPs to avoid the chalk.

Moussa Marega ($10,000) -- Marega made his return last weekend from a nearly month-long injury absence, starting against Benfica, playing 90 minutes and putting two shots on target. He was in stellar form late in the 2018 calendar year, scoring five goals with two assists across all competitions in December. Marega should have some chances to do damage against a Roma defense that has just one clean sheet across their past nine matches in all competitions. Porto gave a good account of themselves in Rome in the first leg, holding 57% of the possession in a 2-1 loss, and they are a 0.5-goal favorite in the second leg. If Marega doesn't start, you can peep Adrián ($8,000) or Tiquinho Soares ($7,500).

Marcus Rashford ($10,500) -- If you want to separate yourself in a large-field tourney, roster a United player in an attacking spot as the masses will likely avoid the Red Devils' forwards. Given his pace and the likelihood his team will have to try to play on the counter, Rashford has a good chance to be involved in any United goal. The floor here is terrifying because there's a very real chance United don't generate much in this match, but if you're looking for a contrarian play for GPPs, Rashford fits the bill.

Midfielders

Ángel Di María ($9,500) -- Di María was a huge factor in the first leg, notching the assist on each of PSG's two goals and terrorizing the United defense down the left side on his way to 25.6 FanDuel points. The absences of Neymar and Cavani lock Di María into a starting role, and his DFS stock gets a boost from his free-kick ability as well as his duties as corner taker. There's a lot to like. On the flip side, his big first-leg showing and PSG's status as a healthy favorite should add up to Di María being pretty popular, which gives us reason for pause, but the Argentine winger is more than capable of going off again.

Julian Draxler ($7,500) -- Draxler is a pivot off of Di María, and he offers a cost-effective way to get exposure to PSG while dodging hefty ownership levels. Draxler started in an attacking-midfield role in the first leg, and while he registered a measly 7.3 FanDuel points, he did create two chances. PSG saw 56% of the ball in that game and tallied 12 shots (five on target). They could best those stats in this one, giving Draxler more chances to get the ball in dangerous positions. Also, if Christopher Nkunku ($4,500) starts for PSG, something he's done in three of their past four matches across all competitions, he'd be awfully enticing at his price.

Yacine Brahimi ($5,500) -- While Brahimi isn't a lock to start and doesn't often play 90 minutes, he checks a few boxes in a match in which Porto have to score. He fired off three shots last weekend in Porto's 2-1 loss to Benfica, and as we mentioned earlier, the Roma defense has been there for the taking lately, keeping just one clean sheet over their past nine outings in all competitions. It's hard to nail down who Porto will roll with in midfield, but if Bahimi starts, he will likely be out wide. If Brahimi doesn't start, you can look to Héctor Herrera ($7,500) or Otávio ($8,500).

Scott McTominay ($4,500) or Fred ($6,000) -- As if losing 2-0 at home in the first leg wasn't bad enough for Manchester United, Paul Pogba received a late second yellow card and will have to sit out the match in Paris. While that's a crushing blow for United's chances of turning around this tie, it opens up some value in the Red Devils' midfield. While both of these players could start, depending on how United elect to line up, there's a really good chance at least one of them will be in there in Pogba's spot. Neither Fred nor McTominay offer much going forward, but they should be very active defensively in a match in which United are unlikely to see a lion's share of possession. That gives them a respectable floor, and the cheap salary frees you up to go Mall Madness elsewhere.

Defenders

Alex Telles ($7,000) -- Between Telles, Dani Alves ($7,500) and Thomas Meunier ($6,500), who made his injury return last weekend, today's two home favorites offer some really nice attacking full-back options. Telles is one of Porto's stars, and he's been a DFS machine this UCL campaign. He's reached double-digit FanDuel points in all seven of his outings, and he's created 12 total chances in European play. Telles was credited with just one chance created in Rome, but he still amassed 14.7 FanDuel points. With Porto at home, he should have more license to bomb forward, and he also carries respectable clean-sheet odds given Roma's 1.0-goal implied total.

Victor Lindelöf ($4,500) -- Lindelöf is appealing because he's cheap and should be very busy defensively, giving him a nice floor. While the clean-sheet bonus is extremely unlikely, he could push upwards of 10 to 15 defensive actions (clearances, tackles and interceptions) as United should be under siege at the Parc des Princes.

Goalies

Gianluigi Buffon ($6,000) -- The two keepers with the best shot at a win are wily legends Buffon and Iker Casillas ($5,500). Both Roma and Manchester United have 1.0-goal implied totals, so the two keepers have similar clean-sheet odds. While Casillas is cheaper and should see more save volume, his win odds are much worse than Buffon's as PSG own 67.7% implied win odds, per EPL odds, compared to 50.0% for Porto. Buffon was called on for just one save in the first leg, notching a clean-sheet win and 20.0 FanDuel points. He could put together that kind of line again, though he's capable of a low score if PSG concede.

David De Gea ($5,000) -- De Gea should be peppered with shots in Paris, and if he's on top form, he could have a huge fantasy day. Then again, PSG have a 2.0-goal implied total, and Manchester United, who need to score at least two goals, will have to open up and look to attack at some point, which could leave them very vulnerable defensively. Rostering De Gea might backfire spectacularly, but as we saw in an 11-save masterclass at Spurs earlier this season, the Spaniard is capable of stifling any attack on his day. He should be called into action enough on Wednesday that he can still have a solid fantasy day even if he gives up a goal or two.

Austan Kas is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austan Kas also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username akas247. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.