FanDuel World Cup Analysis – Saturday 30 June 2018

Welcome to the FanDuel World Cup column on Fantasy CPR. The knock-out stages are here and we have all the best tips and analysis for you in DFS soccer.

Now the real business begins. Yes group games are fun but the real tournament kicks off on Saturday with an incredible four team slate. No more plucky countries with feel good stories as they try to frustrate superior opponents. This is the best 16 teams in the world, duking it out.

And what a first slate. We have the prime matchups of France v Argentina and Portugal v Uruguay. That means we get Messi and Ronaldo; Suarez and Griezmann. Plus a host of other global names to pick from.

How to navigate the high priced chalk is going to be key. These games will be decided by moments of brilliance. We are going to try and pin point which players are going to be the match makers.

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 10am EST and the last at 2pm EST. You can follow me on Twitter – @davidgatesports – for updates.

FanDuel World Cup Goalkeepers

There are only 4 keepers on this slate. Picking the right one could make the difference between being in the green and failure. Unusually here I rank the keepers according to their price.

First we have Fernando Mulera (6000) from Uruguay. He is as pricey as any keeper in this tournament but with some good reason. Uruguay have yet to concede a goal. They have been mean and are slight favorites to win this game. Any time Cristiano Ronaldo is on the field there will be saves to make as he shoots from anywhere. I like his upside and I think he has a reasonably safe floor.

Next is Hugo Loris (5500) who is playing for the biggest favorites of the day. The only goal he has conceded so far is a penalty. He has the best chance of picking up the win bonus and is a decent shot for a clean sheet against an Argentina that have not looked like scoring often.

While I do rank these two keepers as the best you don’t have to rule out playing Rui Patricio (5000) or Franco Armani (4500). Portugal will play for a clean sheet and a Ronaldo goal. They don’t have another game plan. Armani is the budget keeper here but should have enough saves to make for it not to blow your line.

FanDuel World Cup Defenders

I love Diego Godin (7500) in DFS and especially in this game. He has the safest floor of any player on this slate. He will rack up the defensive stats to give your line a solid base – especially in cash games. He is always a goal threat from corners and free kicks in a game that could well be decided by a set piece.

Do not be tempted by Sebastien Coates (4500). He is sitting there at the bottom of the roster with a EXP nest to his name on FanDuel as of writing. However it looks like Jose Gimenez (6500) will play after returning to training despite his OUT designation. He is a sneaky play in GPP as many will avoid him because of that.

The best value defender on the slate is French right back Djibril Sidibe (4500) who should replace Benjamin Pavard in the defense. He should get plenty of opportunity to attack and the Monaco full back will have a chance to connect with ex-teammate Kylain Mbappe down the French right.

FanDuel World Cup Midfielders

Oh boy. Do you go Messi or Ronaldo? It is possible to do both but you there is very little wiggle room with low ceiling values plays – all of which will be chalky on a 2 game slate.

The safer option is Ronaldo. He will be higher owned, is in better form and is less of an underdog with the matchup. However I am willing to back Lionel Messi (12500) in most of my lines. My Ronaldo fades never go well and I will be sweating this decision but I like the upside with Messi being the likelier lower owned of the two.

I do like Paul Pogba (9000) for a change. I feel his name recognition regularly puts him as overpriced. His game log is terrible and anyone who used him regularly in EPL will likely stay away. However the Argentina midfield is a sieve. And he will be trying to be the hero. I like his floor from shots alone.

I really want to use Blaise Matuidi (5500) as my third midfielder. I think he will match up with Lionel Messi and be tacked with hassling the GOAT. Though my best line has four other French players so I will be using Willian Carvalho (5500) instead. He is the best of the other value MID plays.

FanDuel World Cup Forwards

I’ve already talked about Cristiano Ronaldo (13500). You already know if you are playing him or not. I hate this matchup for him. Uruguay are tough and smart and give nothing away. If Coates starts I like him more.

I am going all in on the French forwards. Antoine Griezmann (11000) is the leader of the pack and the man on penalties and free kicks. However I prefer the speed of Kylian Mbappe (9500) against the slow Argentina defense. I think he can tear them up on the break. It currently says that Mbappe is not expected to start. That is because FanDuel don’t know anything about soccer. He will start.

Olivier Giroud (8000) and Ousmane Dembele (7500) are both great plays at their prices if either of them start. I think they both have a chance of getting the nod. If they run both Dembele and Mbappe run together it could be carnage for the Argentinians.

I can’t make a decision over Luis Suarez (12000) or Edinson Cavani (11000). I feel like only one of them can have a big game against a tight Portugal side. And because I can’t choose which one I am fading both. Don’t hate them as Ronaldo pivots though.

FanDuel World Cup Lineup

Note: this is a sample lineup and is 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.

Suggested Lineup

FWD: Mbappe – France

FWD: Giroud – France

MID: Messi – Argentina

MID: Pogba – France

MID: Carvalho – Portugal

DEF: Fonte – Portugal

DEF: Sidibe – France

GK: Muslera – Uruguay

Next: World Cup DFS Strategy Guide

Good luck in all your FanDuel World Cup contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR each and every day for all the latest fantasy sports and DFS analysis to help you build your best teams!