5/26 Bundesliga DFS – Der Klassiker Edition

This article focuses on 5/26 Bundesliga Picks for DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook and Fanduel and DraftKings Daily Fantasy. We consider tournament tactics, statistics, pricing, and attempt to tackle this highly variable Daily Fantasy format so we can gain an edge on the field at large.

5/26 Bundesliga Tuesday Slates – Showdown and Main

Showdown

There are seven match weeks remaining including this Tuesday/Wednesday edition. In what is fairly anti-climatic, we have the biggest game of the season, Der Klassiker between Dortmund and Bayern Munich, before the main slate. The contests for the single game as nearly as big as for main due to the game’s importance. These are the top two teams now and historically in Germany. A Bayern Munich win would likely seal an eight straight title for them.

Bayern Munich comes in a -110 favorite with Dortmund a +250 underdog. Dortmund has looked impressive as of late and I expect Jadon Sancho to be back in the lineup. However, just as they struggled against PSG in their Champion’s League exit, I think that the skill and experience of Bayern will be a lot for them to contend with. Because you can’t roster every goal scorer, on DraftKings I will begin with Joshua Kimmich and build out from there.

Main

The main slate is three games without quite as much star power as the showdown. We do have two of the top five teams in Gladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, as slate high -140 favorites each. We have Frieburg hosting that awful Frankfurt team. There are not many high dollar players to pay up for so I would expect Kai Havertz to be the mega chalk. Havertz is coming off consecutive braces “two goal games” and without many alternatives, in a cash game, you just eat it. In a tournament, I think you can pivot to be different. Furthermore, stacking is definitely also in play as we have seen team stacks taking down tournaments in the Bundesliga more often than EPL due to the high totals.

5/26 Bundesliga Site Specific Strategy

DraftKings

For DraftKings showdown I think there’s a lot of value in the mid range. Stick to set piece taker Joshua Kimmich, the two Dortmund wing backs Hakimi, Guerriero, Thorgan Hazard for some set pieces on the opposite side. At minimum, that’s how I would approach cash. In a tournament you can apply that or try to pick a side and stack up.

For the DraftKings main slate you’re picking studs out of Kai Havertz, Filip Kostic, and Alassane Plea. Christian Gunter’s price went up from last week but he is still the strongest defender. Other than that, I would remain balanced. Without too many pay ups, there is no need to be slumming it with sub 4k center backs and the like. If you do decide to mess with Werder Bremen, remember Leo Bittencourt is getting all the set pieces now, rendering Milot Rashica’s value down a ton.

FanDuel

On Fanduel, it’s a joke that Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller are so relatively affordable. Joshua Kimmich makes for a $9 value play. Just punt defender and stack up. There is no need for the balanced approach necessary on the DraftKings slate.

For Fanduel main slate, Filip Kostic is only $15, Vicenzo Grifo is $15, Jonas Hoffman $14, Karim Bellarabi $14, and if Leon Bailey starts, he’s $10. Other than Havertz and Plea there is nowhere to spend up. I will probably still punt defense and just stack up the favorites or come up with some all star attack combinations.

5/26 Bundesliga Best Bets

Bayern Munich (-115) at Dortmund (+270) – Under 3.5 Goals (-115) – 12:30 PM ET – Tuesday 5/26 – *BAYERN MUNICH*

DraftKings | FanDuel

Gladbach (-140) at Werder Bremen (+350) – Under 3 Goals (-105) – 2:30 PM ET – Tuesday 5/26 – *GLADBACH*

DraftKings | FanDuel

The Betting Gameplan

Most people will be rooting for Dortmund cause they love underdog stories. However, the smart money is on Bayern Munich to continue their Bundesliga dominance. Meanwhile, Gladbach is a much better team than Werder Bremen. WB is coming off a huge win to help them try to avoid relegation, but should get smashed here.

FanDuel Rankings – Tuesday 5/26

Showdown

• 1. Robert Lewandowski – $15
• 2. Thomas Muller – $13
• 3. Serge Gnabry – $11
• 4. Joshua Kimmich – $9
• 5. Ivan Perisic – $6
• 6. Erling Haaland – $14
• 7. Jadon Sancho – $12
• 8. Thorgan Hazard – $9
• 9. Raphael Guerriero – $10
• 10. Achraf Hakimi – $7

Main Slate

Forward/Midfield

• 1. Kai Havertz – Bayer Leverkusen – $22 CORE CASH GAME PLAY
• 2. Alassane Plea – Gladbach – $20 CORE CASH GAME PLAY
• 3. Karim Bellarabi – Bayer Leverkusen – $14
• 4. Leon Bailey – Bayer Leverkusen – $10 “If starting by some chance CORE PLAY”
• 5. Filip Kostic – Frankfurt- $15
• 6. Nadiem Amiri – Bayer Leverkusen – $12
• 7. Kerem Demirbay – Bayer Leverkusen – $18
• 8. Marcus Thuram – Gladbach – $18
• 9. Vicenzo Grifo – Frieburg – $15
• 10. Leo Bittencourt – Werder Bremen – $17

Defense

• 1. Niklas Moisander – Werder Bremen – $11
• 2. Milos Veljkovic – Werder Bremen – $10
• 3. Edmond Tapsoba – Bayer Leverkusen – $7
• 4. Kevin Vogt – Werder Bremen – $6
• 5. John Brooks – Wolfsburg – $7

Goalies

• 1. Alexander Schwolow – Freiburg – $8
• 2. Yann Sommer – Gladbach – $15
• 3. Lukas Hradecky – Bayer Leverkusen – $14

DraftKings Rankings – Tuesday 5/26

Showdown

• 1. Joshua Kimmich – $7,000
• 2. Thorgan Hazard – $7,600
• 3. Robert Lewandowski – $11,000
• 4. Raphael Guerriero – $6,800
• 5. Benjamin Pavard – $4,800

Main Slate

Forward

• 1. Alassane Plea – Gladbach – $8,400
• 2. Vicenzo Grifo – Freiburg – $7,800
• 3. Marcus Thuram – Gladbach – $7,400
• 4. Moussa Diaby – Bayer Leverkusen – $7,300
• 5. Renato Steffen – Wolfsburg – $5,900

Midfield

• 1. Filip Kostic – Frankfurt – $10,000 “don’t go overweight as limits your build”
• 2. Kai Havertz – Bayer Leverkusen – $9,000
• 3. Kerem Demirbay – Bayer Leverkusen – $8,200
• 4. Jonathan Schmid – Frieburg – $5,100
• 5. Leo Bittencourt – Werder Bremen – $7,000
• 6. Daicha Kamada – Frankfurt – $4,800
• 7. Roland Sallai – Freiburg – $5,700

Defense

• 1. Christian Gunter – Freiburg – $6,700 – CORE PLAY
• 2. Ramy Bensebaini – Gladbach – $6,200
• 3. Almany Toure – Frankfurt – $5,800
• 4. Kevin Mbabu – Wolfsburg – $5,100
• 5. Jerome Roussillon – Wolfsburg – $4,200

Goalies

• 1. Alexander Schwolow – Frieburg – $4,400
• 2. Yan Sommer – Gladbach – $5,400
• 3. Lukas Hradecky – Bayer Leverkusen – $5,600

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