Women’s World Cup DFS Playbook July 29: Debinha Is A Top Pick for Brazil
One of the things I like about large-scale tournaments like the Women’s World Cup is the ebb and flow of the group stage. There is often a great disparity in opponents from one game to the next, and that is the case for all six teams playing Saturday morning. The first game features the top two teams from Group G. Italy and Sweden both narrowly escaped with wins against Argentina and South Africa, respectively, and both teams can expect less possession than they had in their opening games. Likewise, the second game features the top two teams from Group F. France was arguably the most disappointing team through the first round of games, drawing with Jamaica despite a +1.8 xGD. Brazil, on the other hand, may have been the most impressive, even if we all expected them to defeat Panama.
The third game, between Jamaica and Panama, should be fairly evenly matched as well. I’m interested to see how Jamaica will score without Bunny Shaw. I think Panama is better than what they showed against Brazil, but this is still their best chance to earn a point in this competition. With all three games potentially tight and low scoring, I think I want to load up on mid-priced players who don’t need to score to produce for fantasy. There will inevitably be at least a couple of goals, but they could come from just about anyone. I’ll be more likely to chase goals in the third games for these groups when the top teams will have more appealing matchups.
Women's World Cup DFS Picks July 29
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Yenith Bailey | PAN | JAM | 3800 | 4.28 | 7 | 5.00 |
| Bailey allowed four goals against Brazil but still scored positive fantasy points thanks to six saves. I'm not really expecting a result but Jamaica isn't guaranteed to score with Bunny Shaw out and I was impressed with Bailey overall. I am entirely comfortable going cheap here and spending my money elsewhere. | ||||||
| Lele | BRA | FRA | 4500 | 14.2 | 10 | 19.00 |
| I don't want to overreact to one game, but shouldn't Lele cost more than Pauline Peyraud-Magnin? The sportsbooks think this is an even matchup, but I'm not so sure. I also think Lele has a better chance to rack up a bunch of saves. Rebecca Spencer had five saves against France and Lele could easily do the same. | ||||||
| Forwards | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Kayla McKenna | JAM | PAN | 3900 | 0 | 6 | |
| If I'm being honest, I'll probably wake up early to make sure I can play whoever starts up top in place of Bunny Shaw. They are all priced about the same on DraftKings, though McKenna is by far the cheapest of the likely starters on FanDuel. That being said, I think McKenna is the most proven option, having scored two goals in four Champions League matches with Rangers. This is Jamaica's best chance to score a goal even with Shaw out and McKenna looks like a great value on both sites. | ||||||
| Cristiana Girelli | ITA | SWE | 7700 | 11.56 | 17 | 20.00 |
| I really liked Girelli against Argentina, and she scored Italy's only goal despite playing just eight minutes. She is riskier than some forwards, especially in this matchup, but I'm kind of shocked she doesn't cost more. | ||||||
| Kadidiatou Diani | FRA | BRA | 8500 | 8.12 | 18 | 14.70 |
| I thought she was miscast as a striker in this game. Diani is best on the right side of a top-three and if it looks like France is returning to a 4-3-3, she is too cheap on both sites. | ||||||
| Eugenie Le Sommer | FRA | BRA | 8300 | 9.66 | 21 | 21.60 |
| If anyone is actually going to finish the chances France creates, it will likely be Le Sommer. Even in a relatively quiet game against Jamaica she put all three shots on goal and created a chance. She is risky, but she's worth the price on FanDuel. | ||||||
| Midfielders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Deneisha Blackwood | JAM | PAN | 3400 | 10.34 | 14 | 32.60 |
| I would like it better if she was listed as a defender on DraftKings, but she still looks like a must-play on that site. Blackwood led the Reggae Girlz in crosses and corner kicks against France, and she should get much more of each against Panama. She is probably too expensive on FanDuel, though I'll likely play her for the final group game against Brazil. | ||||||
| Kosovare Asllani | SWE | ITA | 8200 | 16.14 | 19 | 21.10 |
| Asllani was one of my favorite plays against South Africa, and she came through with six crosses, three chances created and an assist. She may be the safest player on both sites, and she is the only player eligible at midfielder and foward who played significant minutes in her country's first game. That versatility can be quite valuable on DraftKings. | ||||||
| Debinha | BRA | FRA | 7600 | 12.62 | 17 | 17.60 |
| Debinha was overshadowed by Ary Borges against Panama, but she was quite involved in attack and I thought she was a bit unlucky for fantasy. She had one assist and a couple of hockey assists when teammates passed up a good shot for a great shot. She is my favorite mid-priced play on both sites. | ||||||
| Kenza Dali | FRA | BRA | 6900 | 9.64 | 15 | 14.50 |
| I'm kind of shocked at how many midfielders I like. Dali had seven crosses, two chances created and a shot on goal in 24 minutes. I think she should start, and she'll be a solid value if she does. | ||||||
| Defenders | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Amel Majri | FRA | BRA | 4300 | 10.08 | 16 | 13.70 |
| Majri started at left midfield and had nine crosses and two chances created in 65 minutes. I don't necessarily expect her to start again but she is a nice play on DraftKings if she does. | ||||||
| Jonna Andersson | SWE | ITA | 3800 | 14.56 | 11 | 17.90 |
| Anderson is one of a handful of defenders who remains relatively cheap on DraftKings despite a great first game. This should be a tougher matchup but so long as she starts at wing back, I'm not sure I care. | ||||||
| Lisa Boattin | ITA | SWE | 4900 | 22.28 | 16 | 39.20 |
| Pretty much everything I said about Andersson applies to Boattin. Boattin may be a bit overpriced thanks to assisting on Girelli's goal, but she's still cheaper than a lot of defenders she outscored in the first round of games. | ||||||
| Cecilia Salvai | ITA | SWE | 3300 | 6.56 | 9 | 15.10 |
| Salvai lead Italy in clearances and tied for the lead in tackles + interceptions against Argentina. This should be an even better matchup for defensive stats than that game. | ||||||
| Lauren | BRA | FRA | 2800 | 5.34 | 10 | 12.40 |
| Like Salvai, Lauren tied for her team lead in clearances, and now she faces a much stiffer defensive test. I don't think this is the slate to chase offensive stats from defenders, which makeforward's Lauren's high floor even more appealing. | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Aissatou Tounkara | FRA | BRA | 2700 | 0 | 9 | |
| If I am going to take a risk on a defender, especially on FanDuel, it will be on Wendie Renard's likely replacement. Tounkara is unlikely to be as involved offensively as Renard but she could provide cheap defensive stats. | ||||||
World Cup DFS Core Plays July 29
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Kosovare Asllani | $8,200 |
| Kadidiatou Diani | $8,500 | |
| Mid Tier | Debinha | $7,600 |
| Kenza Dali | 6900 | |
| Value Tier | Jonna Andersson | $3,800 |
| Deneisha Blackwood | $3,400 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Kosovare Asllani | $19 |
| Eugenie Le Sommer | $21 | |
| Mid Tier | Debinha | 17 |
| Value Tier | Kayla McKenna | 6 |
Player News
{{item.text}}
{{analysis.analysis}}