Women’s World Cup DFS Breakdown – Thursday, June 20

After an exciting and successful slate on Tuesday, I’m back with another Women’s World Cup DFS Breakdown for what will be a popular slate Thursday that features our beloved USWNT. 

Let’s start with that game, actually.  The USA take on their rival Sweden, a team they’ve lost to on the international stage several times in past years.  While the USA are 1.5 goal favorites, Sweden is a very formidable opponent, and both teams should rotate the starting lineup to keep their horses fresh.  Even with the highest goal total over/under (3.5) on the slate, there could be better places to spend your money.

One example of that would be Chile, who take the title of largest favorite on the slate.  Even with -2.5 next to their name, I don’t expect them to be high owned just due to lack of knowledge and your casual DFS players wanting to stack the USA.

The other two games on the slate feature some extremely slight favorites (0.0 spread).  The Netherlands is (+155 to win) and they’ll take on Canada (+165 to win).  Both of these teams have already qualified for the next round, and we will see many bench players earning starts to provide us some value.  The other game in Group E features two teams already basically eliminated.  One would think New Zealand (+130 to win) will be able to handle Cameroon (+190 to win), but it’s tough to get a read on how these games will go down due to circumstance.

Women’s World Cup – Target Forwards/Midfielders

Alex Morgan (USA v. Sweden, $22) – How can I not mention her?  The US soccer phenom put together a massive 5-goal performance in their opening game against Thailand.  That, plus the fact that everyone knows who she is, will skyrocket her ownership.  She rested last game against Chile and the USA still rolled, so she should be fresh for this showdown.  If you’ve already made up your mind that you’re going to play her, I won’t tell you not to, but you can leverage her astronomical ownership by pivoting to another top USA star like Megan Rapinoe ($20) or Lindsey Horan ($16) for some salary savings.

Kosovare Asllani (USA v. Sweden, $20) – Normally for final match days I’m looking for teams who still have something to play for, but that’s nonexistent on this slate.  However, Asllani has been a member of the Swedish national team long enough to have been a part of several of the previous meetings.  She’s also been outspoken about the confidence that the Swedes have that they can repeat some of their recent wins against the USA.  Not to mention that Asllani has also scored in both previous 2019 Women’s World Cup games.  The American defense is difficult to break down, but Asllani has the pedigree and the motivation to do so.

Gabrielle Onguene (New Zealand v. Cameroon, $16) – In my last breakdown with Cameroon on the slate, I mentioned Onguene as a good GPP pick because she’s one of the best “unknown” players in this tournament.  She came through with a goal on her way to a 24.3 FDP performance.  Cameroon already faced the two difficult teams in the group (Canada and the Netherlands), now they get New Zealand in a game for pride.  New Zealand’s defense has been stout so far, but I’m still willing to take a shot at Onguene to continue her scoring run at undoubtedly low ownership.

Women’s World Cup – Value Forwards/Midfielders

Julie Ertz (USA v. Sweden, $14) – This one hinges on Ertz’s health.  She took a knock to the leg late in the 1st half against Chile and was subbed out at halftime (most likely more of a precaution).  A player like Ertz will not want to be held out, so I expect her to play.  If she does, I’ll turn to her for some cheap USA exposure.  As a defensive midfielder, she hasn’t had much defending to do in either of the USA’s first two games, but Sweden will surely challenge more which bodes well for her floor.  As we saw in the last game, she’s also a threat to score especially on set pieces.

Also, sooooo….which FanDuel representative wants to explain to me why Tobin Heath ($12) is so cheap?  I mean, good golly.  She’s a top 5 most experienced player on the team and a big part of their attacking unit.  She received a $6 price drop after she let her teammates have all the fun against Thailand and then rested on the bench against Chile.  A player like Heath doesn’t stay down for long, and I’m all in on using her price tag to my advantage especially when people will see her game log and stay away.

CHILE VALUE! – Like I touched on at the top, if there was ever a time to buff up on your Chile women’s soccer knowledge and play them in DFS, it would be now.  We’ve seen Thailand already concede 13 goals to the USA, and then 5 more to Sweden in their next game.  Chile on the other hand have struggled to get anything going in the attack against superior American and Swedish teams.  That’s about to change.  Chile finally get their crack at Thailand and are 2.5 goal favorites (largest on the slate).

