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Hello, RotoBallers! I'm happy to be back with you for some mid-week soccer. The UEFA Champions League is so back! After a full eight games Tuesday, we have eight more on Wednesday. This breakdown will focus on the early UCL slate on FanDuel for Wednesday. Keep reading this breakdown for my DFS soccer picks on RotoBaller and see how to have success on Wednesday's slate.
The large majority of my DFS content will be EPL or UCL-related, however, there is always more soccer DFS to cover. If you want to chop it up with myself and other RotoBaller writers about non-EPL/UCL leagues or other sports, consider becoming a premium member and joining our ever-growing community of DFS and fantasy sports enthusiasts! We have had some great conversations in the Premium Slack chat about the past few UCL slates.
You can also get access to my brain for questions and edits to lineups for Wednesday for the early slate. In this article, I will be providing you with my UEFA Champions League daily fantasy soccer lineup picks for FanDuel on 9/14/21 for the slate that locks at 12:45 pm ET. Be sure to also check out our other DFS lineup picks for other active sports. You can always find me on Twitter @vdray5 if you have any questions. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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UCL DFS Lineup Picks - Overview
Besiktas vs Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund (-170) took a loss on the road to Freiburg a few weeks ago but have otherwise been rolling in Bundesliga play this year doing what they do best with 13 goals already in four games. Besiktas, meanwhile, are at the top of the Turkish Super Lig. They have not conceded a goal yet in four games and have scored seven. Dortmund are not huge favorites here given they're playing on the road, but they should take care of business and win. There will be some good plays from both sides of this game, and I actually think it's pretty stackable. The goal total over/under is 3.0.
Sheriff Tiraspol vs Shakhtar Donetsk
If you have not heard of Sheriff Tiraspol before now, that's fine, no one has. There's actually a really odd story behind their climb to relevance in a Twitter thread if you do some searching. Anyways, their host Shakhtar (-115) in their first UCL game ever. They are not that big of underdogs, but I think Shakhtar should have their way with them. The goal total over/under is 2.5.
FanDuel DFS Forwards / Midfielders
Besiktas haven't given up a goal to any Turkish opponents yet this year - and while their defensive might prove to be good in UCL play - the chances they keep Dortmund out of the net are slim. Erling Haaland ($23) scored his first goal for Dortmund in January 2020, and he has not stopped since. He has five goals and four assists already in four games this year to go along with good shooting volume and about two chances created per game. Haaland is the leading anytime goal scorer on this slate at -190 and will be insanely chalky.
A second Dortmund attacker like Marco Reus ($21) or Donyell Malen ($17) make a lot of sense to pair with Haaland on this slate. Dortmund are averaging 3.25 goals per game in the Bundesliga so far, and you don't want to miss out on the slate's most potent offense. Mahmoud Dahoud ($13) is a decent way to get a third Dortmund attacker for cheap on Wednesday.
Dortmund's defense is pretty poor. They were not very good last year and are struggling so far this year with nine goals allowed in four Bundesliga games. I like running some Dortmund attackers back with some Besiktas exposure. Michy Batshuayi ($20) is pretty expensive when you need cash for Dortmund guys. He's a solid play with two goals this year and five SOGs, but I think we can get more bang for our buck. Cyle Larin ($17) has the best goal odds at +155 on the team if he starts. Rachid Ghezzal ($15) is way too cheap for me. He's not a very prolific scorer, but he has solid goal odds at +370 and can provide some good peripherals in a game environment like this. Georges-Kevin Nkoudou ($13) is also worth a look in what could be a high-scoring game. There are lots of different ways to go about stacking this game with your Besiktas exposure.
Lassina Traore ($20) was one of my favorite go-to value plays in UCL last year with Ajax when he was under $10. Now, he's continuing his great scoring run having already scored five times for Shakhtar this year. He gets a matchup with a largely unknown Sheriff Tiraspol team where he can get his UCL scoring campaign off to the right start. He has the best odds to score in the game at +145 and is an elite pivot off the other game. Alan Patrick ($16) and Pedrinho ($11) are cheaper ways to try and attack Tiraspol.
I'm not going to act like I know much about any of these Sheriff players. Their leading goal scorer this season Luvannor is no longer on the team as he transferred to a Saudi club in August. Adama Traore ($20) is second on the squad in goals, but it's nearly impossible to pay $20 for him on this slate with all of the other talent up top. Frank Andersson Castaneda Velez ($17) is the team's captain and has a handful of goals to his name this year, but even he seems too expensive and unknown. I would stick to Dortmund, Besiktas, and Shakhtar attackers until we can see some trends develop.
FanDuel DFS Defenders
I don't see any high-end defenders that are worth the money on this slate, so I'm going to stick to some value guys.
Welinton ($6) is awfully cheap for a matchup like this. He's a center back on the slate's biggest underdog facing a team that will attack furiously. He's in a great spot to rack up defensive stats at a price tag that is too cheap.
Marlon Santos ($9) is also in a solid spot to collect some defensive stats against Sheriff. In past Champions League group stages, Shakhtar defenders have had some slate-breaking games. This could be one of them in a road game.
Mats Hummels ($8) is way too cheap for the caliber player he is. He can be a peripherals monster at times and in the right matchup. I think the game environment is a good one for him to collect some stats at a good price.
FanDuel DFS Goalkeepers
The GK situation on this small early slate is far from ideal. Gregor Kobel ($12) should be ending this game with a win bonus, but Dortmund's defense is not good and they're on the road.
It's easy to fit Andriy Pyatov ($11) in your lineup because fading Sheriff attackers is not difficult. Shakhtar are favored, so Pyatov has a solid shot at a win bonus. Sheriff have not been extremely dominant in Moldova so far this season, but they are scoring over two goals per game. However, they are completely unproven at this level facing a team in Shakhtar who does this annually.
Thanks for reading my EPL DFS lineup picks breakdown on RotoBaller and good luck!
