With another seven games on the schedule for Wednesday’s Champions League competitions it will once again be very difficult to narrow down the best possible options when it comes to DraftKings fantasy tournaments. We decided to narrow down the field with our three best picks to pull out victories on Wednesday and then build our lineup using their rosters with the best combination of star talent and sleeper value picks. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Wednesday’s DraftKings Champions League fantasy tournaments.
GK: Gianlugi Buffon, Juventus
Salary: $5,900
Buffon is off to another excellent start with Juventus this season as they have won nine of their first 11 games to take an early lead atop the Serie A standings. The veteran goalkeeper has delivered some of his best performances on the Champions League stage and he could be in line for another with Juventus playing a favorable matchup at home against Lyon. Buffon could very well be in line for another clean sheet victory so he is worth the price tag as the second-highest priced goalkeeper on the board for Wednesday’s tournaments.
D: Raphael Varane, Real Madrid
Salary: $3,800
Real Madrid should be in a favorable spot when it takes on Legia Warsaw on Wednesday and it could result in the most lopsided result of the day. There are plenty of options to choose from throughout their lineup as we look to stack the Real Madrid players but by using Varane as a smart value pick at the defender positions we have a capable pick while also saving that much more money to load up with elite talent in the attacking positions.
D: Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus
Salary: $3,700
With Juventus in a favorable home matchup with Lyon, it didn’t take us long to turn back to the Serie A leaders and their defender core in particular for a smart value play. Bonucci’s offensive upside is limited but the defensive ability is there and he has the potential to benefit from a clean sheet bonus if Buffon can shut the door. At under $4K, Bonucci is another excellent value pick at the defender position.
M: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid
Salary: $8,000
It might come as a surprise considering the offensive talent that Real Madrid has at its disposal but Kroos actually leafs all players on their roster with five assists this season and he has been their highest-scoring Champions League fantasy option when it comes to La Liga competitions. Kroos has the potential to find the score sheet with multiple points on Wednesday and at just $8K he is still a strong value option.
M: Franco Vasquez, Sevilla
Salary: $6,700
Sevilla is another team expected to have an edge with a home date against Din Zagreb on Wednesday. That should result in a strong Champions League fantasy performance from one of their top midfield options in Vasquez, who will be all over the pitch for them. Vasquez hasn’t produced at an elite level in Sevilla’s domestic league play so far this season but the potential is there and the breakout could very well happen against Din Zagreb.
F: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
Salary: $10,900
After recording his first hat trick of the season in Real Madrid’s win over the weekend there was no way we were going to pass on Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar has just five goals overall this season but he had a breakout performance over the weekend and could be in line for another massive Champions League fantasy outing with Real Madrid set to take on Legia Warsaw.
F: Mario Mandzukic, Juventus
Salary: $7,800
We already broke down the favorable matchup that juventus has at home against Lyon so now it’s time we explain the other reasons why Mandzukic might be one of the better fantasy options on the board for Wednesday. The Croatian striker has delivered some memorable moments in the Champions League over the years and Juventus will be relying on his production as one of the focal points of their attack. The fact that this matchup likely won’t produce one of the higher scoring games on Wednesday will keep some from selecting Mandzukic so he could be the sneaky sleeper pick that makes the difference for you in your winning Champions League fantasy lineup.
FLEX: Nico Pareja, Sevilla
Salary: $3,200
With just over $3K left over to spend on our final FLEX position, we will turn back to the Sevilla matchup with another high upside option in Pareja. This pick is about finding the highest production upside at the lowest possible cost and we get that with Pareja, who should produce a solid fantasy score as the final pick in our optimal roster for Wednesday’s DraftKings competitions.
