FanDuel World Cup Soccer DFS Analysis – Friday June 15 2018
By David Gate
We have all the best analysis and tips for FanDuel World Cup for the Friday June 15 slate. We’re here to help you cash in soccer DFS!
I am hyped! This is the biggest sports tournament on Earth. The FIFA World Cup kicks off today in Russia with the hosts taking on Saudi Arabia. There are single game slates of FanDuel but the real DFS action kicks off tomorrow with the three game Friday June 15 slate.
The three group games are Egypt v Uruguay; Morocco v Iran; and the big one, Portugal v Spain. It is a fantastic first slate for the tournament with global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Mohamed Salah taking the field.
There is plenty of news to process that affects this slate. Spain fired their coach yesterday – two days before their first game – after reports came out that he had accepted a job to manage Real Madrid after the tournament.
The big injury news is that Mohamed Salah looks set to start after being injured in the Champions League final. He was expected to miss two of the three of Egypt’s group games but the latest reports have him starting.
You will need to keep an eye on team sheets throughout the day which will come out an hour before kickoff of each game. The matches are spread out with the first starting at 8am EST and the last at 2pm EST. You can follow me on Twitter – @davidgatesports – for updates.
The only thing better than watching the World Cup is cashing on DFS while you’re doing it! Let’s start of this tournament in the green!
FanDuel World Cup June 15 – Goalkeepers
Before we get into which goalkeeper to play on Friday we need to look at FanDuel’s new scoring system for soccer DFS. You can read about the full changes here. The updated system mainly affects Goalies and Defenders.
The two biggest changes for keepers are a bump to points lost for goals conceded (from -1 to 2.5) and a huge 7 points given for a win. This makes the scoring is much more like DraftKings or Yahoo now. It is huge.
One goal conceded can now represent a possible 19.5 point swing against your lineup (losing 10pt clean sheet, 7pt win bonus and -2.5 for the goal). No longer will you be able to chase the keeper with the most saves.
David de Gea (6500) is the best goalkeeper in the world and will be a popular pick tomorrow. He has a good matchup for making saves – Portugal shoot more often than any other side in the tournament. You are paying the premium for him and the coaching change makes this a riskier play than I’d like at that price.
Instead I am backing Munir Mohamedi (4500). This has more to do with his favorable matchup with Iran who were one of the lowest scoring qualifiers. He is the best bet for the clean sheet and win bonuses and that will be essential with the new scoring.
FanDuel World Cup June 15 – Defenders
While the changes to goalkeeper scoring that is the most dramatic it is the changes to defenders that will be the most interesting. They’ve simplified the scoring for defensive stats – making them all 1.3pts instead of 2 or 1. There is also a 5pt clean sheet bonus.
The top of the roster for defenders is filled with Champions League regulars. Sergio Ramos (7500) and Jordi Alba (7000) are regular high scorers in UCL slates but I prefer Diego Godin (7000) with the new scoring system and matchup.
My favorite defensive play on this slate is Ahmed Hegazi (6000). The West Brom defender was one of the most consistent scorers in EPL action this season. He will be facing Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani and will be busy enough to rack up defensive stats. He is also a goal threat from set pieces.
If you are chasing a GK/DEF double clean sheet bonus of 15 points then I suggest Morocco full back Achraf Hakimi (5500) who plays for Real Madrid and could find himself with an assist or two.
The most intriguing play is Álvaro Odriozola (4500) who is expected to start at right back for Spain. The youngster is a very attacking full back but was a favorite of the departed coach Julen Lopetegui. If he gets the start I will be using him in GPP games.
FanDuel World Cup June 15 – Midfielders
The Spanish coach change disrupts the midfield predictions more than anything else. Spain have a handful of interchangeable midfielders who get used according to matchup and game situation. It is now much harder to pick how they will line up or perform.
The safest pick is David Silva (10000) who will be on all set piece duties – penalties, free kicks and corners – giving him a safe floor with high upside. I really love Isco (8000) at his price. He is the most talented midfielder on this roster and has goal/assist upside. The coaching change makes me nervous though.
The ‘other Silva’ Bernardo Silva (8000) is another who has high upside. He was the joint highest assist giver for Portugal in qualifying and will be the central playmaker.
Many are predicting a break out tournament for Hakim Ziyech (8500) who finished as the top assister in the Dutch league this season. He is touted for a huge move after this tournament finishes and will be looking to impress the world in a favorable matchup with Iran.
If you want to make savings at MID then Mohamed Elneny (6500) will have a safe floor matching up with Uruguay’s creative midfield.
FanDuel World Cup June 15 – Forwards and Sample Line-up
Here is where you will win or lose on this slate. There are five high-profile forwards to pick from and you can make a case for them all.
You have to start with Cristiano Ronaldo (13500) who will likely be the highest owned player on the slate. Spain and Portugal are fierce rivals and you have to think Ronaldo will be 100% ready to score against his club teammates and international rivals.
However I prefer Luis Suarez (12500) tomorrow. Much like Ronaldo every thing his side does goes through him. If Portugal or Uruguay score these two will have the goal or the assist. Suarez by far has the better matchup. I like the idea of pairing him with Edison Cavani (11500) and hoping for a blow out win.
Mohamed Salah (11000) is one of the hottest players in the world and should start after injuring his shoulder three weeks ago. He is not a bad play but his move on FanDuel to the FWD position and the questions over his injury take away the shine.
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Diego Costa (9500) seems underpriced for a player who is a constant goal threat. Now FanDuel doesn’t punish you for a red card I feel better about this pick!
The best value forward is Ayoub El Kaabi (6000) who is RIDICULOUSLY cheap. He has 11 goals in 9 international appearances and is up against Iran, one of the worst teams in the tournament. Lock him in.
FanDuel World Cup June 15 – Lineup
Note: this is a sample lineup and are not optimized. The only guarantee I can give you is that I will playing it too. I will also have some lines that are not here. Best thing is to take some of these picks and build your own lineup – especially in GPP – as lineup sharing only reduces the amount you can win.
Sample Lineup:
FWD: Suarez – Uruguay
FWD: El Kaabi – Morocco
MID: Silva – Spain
MlD: Silva – Portugal
MID: Ziyech – Morocco
DEF: Hegazi -Egypt
DEF: Odriozola – Spain
GK: Mohamedi – Morocco
Next: MLB Fantasy Waiver Wire Advice
Best of luck in your FanDuel World Cup contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest DFS news and analysis across all your favorite sports.