DraftKings DFS UCL picks for Tuesday October 1st

The Champions League is back to the regular schedule, but with more teams that means the main schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday will include seven games. It should be fun to add another team to the madness that already exists, but two big favorites dominate the list on Tuesday, as both Manchester City and Barcelona are favored to win by around 90 percent.

GAMES (ET)

Detailed statistics and odds can be found in

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Cheat Sheet for Tuesday's Champions League

FORWARD

Erling Haaland (MCI at SLO, $10,000): Unfortunately, it will be difficult to knock out Haaland, who is priced a few thousand too low despite having a -400 goal percentage. The reason for leaving him out is that he was reportedly struggling with Achilles tendon pain in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle at the weekend. Of course, if he starts, Achilles tendon pain probably won't be a factor against this defense that allowed Celtic five goals and nine big chances.

Robert Lewandowski ($7,000) isn't far behind with a -250 chance to score, although he's not yet at the peak of his career and doesn't seem to have the same chances of scoring three or four goals as Haaland. On the other hand, his price is the same as Chris Wood's against Fulham. You could opt for the even cheaper model

The Champions League is back to the regular schedule, but with more teams that means the main schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday will include seven games. It should be fun to add another team to the madness that already exists, but two big favorites dominate the list on Tuesday, as both Manchester City and Barcelona are favored to win by around 90 percent.

GAMES (ET)

Detailed statistics and odds can be found in

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Cheat Sheet for Tuesday's Champions League

FORWARD

Erling Haaland (MCI at SLO, $10,000): Unfortunately, it will be difficult to knock out Haaland, who is priced a few thousand too low despite having a -400 goal percentage. The reason for leaving him out is that he was reportedly struggling with Achilles tendon pain in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle at the weekend. Of course, if he starts, Achilles tendon pain probably won't be a factor against this defense that allowed Celtic five goals and nine big chances.

Robert Lewandowski ($7,000) isn't far behind with a -250 chance to score, although he's not yet at the peak of his career and doesn't seem to have the same chances of scoring three or four goals as Haaland. On the other hand, his price is the same as Chris Wood's against Fulham. You could go for the even cheaper Lamine Yamal ($6,600), which isn't at the same level as the standard player Raphinha ($8,700), but it's much cheaper and has the same advantages. Make your choice.

Each of Inter's strikers is a good pivot if you believe in the chances. It feels like every time Lautaro Martinez ($7,200) is in this spot, he takes 10 shots and doesn't score. Sure, the 20-point floor is nice, but it's not enough if Yamal loses 30 points at the same price.

Celtic won their opening Champions League game, but their away record in the Champions League is abysmal, conceding 18 goals in their last five games since 2022. That puts Serhou Guirassy ($8,500) and Borussia Dortmund in tournament range for me. He scored a brace in the league game and will certainly not be given the same squad as the Man City and Barcelona players.

Viktor Gyokeres ($7,500) is in a similar boat to Guirassy because he's in the same ballpark as the Barcelona guys. His nine-game scoring streak (including club and country) ended at the weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him start a new one against PSV. You could make a Victor stack with Victor Boniface ($7,100), but losing City and Barcelona's top scorers carries risks.

MIDFIELDER

Phil Foden (MCI at SLO $9,100): I don't think Foden is a goalscorer, but assuming he starts he will dish out set pieces and figures to get on the scoresheet at least once. Given he was more of a bench option at the start of the season, a full 90 also seems likely, not too dissimilar to last week's EFL Cup win against Watford. He played the false nine in this game and although he didn't score a goal or an assist, he had six shots and two chances.

Pascal Gross (BVB vs. CEL, $6,200): Gross isn't a tournament option, but as Celtic's home player he's in range for at least 10 crosses, which is fine for the price. He doesn't have the same upside as he did at Brighton, which makes him difficult to play, especially without PKs. He is a good option and expects to score around 10 to 15 points depending on whether he plays 70 or 90 minutes.

If you block out Foden or other City starters, not a lot stands out. Hakan Calhanoglu ($6,200) is probably the most intriguing because he's cheap, but when Piotr Zielinski ($7,500) starts, it's all about set pieces. If Joey Veerman ($6,800) is out due to injury, I'm not sure who will benefit the most at PSV. Malik Tillman ($4,800) could potentially play a more attacking role again, while Johan Bakayoko ($6,500) and Noa Lang ($5,700) are forwards only.

I haven't mentioned too many Arsenal players who might have more possession in their home game against PSG. The Gunners' prices are similar to the game against Leicester City at the weekend, which is reason enough to skip them at this point, despite it being a lower scoring game.

DEFENDER

Alejandro Grimaldo (LEV vs. MIL, $6,100): No other defender on the list can match Grimaldo's floor and advantage rate with a shared set piece and +250 scoring chances. He has already scored two goals this season and is averaging 2.20 shots per 90 in league play. A home game against Milan isn't the best, but it isn't the worst either, and given City and Barca's underrated players, it should be It shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate Grimaldo.

Federico Dimarco (INT vs RSB, $4,800): Speaking of underrated players, Dimarco is likely to be a starter and ready to take part in cash games. Even without a guaranteed 90 minutes, he almost always gets 10 DK points and a home game against Belgrade should give him great chances to get on the scoresheet.

Each of Man City's defenders is playable as they should be in the attacking half for most of the game. Josko Gvardiol ($5,600) has the biggest advantage as he loves taking shots from outside the box, but Rico Lewis ($4,500) always seems to be well positioned against weaker teams. Jules Kounde ($3,900) is cheaper than everyone else and while he isn't involved in Barcelona's attack as often, for less than $4,000 it's not bad to pick up 10 points with possible upside.

GOALKEEPER

Dominik Takac (SLO vs. MCI, $3,600): Every time I play an expensive goalie, I vow never to play one again. Takac has the potential to be a minus-10, but could also finish with four points while allowing five goals or even 20 or more points with 10+ saves. I know City and Barcelona have more than a 50 percent chance of keeping a clean sheet, but I'm not sure the possible 12 or 14 points are worth it. Back one of the underdog goalkeepers and hope for the best. At least Takac and Slovan are at home, while no other outsiders can claim the same.