Daily Fantasy Champions League 2015: Best UCL Lineup Picks for March 17-18
The first crop of 2015 Champions League second legs brought with it huge scorelines and eye-popping daily fantasy performances, which only sets the stage for an encore performance this week.
Desperation will be in order for certain clubs who face first-leg deficits, while leaders will either implement more protective strategies or simply choose to keep the play opened up. Either way, the options are numerous on DraftKings for a four-match slate on Tuesday and Wednesday.
| GK | Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen) | Atletico Madrid | 7.7 | $4,000 |
| D | Jordi Alba (Barcelona) | Manchester City | 10.4 | $5,300 |
| D | Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) | Borussia Dortmund | 10.4 | $4,300 |
| M | Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund) | Juventus | 7.7 | $6,400 |
| M | Karim Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen) | Atletico Madrid | 8.3 | $6,700 |
| F | Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) | Monaco | 11.5 | $8,900 |
| F | Luis Suarez (Barcelona) | Manchester City | 20.5 | $9,700 |
| FLEX | Saul (Atletico Madrid) | Bayer Leverkusen | 3.6 | $4,700 |
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Forwards: Luis Suarez ($9,700) and Olivier Giroud ($8,400)
Luis Suarez's struggles against Manchester City from his days in the EPL evaporated quickly in Barcelona's first leg win, with the Uruguayan scoring both the La Blaugrana goals. While Lionel Messi's $13,000 salary will set you back beyond repair, Suarez is much more affordable and has produced a similar output of late.
| 3/14: Manchester City | 2 | 0 | 5 | 31 |
| 12/10: PSG | 1 | 1 | 3 | 25 |
| 11/25: APOEL | 1 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
Spectacularly enough, Suarez has scored four goals in his last three UCL appearances and exceeded 20 fantasy points in each, while Manchester City are coming off a 1-0 league loss at Burnley.
Desperate Arsenal will be salivating for goals facing a 3-1 disadvantage to Monaco, and Olivier Giroud's recent spell in EPL play will have him leading the way. He has scored in each of his last three league matches and was busy in the first leg versus Monaco with six shots.
Midfielders: Karim Bellarabi ($6,700) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan ($6,400)
Assuming Bayer Leverkusen doesn't fall back on the defensive too much with a 1-0 aggregate lead over Atletico Madrid, midfielder Karim Bellarabi promises to post another strong outing. He assisted on their only goal in the first leg, scored in his last outing against VfB Stuttgart and is going for his fifth double-digit fantasy performance in his 10th DK contest this season.
Bellarabi's affinity for crosses and shots—which he has 14 and 21 of in UCL play, respectively—will lead him to outplay his $6,700 salary. Only leading by one goal, Leverkusen will keep on the offensive with nine goals in their last three outings, and Bellarabi will help to lead the charge.
Leverkusen's fellow Bundesliga club playing this week comes in much more desperate, with Borussia Dortmund aiming to erase a 2-1 aggregate deficit against Juventus. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is one of Dortmund's most aggressive midfielders, with 22 shots (nine on goal) in six games.
Defenders: Jordi Alba ($5,300) and Stephan Lichtsteiner ($4,300)
Getting offensive output from your defenders is crucial this week with two Spanish clubs playing, and there's no better option than Jordi Alba. Barcelona's full-back has dropped an assist in two UCL matches running, including the last time out against Manchester City.
With La Blaugrana's place in the quarterfinal far from set entering the second leg, Alba will use his pace on the outside to help generate opportunities if and when City clamp down on the middle of the field to limit Lionel Messi.
Save some salary without compromising output by nabbing Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner. He's averaging more than 10 DK points per contest this season, and his side's only conceded goal in the first leg against Borussia Dortmund came on a faulty back pass from Giorgio Chiellini. Don't bet against them to get the clean sheet this time around.
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno ($4,000)
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno's clean-sheet streak is the stuff of legends. He hasn't allowed a goal in five matches running, a span which stretches 482 minutes of match time and dates back to Feb. 21.
Of course, that also included a shutout of Atletico Madrid at home to help give Bayer the 1-0 advantage heading to Spain for Tuesday's affair. Even if Atletico's pressure actually gets to Leno this time and ends his clean-sheet streak, he will turn enough opportunities away to make him a bargain at $4,000—which is cheaper than 10 goalkeepers listed this week.
Advanced stats are courtesy of WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.
Steven Cook covers Daily Fantasy football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
