SOCCER

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for UCL 2/17/21

There are two more knockout stage games in the Champions League, and we have another interesting slate. Here are the games, with odds from EPL odds:

HomeDrawAway
Porto (+310)+210Juventus (+105)
Sevilla (+130)+240Dortmund (+210)


Forwards to Target

Cristiano Ronaldo ($10,300): Ronaldo is back in his home country for Wednesday's game against Porto. He may have recently turned 36, but he is still the leading scorer in Serie A this season. We know what we're getting when rostering Ronaldo, as he is one of the most shot-happy players in soccer. He trails only Lionel Messi in shots per game in Europe's top five leagues, according to WhoScored.com. If there is a penalty for Juventus, Ronaldo will definitely step up to take it. With Juventus being the biggest favorite on the slate, Ronaldo is a priority to get into lineups. He's a -105 favorite to score at any time, so he fits any lineup build.

Youssef En-Nesyri ($8,200): En-Nesyri is having a breakout season for Sevilla. His 13 goals are the fourth-most in La Liga this season. This matchup for Sevilla is one of the best you could ask for in Champions League knockout rounds. Dortmund have been on a bad run, with just one win in six league games seeing them fall to sixth place in the Bundesliga. They also have a defensive record that is fairly average in the league, conceding 31 goals in 21 matches. En-Nesyri actually has better goal-scoring odds than Ronaldo, but Ronaldo has a higher floor through shooting more. En-Nesyri makes for a good tournament play, as some players may not be familiar with him and will go for bigger-named options.

Mehdi Taremi ($6,500): Taremi would be a lower salary option at forward. He's tied for second in goals in the Primeira Liga and has only started 12 games. You can take a shot on him for this salary as a forward who could get a goal.

Also Consider: Erling Haaland ($8,900), Suso ($6,700), Moussa Marega ($6,000).

Midfielders to Target

Papu Gómez ($8,000): Yes, this is the same Alejandro "Papu" Gómez that played for Atalanta. He joined Sevilla in the January transfer window and has now made two appearances for the club. He had a goal off the bench in the first game, and in the second, he got 13 DraftKings points without a goal or assist. That's the kind of floor production we had come to expect from him at Atalanta. He took three corner kicks in that game, so we don't have to worry about him not getting set pieces with his new club. He has the highest floor of any midfield-only player on the slate, putting him in play for all kinds of lineup builds.

Sérgio Oliveira ($5,900): Oliveira was a fun player to roster in the group stage, and we can carry that over to the knockout stage. He scored three goals in five appearances in that group stage and has 14 goals in all competitions so far this season. He has scored nine goals through penalties this season, according to Transfermarkt.com. This gives him decent upside that most midfielders probably don't have, especially for just $5,900. He also takes most of the corners for Porto, and in their most recent league match, he took all of them. There really isn't a player that compares to his set of skills and roles on this slate, so it makes him a standout play for his salary.

Jude Bellingham ($4,800): It's not the most exciting play in the world, but Bellingham has a surprisingly high floor for a defensive midfielder. He has drawn 3.2 fouls per 90 minutes, and also has over a shot and a chance created per 90 as well, according to Rotowire. If you need someone around this salary, he's someone you can get away with.

Also Consider: Gio Reyna ($5,600), Julian Brandt ($5,300), Weston McKennie ($5,000).

Defenders to Target

Alex Sandro ($5,300): With Juan Cuadrado out, there aren't many defenders with high floors on this slate. We can turn to Alex Sandro on Juventus, as he is one of the more attacking options on the slate. Sandro is averaging nearly five crosses per 90 minutes. He correlates well with Ronaldo, as the two could easily link together for a goal and an assist through a Sandro cross. With no defender likely to have set pieces, Sandro is probably the highest salary defender you can justify playing, as the players above him aren't marked improvements over him.

Aleix Vidal ($4,300): Vidal missed all of Sevilla's group stage, and now is slowly finding his way back into action. In his last three league games, he's produced 10.4, 7.1, and 10.6 DK points, which would make him worth this $4,300 salary. He produced 4.55 crosses per 90 last season while playing for Alaves, so he does have an attacking pedigree. You can definitely take a shot on Vidal with not many other great plays at the position.

Also Consider: Zaidu Sanusi ($4,700), Danilo ($4,200), Wilson Manafá ($3,700)

Goalkeeper to Target

Wojciech Szczęsny ($5,300): Szczęsny plays behind one of Europe's best defenses, a team that has only conceded 19 goals in the league this season. Juventus are the team most likely to win, and Szczęsny stands out above the rest. However, on this slate with only four keepers and the games being relatively close in terms of the odds, all four have merit to them and it's not really a priority position. The "play whoever fits" strategy is more than fine with the options we have.


Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. 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.