DraftKings Champions League Daily Fantasy Soccer Helper for 2/23/21

Another week of round of 16 Champions League knockout round games is here. Here are the games, with odds from EPL odds:

Forwards to Target

Robert Lewandowski ($10,500): Lewandowski isn't quite on the tear that he was on last season in the Champions League, but he actually is outpacing his staggering goal total from last season in the Bundesliga. His 26 league goals are eight more than anyone else in Europe's top five leagues, per WhoScored.com. Lazio are not experiencing the same success as they had last season, sitting in sixth place in Serie A. In this game, it would be a surprise if Lewa didn't score, as his anytime goal scoring odds are -200. Those are better odds than we saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have last week, yet Lewandowski's salary is lower than CR7's and Messi's was. This makes his salary seem more than fair, and it makes him the top play of the slate.

Luis Suárez ($7,400): When Suárez left Barcelona to join Atlético Madrid, he probably didn't imagine things going this well. Atlético are on top of La Liga, three points ahead of Real Madrid with a game in hand. Suarez has played a big part in that, tying for the league lead in goals with 16. Suárez has always been a player who loves to shoot, and this season is no different. He is averaging slightly more than 3.8 shots per 90 minutes in league matches, according to Rotowire. That gives him a higher floor than most goal-dependent forwards, making him a great play for $7,400.

Also Consider: Leroy Sané ($7,600), Luis Alberto ($7,000), Tammy Abraham ($5,900)

Midfielders to Target

Joshua Kimmich ($8,400): Kimmich was injured through much of the group stage, but he's been back since the start of 2021. He's doing what we have known him to do, providing a ton of floor statistics to get fantasy points. He has five crosses in nine straight appearances in the Bundesliga. He also creates more than three chances per 90 minutes in the league. Unlike some players who we roster for their floor, Kimmich does have a reasonable ceiling, as well. He already has 10 assists in 16 league matches this campaign. With Bayern likely to score the most goals on the slate, playing Kimmich and Lewandowski together is a good roster build.

Mason Mount ($7,500): No player on Chelsea has benefited more from Thomas Tuchel taking over than Mason Mount. He now gets a majority of the corner kicks for the Blues and has recorded at least 15 DK points in all five starts under the new boss. The matchup against Atlético is a tough one, but given Atléti's style and how they like to defend, it's safer to play someone like Mount who can get points through crosses. Mount even recently scored a penalty in Chelsea's last game, so if they get one in this game, it could be him who steps up and takes it.

Koke ($4,000): Koke is a great value play at midfield for Atlético. With Kieran Trippier suspended, Koke has taken a lot of the set pieces. He has at least six DraftKings points in his last six games and has more than 12 in three of those. We will take that all day for just $4,000, so that makes him the best midfielder down in this salary range.

Also Consider: Marcos Llorente ($6,200), Adam Marusic ($4,100)

Defenders to Target

Marcos Alonso ($4,800): Alonso has started four out of Chelsea's last five matches. He's been given a new lease on life at the club after being in the background under Frank Lampard. He was once a top fantasy defender in the Premier League, and he's shown glimpses of that form under Tuchel, scoring at least nine fantasy points in three of his last four starts. He's easily one of the most attack-minded full backs on the slate and is discounted because he wasn't the starter earlier in the season.

Alphonso Davies ($4,400): Davies was one of the most impressive young players in the world last year, but he has struggled for playing time at the start of this season. He has been getting game time of late with players missing and has performed as expected, amassing more than nine fantasy points in two straight starts. Davies should be able to get forward in this game if Bayern are on the front foot against an overmatched Lazio side. This is a nice salary to take a shot on a player who can be a world-class attacking full-back.

Also Consider: Renan Lodi ($4,400), Niklas Süle ($3,700)

Goalkeepers to Target

Jan Oblak ($4,800): Oblak and Atlético Madrid aren't as big of favorites as Bayern Munich are, but there are a few reasons to play Oblak instead of Neuer. Atlético are a much better defensive team, conceding just 16 goals in 23 matches domestically, compared to Bayern's 31 in 22. They have better clean sheet odds, too, at +160 to +200. Factoring in the $800 savings from Neuer's salary, Oblak makes a lot of sense.

Pepe Reina ($4,000): This is less about liking Reina and more about purely saving salary at the highest-variance position. If no keeper gets a clean sheet and a win, then it's reasonable that all four could score within a few points of each other. If that's the case, using the keeper with the lowest salary and spending up everywhere else could be the ideal build for GPPs.

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.