Our Champions League DFS picks 4 November cover a seven-match main slate with a clear top end and a lot of balanced games underneath. VIK carry the highest projected goal total at 2.58, ARS have the best win chance at 76.4%, and five matches sit close to a coin flip or tighter. Below we cover Fanteam first, then DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo.
The first kickoff is 20:00 UTC, about six hours away, and every match starts together. That means one lineup deadline and one late wave of team news. Our projections update until lock.
Fanteam Champions League DFS picks 4 November: captains
On Fanteam the budget is 119 for 11 players, with a maximum of three per club. The captain scores double, so the pick matters more than any other slot. Our safe list contains the highest projections among expected starters.
Zlatko Tripic of VIK is the top projection on the slate at 7.29 points, priced at 13.7. He has a 48.6% chance to score against SABA, and VIK are projected for 2.58 goals with a 69.1% win chance. Erling Haaland of MCI follows at 6.1 and a 57.6% chance to score, the best on the board. Nico Paz of COM rounds out the safe group at 5.55 for 11.5, in a match where COM are projected for 1.82 goals.
For a big-swing captain, our model points to three names whose best outcomes sit well above their averages. Gianni Stensness is a VIK defender with a 5.08 projection and a ceiling of 12.48, and he has a 30.1% chance to score. Carlos Forbs of BRU (10.0) and Ivan Perisic of PSV (12.4) are the other two, both in a PSV and BRU game projected for 2.15 and 1.66 goals. Those two are tournament plays, not the base case.
Captain options, 4 November
| Type | Player | Team | Opp | Salary | Proj | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safe | Zlatko Tripic | VIK | SABA | 13.7 | 7.29 | 15.6 |
| Safe | Erling Haaland | MCI | RBL | 14.9 | 6.10 | 10.5 |
| Safe | Nico Paz | COM | LEN | 11.5 | 5.55 | 12.2 |
| Upside | Carlos Forbs | BRU | PSV | 10.0 | 3.97 | 10.2 |
| Upside | Gianni Stensness | VIK | SABA | 10.7 | 5.08 | 12.5 |
| Upside | Ivan Perisic | PSV | BRU | 12.4 | 3.95 | 9.7 |
Stacks to build around
With a limit of three per club, a two-man stack is the natural size, and it leaves room to spread the rest of the budget. Our best lineups lean on a handful of pairings.
The VIK pair of Tripic and Peter Christiansen has the highest combined projection at 12.0 for 27.3 in salary, and it shows up in 3 of our 15 lineups. The MCI pair of Phil Foden and Haaland projects 11.6 for 29.3 and appears in 5 of 15, the most of any stack. It is the pricier route, and MCI are projected for only 1.35 goals against RBL, so we treat it as a bet on individual quality rather than on game environment.
PSV is the sharper game-environment play. Guus Til and Sven Mijnans project 9.7 together for 24.6, and PSV are projected for 2.15 goals. The BVB pair of Serhou Guirassy and Fábio Silva projects 9.3, and the COM pair of Paz and Anastasios Douvikas projects 10.0 for just 22.6, the cheapest of the five.
One caution on the back line. ARS have a 55.02% clean sheet chance, the best on the slate, so their defenders are attractive. But the stacking penalty applies when several goalkeepers or defenders from one team all earn clean-sheet points, so we avoid piling in more than a couple.
Best stacks, 4 November
| Stack | Team | Salary | Proj | In our lineups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Foden + Erling Haaland | MCI | 29.3 | 11.6 | 5 of 15 |
| Guus Til + Sven Mijnans | PSV | 24.6 | 9.7 | 4 of 15 |
| Zlatko Tripic + Peter Christiansen | VIK | 27.3 | 12.0 | 3 of 15 |
| Serhou Guirassy + Fábio Silva | BVB | 25.3 | 9.3 | 3 of 15 |
| Nico Paz + Anastasios Douvikas | COM | 22.6 | 10.0 | 2 of 15 |
Value by position
Goalkeeper is where the budget can be won or lost. Maarten Vandevoordt of RBL costs just 5.0 and projects 4.1, with a ceiling of 9.01, and he is the best value on the slate. David Raya of ARS has the top goalkeeper projection at 4.81 but costs 11.8, a big gap for 0.71 points. Gregor Kobel of BVB (10.1, 4.02) is the middle option and sits in our best lineup.
