Saturday’s World Cup DFS Playbook was a decidedly mixed bag. Memphis picked a bad time (for us and for team USA) to have a breakout game, especially at the expense of Cody Gakpo. Of course, we got better production than we could have hoped for from Denzel Dumfries and Daley Blind in addition to nice returns from Lionel Messi and Christian Pulisic.
Like Saturday’s slate, Sunday’s slate features two traditional soccer powers (France and England) facing two relative upstarts (Poland and Senegal). I think we probably are going to get similar results, in which case we will need to find a few cheap players who can provide some fantasy points while nailing the top-tier plays. It is also worth noting that every team in Saturday’s slate scored, though Australia’s tally was an Enzo Fernandez own goal. Fortunately for us, we don’t lose fantasy points for own goals
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Hugo Lloris
FRA
POL
5900
4.33
13
6.00
Maybe I'm giving Senegal too much credit, but I think France has a better chance at a win and a clean sheet, and I am willing to pay a bit more to chase it.
Edouard Mendy
SEN
ENG
3900
5.38
8
7.33
I'm surprised he is cheaper than Wojciech Szczesny on FanDuel, and I think I am playing him over Szczesny on both sites. I don't Senegal can outscore England but I do think they can hang with them for most of the game, like they did with the Netherlands. Hopefully we get a handful of saves and few goals allowed, but I also think there is an outside chance Senegal gets a win in a shootout.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Robert Lewandowski
POL
FRA
6600
13.38
18
19.37
As we mentioned above, all four teams scored on Saturday, and I wouldn't be shocked if that happens again. Lewandowski is Poland's most likely goalscorer and he is awfully cheap on DraftKings, though he is certianly risky.
Ousmane Dembele
FRA
POL
7600
10.67
17
13.17
He is the cheapest French attacker for a reason but he is also very safe. Definitely pay up for one of the other guys if you can, but I think you want two French attackers in your lineups and that will be awfully difficult if Dembele isn't one of them.
Kylian Mbappe
FRA
POL
10700
27.11
22
35.00
There is no shame in pivoting to Griezmann if you need to save some money but Mbappe is just as safe and more likely to score a goal. I learned my lesson after I faded him against Denmark and he scored both of France's goals. I'm not doing that again.
Antoine Griezmann
FRA
POL
9200
15.52
21
22.30
I didn't want to include three French attackers in this playbook but it couldn't be avoided. Griezmann is been great for fantasy despite having a goal called back on a questionable call against Tunisia. He played just 17 minutes in that game but still produced for fantasy, and I expect another big game Sunday.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Iliman Ndiaye
SEN
ENG
5200
5.37
11
5.00
Ndiaye finally started against Ecuador after getting an assist off the bench against Qatar. He only managed two shots and two crosses against Ecuador but I'm willing to take a chance on him as a relatively cheap midfield play.
Harry Kane
ENG
SEN
8000
12.13
20
12.30
On the one hand, Kane did very little against the United States, and I think this game could play out similarly. On the other hand, Kane had four crosses, four chances created and two assists in the other two games. He is probably too talented not to score at least once in this tournament and the other stats give him a higher floor than a lot of other top-tier players.
Phil Foden
ENG
SEN
7800
10.99
17
11.50
Foden isn't eligible at forward, and he isn't even guaranteed to start, but otherwise he is great. He is second only to Luke Shaw on this team with 5.00 crosses per 90 minutes, and I think he is safe on FanDuel as well.
Piotr Zielinski
POL
FRA
4800
10.13
15
16.43
Zielinski was the only player to show up for Poland against Argentina, with four crosses and two chances created. He is the safest player on this team and he doesn't have to do a ton to return value at this price.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Abdou Diallo
SEN
ENG
3100
2.47
8
5.33
He has only managed six clearances so far, but I blame that more on the quality of their competition than anything else. I think this is the game Diallo finally matches Kalidou Koulibaly in defensive stats.
Ismail Jakobs
SEN
ENG
4300
8.83
9
11.53
Jakobs split corners with Idrissa Gueye against Ecuador but could have them to himself with Gueye out with yellow card accumulation. Jakobs looks like a safe cheap play on DraftKings despite a tough matchup.
Luke Shaw
ENG
SEN
6100
11.6
11
11.17
I might pivot to Kieran Trippier if he plays, but Shaw outscored him on DraftKings in both games they played together. Shaw, Trippier and Phil Foden are the only players to take a corner for England in this tournament and I would like Shaw even more if the other two are on the bench.
Theo Hernandez
FRA
POL
5700
20.76
14
28.85
It is crazy to me that Hernandez is cheaper than the England outside backs. Only Australia and Ghana have allowed more crosses than Poland and even if Hernandez doesn't get an assist for a third straight game, I think he will be a nice value.
Matty Cash
POL
FRA
3400
3.67
10
11.70
Cash didn't have a single cross against Argentina, and I am definitely concerned that can happen again. That being said, France allowed five more crosses per game than Argentina, and Cash only needs a few at this price.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Harry Maguire
ENG
SEN
4200
7.66
12
16.13
I still think Maguire is going to score on a header before the tournament is over, and he has been very consistent on FanDuel. He may not get a ton of clearances if England controls possession against Senegal, but I think he will get enough.
Draftkings Core Plays
Top Tier
Harry Kane
$8,000
Kylian Mbappe
$10,700
Mid Tier
Ousmane Dembele
$7,600
Phil Foden
$7,800
Value Tier
Ismail Jakobs
$4,300
Piotr Zielinski
$4,800
Fanduel Core Plays
Top Tier
Kylian Mbappe
$22
Antoine Griezmann
$21
Mid Tier
Piotr Zielinski
$15
Phil Foden
$17
Value Tier
Abdou Diallo
$8
Edouard Mendy
$8
Check out our list of the best, and most trusted sports betting and fantasy sports promo codes from the top legal sites in your state.
