World Cup 2022 DFS Playbook December 2: Portugal, South Korea and Brazil Top the Slate
The group stage of the 2022 World Cup concludes Friday with the third games for Groups G and H. Once again, we will want to consider the scenarios for each team when constructing our World Cup DFS lineups.
Portugal has already qualified for the knockout round, and they need one point against South Korea, or they need Uruguay to take one point against Ghana to finish first in the group. Ghana advances with a win or a draw. Uruguay advances with a win while South Korea needs a win to have any chance of advancing, and they would require Uraguay to win or draw with Ghana.
In Group G, Brazil has qualified for the knockout stage, and they are three goals ahead of Switzerland and four ahead of Cameroon in the differential.
Switzerland advances with a win. If they draw, they need Cameroon to lose or draw. Cameroon and Serbia both need to win to have a chance to advance. Cameroon would need Serbia to beat or draw Switzerland, and Serbia would need Brazil to win or draw with Cameroon.
The big theme for fantasy, which seems to be getting worse as the tournament goes along, is the lack of quality forwards on DraftKings. There are certainly guys you can play for tournaments if you want to chase a goal, especially if Brazil and Portugal rotate some of their starters as expected. But most of the safe players and all of the values are in the midfield. I would fill the forward spots with whichever players I hate the least and then pick the midfielders and UTIL using whatever salary I have remaining
2022 World Cup DFS Soccer Picks December 2
World Cup Goalkeepers
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Yann Sommer | SWI | SER | 4600 | 13.65 | 10 | 20.75 |
| Switzerland has been one of the best defensive teams so far, allowing just one goal to Brazil with nine saves in two games. Serbia is good offensively so Sommer may allow a couple of goals, but I think he will get enough saves to make up for it. | ||||||
| Diogo Costa | POR | KOR | 5500 | 9.87 | 12 | 15.50 |
| Costa has conceded five goals and kept five clean sheets in nine starts for Portugal. I like the player and the matchup, especially on FanDuel where he is a bit cheaper. | ||||||
| Ederson | BRZ | CMR | 5700 | 0 | 14 | |
| I wasn't expecting to put Ederson on this list but depending on how the starting lineups shake out for the big clubs, we could have a lot of money to spend. Brazil hasn't conceded a goal yet and I think even their backups are capable of keeping a clean sheet. This is a bit of a luxury but I am fine paying up if you can. | ||||||
World Cup Forwards
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Aleksandar Mitrovic | SER | SWI | 8000 | 10.72 | 20 | 15.30 |
| Mitrovic could very well be the best striker starting in this slate, and the matchup isn't scary enough for me to stay away. He is pretty much goal or bust, but I ilke his chances of scoring a goal. | ||||||
| Goncalo Ramos | POR | KOR | 7300 | 0.36 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Joao Palhinha is probably safer, but Goncalo Ramos is awfully cheap for someone with 10 attacking returns in 11 games for Benfica. If he is starting, he is worth considering, but I'll like him even better if Cristiano Ronaldo is out. | ||||||
| Maxi Gomez | URU | GHA | 9 | 0.00 | ||
| I thought Gomez looked good in 18 minutes off the bench against Portugal, even if it didn't show up in the stats. Only Costa Rica has allowed more goals per game than Ghana, and Gomez is a strong tournament play if he starts. | ||||||
| Darwin Nunez | URU | GHA | 6700 | 3.92 | 17 | 3.80 |
| There is a chance I'm just being stubborn, but between the matchup and the lack of safe forwards on DraftKings, I will roll with him once again. This is clearly a better matchup than the first two, and I am encouraged by the two crosses against Portugal. | ||||||
| Son Heung-Min | KOR | POR | 8300 | 10.3 | 15 | 7.10 |
| Like Dusan Tadic, I don't love Son's chances of an attacking return. That being said, he is safe on both sites and he is eligible at forward. Portugal is certainly capable of conceding and Son is most likely to be involved. | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Gabriel Jesus | BRZ | CMR | 7900 | 2.46 | 21 | 4.30 |
| Jesus is far and away Brazil's best player who is likely to start. He is as likely to score in this slate as anyone but he offers a decent floor on FanDuel thanks to his chances created. | ||||||
World Cup Midfielders
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Federico Valverde | URU | GHA | 6600 | 8.19 | 15 | 9.70 |