Among defenders, Stensness at 10.7 is the top projection at 5.08 and the best case for paying up. Ridle Baku of RBL is the cheap alternative at 4.4 for 3.26. Timber (4.41, 11.4) and Ben White (4.4, 11.0) of ARS are close behind, but their start probabilities are 50% and 68%, so they carry risk we cover in the watch list below.
Midfield has the most spread. Matteo Politano of NAP projects 5.33 for only 7.2, which is a rare mix of price and output. Noa Lang of NAP (6.3, 3.92) and Danijel Sturm of SLA (5.3, 3.59) are other cheap options. Sturm is on the side projected for 0.63 goals, so we use him as a salary filler rather than a core pick. Ezechiel Banzuzi of RBL costs 4.0 but has a 68% start probability.
Up front, Rômulo of RBL is the standout at 6.8 for 4.8, with a 44.4% chance to score. Joy-Lance Mickels of SABA (6.2, 3.77, 34.9% to score) is the next cheap forward worth a look.
Our best lineup uses Tripic as captain and Haaland as vice-captain, in a 3-5-2 shape. It has Kobel in goal, Stensness, Timber and White in defence, Tripic, Paz, Foden, Politano and Antonio Nusa in midfield, and Haaland with Rômulo up front. It projects 64.1 points. Note that it puts two ARS defenders together, which is as far as we would go with that stack.
Underdogs
Several useful players come from sides that are unlikely to win, and they are cheap to roster. Politano’s NAP have a 22.34% win chance against FCP in a match projected at 1.35 goals each, and he still projects 5.33 with a ceiling of 11.6. RBL have only an 18.15% win chance against MCI, yet Rômulo (4.8) and Nusa (4.3, 6.7) both project well and cost little.
Florian Thauvin of LEN is the pricier option at 9.2, projecting 4.81 with a ceiling of 10.75, but his start probability is 68%. BRU have a 28.3% win chance against PSV, and Forbs (10.0) and Nicolò Tresoldi (10.1, 33.4% to score) are the two ways in. These are not safe plays, but in a slate with this many close matches they add leverage.
Who to watch before lock
The Fanteam safety net helps here. If one of your players does not start, the closest-priced cheaper teammate in the same position who does start takes his place. A player who only comes off the bench scores nothing for you, so we still prefer starters we can check.
Our list is led by ARS, where Eberechi Eze (4.71) and Mikel Merino (3.97) both sit at a 50% start probability. White is at 68%. Thauvin is also at 68%, as are Ruben van Bommel of PSV (3.45). Henrik Falchener of VIK and Christoph Baumgartner of RBL are at 50%. Confirmed lineups usually appear about an hour before kickoff, and team news can follow shortly after.
Players to watch before lock
| Player | Team | Salary | Proj | Chance of starting | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florian Thauvin | LEN | 9.2 | 4.81 | 68% | Possible |
| Eberechi Eze | ARS | 14.5 | 4.71 | 50% | Unexpected |
| Ben White | ARS | 11.0 | 4.40 | 68% | Possible |
| Mikel Merino | ARS | 12.5 | 3.97 | 50% | Unexpected |
| Henrik Falchener | VIK | 10.2 | 3.57 | 50% | Unexpected |
| Ruben van Bommel | PSV | 11.6 | 3.45 | 68% | Possible |
| Christoph Baumgartner | RBL | 7.2 | 3.43 | 50% | Unexpected |
Champions League DraftKings picks
DraftKings Classic uses 8 players (1 GK, 2 D, 2 M, 2 F and 1 UTIL) under a $50,000 cap. Goals and assists pay most, shots, chances created, crosses, tackles and interceptions add points, and goalkeepers also earn a win bonus.
Tripic is the headline. He projects 19.17 at $8,400, a value of 2.28 points per $1,000, which is far better than Haaland (16.21 at $12,000, value 1.35) or Foden (15.41 at $10,000, value 1.54). Paz projects 14.79.
The value plays are even cheaper. Rômulo costs $4,400 for 13.43 projected points, a value of 3.05. Amadou Haidara of LEN ($3,000, 7.45) and Jobe Bellingham of BVB ($3,400, 8.22) also grade well. With only eight spots and a UTIL slot, Tripic at $8,400 and Rômulo at $4,400 leave room to add a premium name such as Haaland.
