Through two days, every game of the World Cup knockout stage had a big favorite going in, and all of those teams won. In fact, only Argentina won by fewer than two goals. That changes Monday, as a Croatia side that was relatively unimpressive in the group stage faces a Japan side that finished atop a group that included Spain and Germany.
While the first two World Cup DFS slates of the knockout stage were all about trying to unearth the value plays that would allow you to play as many top tier players as possible, that is less of a priority on Monday. Of course we would love to load up on Brazil’s attackers but it could be equally important to hit on the correct mid-tier players from Croatia, Japan and South Korea.
2022 World Cup DFS Soccer Top Plays
Goalkeepers
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Shuichi Gonda
JPN
CRO
4300
9.47
9
14.17
Croatia was held scoreless by Morocco and Belgium and I see no reason why Japan couldn't do the same thing. Japan allowed just three goals in a group with Spain and Germany.
Alisson
BRZ
KOR
5900
10.75
14
17.00
He got a win and a clean sheet without recording a single save hin his two starts. In such a small slate, I don't mind the idea of locking in a likely win, especially with the other game essentially being a toss-up.
Forwards
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Ritsu Doan
JPN
CRO
5400
11.39
18
20.67
Doan has scored on both of his shots on goal, which probably won't continue, but he has been quite impressive considering he has played just 131 minutes across three games. He has three chances created and two crosses, and I like him on both sites.
Junya Ito
JPN
CRO
7500
8.13
15
12.33
Ito is safer than Doan, and he is too cheap on FanDuel. Ito had over 18 FD fantasy points in both of his starts, against Germany and Spain. This isn't a great matchup but it shouldn't be any worse than those two.
Andrej Kramaric
CRO
JPN
7800
11.37
19
17.43
I don't want to overrate his two goals against Canada, because everyone scored against Canada, but between his four crosses and forward eligibility, Kramaric is a reasonable play on DraftKings or if you want to chase a goal.
Son Heung-Min
KOR
BRZ
8700
14.05
15
14.27
He is still searching for his first goal but he did have 18 crosses, six chances created, eight shots and an assist. He is arguably the safest forward on DraftKings and he won't break the bank.
Neymar
BRZ
KOR
10500
19.26
19
14.00
Even if you are afraid of his ankle injury, I do not see how you could possibly bench Neymar on FanDuel at his price. I'm probably playing him on DraftKings as well but there are reasonable pivots on his same team.
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Raphinha
BRZ
KOR
9500
9.25
20
12.17
Richarlison was great against Serbia but scored literally zero FD fantasy points in 73 minutes against Switzerland. Feel free to chase that if you want but I'll gladly take Raphinha at a cheaper price. Raphinha's averages are hurt by only playing 11 minutes against Cameroon, when he still managed four crosses and two chances created.
Midfielders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Luka Modric
CRO
JPN
7100
10.05
14
12.40
You can certainly pivot to Ivan Perisic on DraftKings, but Modric has been more consistent and he should be on penalties. Modric has three shots, three chances created and 17 crosses in this tournament.
Lee Kang-In
KOR
BRZ
5200
9.42
13
9.30
He was quiet against Portugal with just two crosses and one shot, but won the Golden Ball at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup, and his ceiling is as high as anyone's. Brazil is dealing with a lot of injuries and Kang-In is talented enough to take advantage.
Vinicius Junior
BRZ
KOR
7600
15.11
21
20.10
He is the cheapest Brazil attacker on DraftKings but his teammates are all listed as forwards. On FanDuel, only Richarlison is more expensive. With five crosses, six chances created and one assist in two games, I like his combination of safety and upside.
Defenders
Player
Team
Opp.
DK $
DK FPPG
FD $
FD FPPG
Takehiro Tomiyasu
JPN
CRO
3500
0.69
9
3.45
Only four teams have allowed more clearances per game than Croatia. Tomiyasu has been quiet so far in two games off the bench but he is a proven defender with a good matchup at a cheap price.
Danilo
BRZ
KOR
5000
8.52
9
8.90
Brazil doesn't typically send in a ton of crosses, but Danilo had four in the opener against Serbia as well as one shot. He is pretty reasonably priced and I like the matchup.
Kwon Kyung-Won
KOR
BRZ
2700
2.89
8
5.20
His averages look bad because he played one minute against Ghana but he had double-digit FD fantasy points againts Portugal. I see no reason why he wouldn't do that again if he starts Monday.
Kim Moon-Hwan
KOR
BRZ
3800
6.92
11
13.33
There aren't many good defenders on the DraftKings slate, so we may as well play the one who had 12 crosses and three chances created in the group stage.
2022 World Cup DFS Soccer Core Plays
Draftkings Core Plays
Top Tier
Son Heung-Min
$8,700
Raphinha
$9,500
Mid Tier
Vinicius Junior
$7,600
Ritsu Doan
$5,400
Value Tier
Kim Moon-Hwan
$3,800
Shuichi Gonda
$4,300
Fanduel Core Plays
Top Tier
Neymar
$19
Raphinha
$20
Mid Tier
Junya Ito
$15
Luka Modric
$14
Value Tier
Takehiro Tomiyasu
$9
Kwon Kyung-Won
$8
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