Aside from Christiane Endler (who I’ll touch on later), Karen Araya ($14) has been Chile’s best player fantasy-wise.  Lots of people will see her game log compared to other Chileans and flock to her for value.  However, I’m more intrigued by Yanara Aedo ($12) and Francisca Lara ($8).  Aedo is a do-it-all midfielder who has yet to get going for Chile in this tournament.  She has 9 international goals in 56 games, and she probably won’t find a better matchup to make that double digits.  Francisca Lara for minimum price seems too good.  She has 20 international goals in under 59 games (basically 1 goal every 3 games).  Like Aedo, she hasn’t been able to do much, but this is a matchup where Chile can thrive.

Women’s World Cup – Target Defenders

Natthakarn Chinwong (Chile v. Thailand, $16) – It feels odd to be writing up a Thailand player as a target, but I have to stick to my strategy of rostering defenders on teams that are huge underdogs.  It worked out the first 2 games with Chinwong, as she collected so many defensive peripherals stats where she went for 27+ FDP both times.  That’s incredible.  Chile will press Thailand just like Sweden and the USA have already done.  There is no sign that Chinwong can’t continue her massive fantasy output.

Yvonne Leuko (New Zealand v. Cameroon, $14) – Leuko really spreads out her defensive peripherals.  I’ve learned that the ability to get clearances, interceptions, and tackles really helps a player’s fantasy floor.  That’s exactly what I’m targeting here with Leuko; someone safe.  She’s going to go out and get her 14-16 points every game.  The bonus here is that if Cameroon defend well, they have an outside shot at a clean sheet.

Rebekah Scott (New Zealand v. Cameroon, $14) – You could almost copy and paste everything for Leuko right here.  Scott gets all the different defensive peripherals, she has a safe floor, and has a legitimate shot at a clean sheet.

Carla Guerrero (Chile v. Thailand, $12) – Guerrero is my favorite Chile defender.  I think Chile should be able to keep a clean sheet in this one, and that extra 5 points will be big.  This is Chile’s first World Cup appearance, and they won’t want to go home winless.  Guerrero is one of their best defenders, both fantasy-wise and on the field, and I expect that to show on Thursday.

Women’s World Cup – Value Defenders

Becky Sauerbrunn (USA v. Sweden, $10) – I don’t necessarily love this play, but the value at defender on this slate is tough.  Sauerbrunn missed the first game with an injury but looked healthy against Chile.  However, there was not much defending for her to do at all and she only scored 6.3 points.  Sweden is a much better team than the USA has faced so far, and they’ll force Sauerbrunn into making more plays.  She could possibly come away with a clean sheet bonus as well.  If you don’t have the extra $2, you could get by with Abby Dahlkemper ($8), but I would not expect too much from her.

Ainon Phancha (Chile v. Thailand, $10) – While Thai defenders like Chinwong or Pitsamai Sornsai ($16) will get the majority of the defensive peripherals, Phancha still gets enough of her own to provide some solid value for us on this slate.  You can throw a clean sheet out the window now, but the game will be played with Thailand on defense for the majority which is exactly what Phancha owners will want.  If you’re looking for a value defender with a solid floor but limited upside, Phancha is for you.

Women’s World Cup – Goalkeepers

Christiane Endler (Chile v. Thailand, $16) – Endler is one of the best players no one knew coming into this tournament.  The University of South Florida product was stellar in her first game against Sweden and even better against the USA on Sunday.  Thailand scored their only World Cup goal late in the last game against Sweden, but I have a hard time seeing them score against Endler.  Her floor is both bonuses, but her ceiling doesn’t get much higher than 23 (2 saves).

Erin Nyler (New Zealand v. Cameroon, $14) – If you need to save $2, Nyler is another solid GK option on Thursday.  Cameroon have scored 1 goal in their 2 games so far, and New Zealand’s defense has played well against good competition.  Nyler should be able to make a few saves, but a clean sheet and a win bonus are less absolutes than with Endler.  She’s a boom or bust option in my opinion.

Stephanie Labbe (Canada v. Netherlands, $14) – This is the first player on either team I am writing up today.  Both teams have some real studs, but I don’t expect much intensity from any of them given the fact that they’ve already qualified for the next round.  Canada has a top defense coming into the tournament, and that’s held true so far because Labbe hasn’t even had to make any saves.  With the aggressive attacking style of the Netherlands but that is likely to change Thursday.  She’s a boom or bust option in my mind like Nyler.

Thanks for reading and hopefully everyone has some success on this slate!  Stay tuned for more Women’s World Cup DFS Breakdowns.