| Valverde leads the team in shots and is tied for the lead in crosses. This matchup is as good as it gets. I wish Valverde was listed as a forward for DraftKings but I will probably find room for him in most of my lineups anyway. | ||||||
| Dusan Tadic | SER | SWI | 8500 | 10.29 | 16 | 14.90 |
| He leads his team with 12 crosses and Switzerland has allowed the third-most crosses per 90 minutes in this tournament. Tadic also has five chances created and he looks like a safe play on both sites, and he is a forward on DraftKings. | ||||||
| Xherdan Shaqiri | SWI | SER | 7800 | 15.76 | 14 | 10.00 |
| Only Costa Rica has allowed more goals per game, and Shaqiri is the the only player from Switzerland I really trust for fantasy. He had nine crosses against Cameroon and only one chance created, but he got the assist on that play. | ||||||
| Joao Palhinha | POR | KOR | 5000 | 1.61 | 10 | 4.95 |
| Palhinha has two chances created in 10 minutes and if he gets the start, he looks like a fantastic punt play on FanDuel. | ||||||
| Na Sang-Ho | KOR | POR | 3000 | 5.52 | 14 | 10.90 |
| He has eight crosses, three chances created and one shot on goal in 120 minutes. He is a great punt play on DraftKings if he starts. | ||||||
| Midfielders | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Mohammed Kudus | GHA | URU | 6400 | 17.82 | 18 | 25.10 |
| We are no longer getting him dirt cheap, but I don't mind the price considering he is pretty clearly his team's best player. The upside is apparent following his brace in the last game but Kudus offers a nice floor as well. | ||||||
| Lucas Paqueta | BRZ | CMR | 5100 | 3.39 | 12 | 6.90 |
| Paqueta is worth considering on both sites due to his price and the matchup, but I think he will be on set pieces if rested. The only drawback is that Brazil plays late, so there may not be a ton of options if he begins the game on the bench. | ||||||
World Cup Defenders
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Ruben Dias | POR | KOR | 3200 | 2.72 | 8 | 8.35 |
| South Korea has allowed 35 clearances per 90 minutes, the most in the tournament. Denmark is second at 28.7. Dias leads Portugal with eight clearances and is a good bet to do so Friday. | ||||||
| Joao Cancelo | POR | KOR | 5200 | 6.3 | 12 | 9.00 |
| I never thought I would say this at the start of the tournament, but Cancelo may be better on FD than DK. Cancelo is still looking for his first chance created, and he has a modest six crosses, but he is second on on the team with seven clearances. Cancelo has more upside than Ruben Dias though it will cost you. | ||||||
| Guillermo Varela | URU | GHA | 3500 | 3.94 | 8 | 2.15 |
| Valera is tied for the team lead in crosses despite only playing one game, against Portugal. Ghana has allowed seven more crosses per 90 minutes than any other team in this tournament. If he just matches his production from the Portugal game, he is too cheap. His ceiling is much higher than that. | ||||||
| Kim Min-Jae | KOR | POR | 2900 | 4.37 | 8 | 7.05 |
| He hasn't racked up the defensive stats we may have expected, but I blame that mostly on South Korea's 53.5 percent possession thus far. Portugal currently sits fourth in the tournament with 60.5 percent possession, so this could be Kim Min-Jae's time to shine. He is a threat on free kicks as well, though South Korea has taken the second-fewest free kicks per 90 minutes so far. | ||||||
| Raphael Guerreiro | POR | KOR | 4800 | 8.79 | 11 | 9.95 |
| I don't know why he is so cheap on DraftKings but I am not complaining. He played 48 minutes off the bench against Uruguay and should start Friday with Nuno Mendes injured. Guerreiro has seven crosses and three chances created thus far. | ||||||
| Player | Team | Opp. | DK $ | DK FPPG | FD $ | FD FPPG |
| Tariq Lamptey | GHA | URU | 3900 | 1.94 | 8 | 4.55 |
| He managed just three crosses and one shot in 78 minutes agianst South Korea but that isn't bad for his price. He is a fine pivot if you can't afford Guerreiro or if Varela doesn't start. | ||||||
2022 World Cup DFS Soccer Core Plays December 2
| Draftkings Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Dusan Tadic | $8,500 |
| Son Heung-Min | $8,000 | |
| Mid Tier | Mohammed Kudus | $6,400 |
| Federico Valverde | $6,600 | |
| Value Tier | Guillermo Varela | $3,500 |
| Lucas Paqueta | $5,100 | |
| Fanduel Core Plays | ||
| Top Tier | Gabriel Jesus | $21 |
| Aleksandar Mitrovic | $20 | |
| Mid Tier | Darwin Nunez | $17 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | $14 | |
| Value Tier | Ruben Dias | $8 |
| Joao Palhinha | $10 | |
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