Women’s World Cup DFS Playbook July 24: Locking In Alexandra Popp For Germany
One day after we discussed how much of the talent at the Women’s World Cup is concentrated at forward, Monday’s WWC DFS slate is dominated by midfielders. The top scorers for Brazil and Panama are both midfielders, which is one reason for the shift. The other reason is that most of the secondary playmakers and scorers for most of these teams are listed in the midfield. That means you should probably fill your forward spots first on DraftKings. I really love Debinha Lina Magull on DraftKings but if you lock those two into your midfield spots, it severely limits your options for the rest of your lineup. I would rather lock in Alexandra Popp and know that even if I can’t afford the midfielders I really want, there will be strong options with whatever salary I have remaining once I have filled the rest of my roster.
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Yenith Bailey | PAN | BRA | 3600 | 0 | 6 | 0.00 |
| I don't want to overreact to some of the surprising results we've had this week, but at this point, would anybody be shocked if Panama kept a clean sheet or even escaped with a win? Marta is not the same player she used to be, and it is unclear if the new generation of Brazillian players is ready to step up. If we're playing a cheap keeper, this is our best bet. | ||||||
| Vanina Correa | ARG | ITA | 4500 | 0 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Much like Brazil, Italy is not the same powerhouse as in previous years. And Argentina is probably a better team than Panama. If you aren't going to pay up for a keeper but you have a bit more money to spend, Correa is worth a couple extra bucks. | ||||||
| Merle Frohms | GER | MAR | 5600 | 0 | 13 | 0.00 |
| I still think Morocco can surprise at this tournament, but I don't think it will happen in this game. For my money, Germany is the best team in the tournament. They probably won't win 8-0 but I would be quite surprised if Frohms didn't get a win and a clean sheet. | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Cristiana Girelli | ITA | ARG | 8900 | 0 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Girelli was one of four players to score hat tricks in the 2019 World Cup. She didn't start a single game at the Euros, which is probably one of the reasons Italy struggled in that competition. She is reliant on service, but along with Alexandra Popp, Girelli is one of the best finishers in front of net in the entire world. I love a Girelli stack with Manuela Giugliano, especially on FanDuel. | ||||||
| Ghizlane Chebbak | MAR | GER | 5100 | 0 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Chebbak was the top goalscorer at WAFCON 2022. I don't think I'm playing anyone from Morocco's attack in this slate, but if you want a proven goalscorer who should have extremely low ownership, Chebbak is the one. | ||||||
| Alexandra Popp | GER | MAR | 9800 | 0 | 23 | 0.00 |
| On the BettorSports livestream before the tournament said Popp was the most likely player to lead the tournament in goals scored. Sophia Smith will probably have something to say about that, but I still think Popp is a great bet to score at least one goal in this game. Germany should dominate a Morocco side playing in its first World Cup, and Popp is by far the best goalscorer on this team. | ||||||
| Yamila Rodriguez | ARG | ITA | 6100 | 0 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Mariana Larroquette may be a better value, but Rodriguez is listed as a forward and she was the top scorer in the Copa America Femenina. If you really want to be sneaky, you could stack them in a GPP. | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Manuela Giugliano | ITA | ARG | 6900 | 0 | 13 | 0.00 |
| This is a bit of a risk until we see where Giugliano is positioned within Italy's midfield. If she is dropping deeper to progress the ball up the wings, as she did at the European Championship, there will be fewer chances for fantasy points. Since then, she has mostly played higher up the pitch, like she does for Roma. Giugliano created the most chances in Serie A last season, and I'm willing to bet she plays a similar role Monday. | ||||||
| Mariana Larroquette | ARG | ITA | 4800 | 0 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Larroquette has scored four goals in six matches for Argentina in 2023. Earlier this month, she signed a contract to play for The Orlando Pride after this tournament. Argentina is arguably the best bet of the underdogs to score a goal Monday, and if they do score, I like Larroquette's chances to be involved. | ||||||
| Lina Magull | GER | MAR | 7900 | 0 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Magull is safer than Sydney Lohmann, especially on DraftKings, thanks to her prowess on set pieces. Magull was even better for Bayern Munich, with 11 G+A in 19 games. She is playable on FanDuel as well, especially in a Germany stack. | ||||||
| Sydney Lohmann | GER | MAR | 5500 | 0 | 9 | 0.00 |
| The 23-year-old appears to finally be healthy, and this could be her breakout tournament. She averaged 0.60 G+A per 90 minutes for Bayern Munich last season. She could be Germmany's second-leading goalscorer at a discount price. | ||||||
| Debinha | BRA | PAN | 9600 | 0 | 15 | 0.00 |
| I cannot for the life of me figure out why Debinha is so cheap on FanDuel. She is pretty clearly Brazil's best player, and only four players have scored more goals in the NWSL this season. | ||||||
| Midfielders | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Marta Cox | PAN | BRA | 3600 | 0 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Cox is pretty clearly Panama's best player, and their best bet to make some noise against Brazil. In 19 matches with the Panamanian National Team, the 25-year-old has seven goals and five assists. | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Felicitas Rauch | GER | MAR | 3900 | 0 | 11 | 0.00 |
| This is a good price for a nailed-on outside back for the best team on the slate. I might pivot to Sara Doorsoun or Sophia Kleinherne if they start at right back, but both outside backs should have opportunities to get forward if Germany dominates like we expect. | ||||||
| Tamires | BRA | PAN | 6300 | 0 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Brazil has long been known for having outside backs who get involved in the attack, and Tamires is no different. She has a goal and an assist for Brazil this year, and in what is likely her last World Cup, I like her chances of finally getting a goal involvement. You can pivot to Rafaelle Souza if you need to save some money, but I'll try to pay up for Tamires. | ||||||
| Lisa Boattin | ITA | ARG | 3700 | 0 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Much like Felicitas Rauch, Boattin is a relatively cheap starter for a team that is pretty big favorites. She should start at left wing-back and get involved enough to attack to provide value. She had a goal and an assist in World Cup qualifying. | ||||||
| Wendy Natis | PAN | BRA | 2500 | 0 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Playing cheap center backs on FanDuel has mostly been a winning strategy in this tournament, and I don't see why Monday would be any different. I might pivot to Yomira Pinzon if I have extra money to spend, but all three starting center backs are in play. | ||||||
| Hanane Ait El Haj | MAR | GER | 3000 | 0 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Everything I wrote about Wendy Natis applies to Hanane Ait El Haj, except Morocco is probably better than Panama defensively and Germany will probably apply more offensive pressure than Brazil. If you are only playing one cheap defender, it should probably be from Morocco. | ||||||
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Alexandra Popp | $9,800 |
| Debinha | $9,600 | |
| Mid Tier | Lina Magull | $7,900 |
| Yamila Rodriguez | $6,100 | |
| Value Tier | Marta Cox | $3,600 |
| Mariana Larroquette | $4,800 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Alexandra Popp | $23 |
| Cristiana Girelli | $20 | |
| Mid Tier | Debinha | $15 |
| Tamires | $14 | |
| Value Tier | Sydney Lohmann | $9 |
| Manuela Giugliano | $13 | |
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