DraftKings value plays, 4 November
| Player | Team | Pos | Salary | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romulo | RBL | F | 4400 | 13.43 | 3.05 |
| Amadou Haidara | LEN | M | 3000 | 7.45 | 2.48 |
| Maximo Perrone | COM | M | 3200 | 7.78 | 2.43 |
| Jobe Bellingham | BVB | M | 3400 | 8.22 | 2.42 |
| Rasmus Hojlund | NAP | F | 4000 | 9.51 | 2.38 |
| Neil El Aynaoui | RBL | M | 3000 | 7.12 | 2.37 |
Champions League FanDuel picks
FanDuel uses 7 players (1 GK, 2 DEF and 4 FWD/MID) with a $100 cap and a maximum of 4 per team. Goals and shots on target pay most. Defensive actions are worth a lot, which lifts defenders and busy midfielders. Goalkeepers earn a big clean sheet bonus and points for saves.
Haaland leads on projection at 29.83 for 25.0, but Tripic is the better value at 28.11 for 20.0 (1.41). Rômulo is the cheapest high-end option at 15.0 for 23.34, a value of 1.56. Paz projects 25.77 at 22.0.
The defensive value is the real story. Diego Llorente of BET projects 16.37 at only 6.0, a value of 2.73, and Marc-Oliver Kempf of COM adds 18.14 at 8.0. Nico Schlotterbeck of BVB projects 22.27 for 11.0. Because defensive actions score, a defender on a side likely to be under pressure, such as BET, can still be a sensible choice. With four FWD/MID slots to fill, spending less on defence is what allows two or three of the top names.
FanDuel value plays, 4 November
| Player | Team | Pos | Salary | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Llorente | BET | DEF | 6.0 | 16.37 | 2.73 |
| Marc-Oliver Kempf | COM | DEF | 8.0 | 18.14 | 2.27 |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | BVB | DEF | 11.0 | 22.27 | 2.02 |
| Samson Baidoo | LEN | DEF | 8.0 | 15.99 | 2.00 |
| Junior Kadile | LEN | FWD/MID | 11.0 | 21.91 | 1.99 |
| Daniel Svensson | BVB | DEF | 8.0 | 14.83 | 1.85 |
Champions League Yahoo picks
Yahoo uses 11 players (1 GK, 3 D, 4 M, 2 F and 1 UTIL), a salary cap of 200 and a maximum of 6 players per team. Goals and assists pay most, and shots, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions and blocks all add points.
Haaland projects 13.48 at 35.0, with Tripic at 11.6 for 27.0 (value 0.43) and Paz at 10.39 for 31.0. Yahoo lists all three as forwards. The six-player limit is generous, so full MCI or VIK builds are possible, but we would still not stack a single club that heavily.
Rômulo is again the value play at 14.0 for 10.3, a value of 0.74. Rasmus Hojlund of NAP (11.0, 7.52) and Kempf (10.0, 6.45) follow, with Jeremy Doku of MCI (13.0, 7.88) and Junior Kadile of LEN (13.0, 7.91) not far behind. Cheap picks like these free enough salary to afford two of the three top-priced forwards.
Yahoo value plays, 4 November
| Player | Team | Pos | Salary | Proj | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romulo | RBL | F | 14.0 | 10.30 | 0.74 |
| Rasmus Hojlund | NAP | F | 11.0 | 7.52 | 0.68 |
| Marc-Oliver Kempf | COM | D | 10.0 | 6.45 | 0.64 |
| Jeremy Doku | MCI | F | 13.0 | 7.88 | 0.61 |
| Junior Kadile | LEN | F | 13.0 | 7.91 | 0.61 |
| Samson Baidoo | LEN | D | 10.0 | 5.97 | 0.60 |
Final checks before lock
Our projections update until lock, so treat this as a starting point. Check late team news before the deadline, especially the ARS names, Thauvin and the other 50% and 68% starters. Confirmed lineups should arrive about an hour before the 20:00 UTC kickoff.
For Fanteam, settle the captain last. If Tripic is confirmed, he is our pick, with Haaland as the backup. Elsewhere, keep to each site’s own rules and do not carry Fanteam captain or safety-net logic over to DraftKings, FanDuel or Yahoo.
Full, sortable projections for every player, with a CSV download for your own optimizer, are on our Champions League DFS projections page, with tabs for Fanteam, DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo.