FanDuel World Cup Soccer DFS Analysis – Friday June 22
By David Gate
Welcome to the Friday column for FanDuel World Cup soccer DFS. We have all the analysis, tips and picks you need to help you cash today!
Today was a better day. Some of yesterday’s picks did very well (Thank you Mbappa and Modric). However a dubious Australian penalty robbed Kasper Schmeichel of clean sheet which hurt with France and Croatia both shutting out the opposition.
Which brings us to Argentina; the biggest disappointment in this world cup. I warned people off Messi and Argentina – Croatia are no longer dark horses, they are just horses. But I talked myself into some Messi exposure which hurt me.
Friday sees Brazil in a tasty matchup with Costa Rica; Iceland hoping to capitalize on their good start against Nigeria; then there is Switzerland taking on Serbia in an evenly matched game.
The lineups in this article will be for the All-day slate, but there should be enough info here to construct a line for the Main slate also. Bookmark my Guide to World Cup Set Piece Takers to help you increase your chances for goals and assists in your lines.
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 first game on the slate is starting at 8am EST and the last at 2pm EST. You can follow me on Twitter – @davidgatesports – for updates.
FanDuel World Cup Goalkeepers
If you don’t want to sweat about your keeper tomorrow then plug-in Brazilian stopper Alisson (6000) and move on. Brazil should have plenty of possession to keep a poor Costa Rican attack from having even a sniff of scoring. Just don’t expect much more than the 17 bonuses.
If you do not want to pay the premium for goalie then I would look to Hannes Thór Halldórsson (5000). He was very good against Argentina; even saving a Lionel Messi penalty. He is matched up against Nigeria who were hugely underwhelming in their opener.
It seems crazy to me that Vladimir Stojkovic (4500) is the cheapest keeper on the slate. He racked up 26 FanDuel points against Nigeria. He faces Switzerland who are a better team but they are not prolific. A clean sheet is on the cards in a game that could easily finish 0-0.
Yann Sommer (5000) is the only other keeper I would consider playing but I like the guys above better for their respective value and upside.
FanDuel World Cup Defenders
At the top of the roster you have Marcelo (7500) who is at the premium price for the position. But if you are ever going to pick him then do it today. He has a top matchup with Costa Rica and should have total license to stream forward at will.
An almost lock for the clean sheet bonus. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him get an assist or appear on the score sheet.
Elsewhere I love the value of Ricardo Rodriguez (5000). The left back didn’t have much to do against Brazil as they attack almost entirely down the opposite flank. I like his chances today and is always a threat from free kicks.
The value defenders of the day are the Costa Ricans. You can forget about the CS bonus but they should get plenty of other defensive stats to make them well worth their value prices. Giancarlo González (4500) is the pick of the bunch but I am happy to plug-in Francisco Calvo (4000) as well.
FanDuel World Cup Midfielders
The two names at the top of the midfield roster are very tempting. Philippe Coutinho (11000) was brilliant for Brazil in their opener and scored their only goal. His matchup is even better with Costa Rica. My worry is that he has very low floor. He got his goal and created one other chance in FanDuel points. Losing the passing stats means players like Coutinho HAVE to score or assist. He is a GPP only play for me.
Xherdan Shaqiri (10000) is a favorite play of mine and he bagged an assist from the opener. Set pieces have been so important at this World Cup that you need to have a couple in your line. My only concern is how strong the Serbian midfield is. I think they will have a good game plan to shut him down. That means I will use him but not in 100% of my lines.
My favored option for this slate is to spread the love between three at the $9k price tag. Gylfi Sigurdsson (9000) is one of the best set piece takers in the World Cup and this is his best matchup of the group stage.
I am happy to go with both Dusan Tadic (9000) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (9000) on this slate. Tadic was excellent in qualifying and the duo will be the biggest threat for Serbia. They can both contribute defensively as well.
A safe play on the slate is Wilfred Ndidi (8000) who managed a decent 16 FanDuel points in their opener but was only just returning from injury. He will see more of the ball in this game and may create some chances too.
FanDuel World Cup Forwards
You have to think Neymar (12000) will be the highest rostered player on tomorrow’s all day slate. That is not a mistake as he is primed to have a good day against Costa Rica. I would be hard pressed to move away from him in cash.
However I really like Gabriel Jesus (11000) in GPP. He hasn’t been playing great but their system suits him. Brazil should bag three or maybe four goals tomorrow. You don’t want a piece of their main striker?
Many will be pairing those two and making concessions in midfield to fit them both in. The only other forward I am excited about tomorrow is Alfred Finnbogason (8500). He is very limited as a player but Iceland have a knack of getting a goal and he is their target man. I love that he chips in across the stat sheet giving him a nice floor.
I think there is a chance Nigeria start with Kelechi Iheanacho (6500) against the Icelanders. The Leicester front man will give them the pace they were lacking against Croatia. He is a very nice option if he starts at that price.
FanDuel World Cup 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.
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Suggested Lineup:
FWD: Jesus – Brazil
FWD: Finnbogason – Iceland
MID: Tadic – Serbia
MID: Milinkovic-Savic- Serbia
MID: Sigurdsson- Iceland
DEF: Calvo – Costa Rica
DEF: Gonzalez – Costa Rica
GK: Halldórsson – Iceland
Next: World Cup DFS Strategy Guide
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for more World Cup DFS coverage, along with all of the rest of our DFS picks. We have something for everyone!