Seriously, I love the World Cup. It’s a month of Christmas for us Soccer fans and it has the added benefit of bringing in so many causal sports fans and DFS players. Speaking of which, Slack Chat for VIP members continues to pay off for our VIP members. The below is a preview of each mach and my thought on the top player from each team. Remember, a ton changes based on confirmed lineups & formations. Not a VIP? Join now and use code “SNIPER” for 10% off membership. See you in Slack!
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– Odds
– Project Totals
– Set Piece Takers
– Projected Formations
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Game-By-Game Breakdown
Mexico vs. Sweden
Mexico has all but advanced to the round of 16 but can’t completely phone it in because enough goals in a loss to Sweden and a Germany win could theoretically have them out on goal differential. Mexico has played superbly well in the first two games of this tournament and have had production spread out among their best players. We will break down Chicarito, Lozano, and Vela more in slack but the safest play on the board, for me, is Miguel Layun. Layun may not have a goal or an assist in this tournament but he has a consistent role on set pieces, takes shots, and contributes open play crosses. Without the major bonus points he still has double-digit DK points in both of Mexico’s games, I’ll continue to roster him. Emil Forsberg is the best player in the Swedish attach but has been underwhelming so far in the World Cup. He isn’t priced down much and his mid-price kind of takes him out of cash game consideration for me with the other great options on this slate. However, that logic is exactly what makes him an interesting GPP play – he has some goal upside and will go under owned. If Sweden scores from open play, there’s a good chance that Forsberg is part of it.
Germany vs. South Korea
Through the first half of their game with Sweden, Germany looked like they would be repeating the same fate as Italy and Spain – failing to advance out of the group stage after winning the previous World Cup. But Germany pulled off the win with a 10-man squad and now are in a great spot taking on the weakest team in the group. If you didn’t like the biggest favorites on the day enough, because goal differential could become a factor in this group, Germany won’t lay back at all…if they play well they could legitimately put up four or five goals. Toni Kroos’ price is rising and reflecting in his play but that won’t stop me from going to him. He’s the primary set piece taker on the largest favorite and has one goal and ten shots in two games for the Germans. Sign me up for as much Germany as I can fit, but it will all start with Kroos. This clearly bodes very badly for the Koreans but I have the same cash punt bright spot as in their first two games and I’m hoping he works for a third straight. Ki Sung-Yueng is a midfielder will take some corners and take some shots on offense and on defense could rack up some interceptions and tackles. At his price of 3.3k on DraftKings, he could be a source of some much needed salary relief.
Serbia vs. Brazil
The finale of Group E is going to be super fun as Serbia, Brazil, and Switzerland are all bunched within one point and have everything to play for. Phillipe Coutinho has scored twice for the Brazilians but for me he remains a GPP play. He’s the most expensive player on the slate for a reason but Neymar offers an awesome floor, even at his elevated price point. He shoots every chance he gets, takes the set pieces, swings in crosses, and draws fouls. He’s averaging over 20 DK points per game and only has one goal (zero assists) in the 2018 World Cup. I can’t tell you to lock in Neymar because it will ultimately depending on lineup construction but I’ll be trying to find a way to get him in tomorrow. Brazil hasn’t looked unstoppable though and in a close game you can take a look at some Serbian pieces. I’m a little weary of paying up for Aleksandar Kolarov at defense because of the match odds but he is viable. Instead, I’ll throw another salary saver at you in Luka Milivojevic. He’s not safe, but he’s cheap. And for what it’s worth he is one of the set piece takers for Serbia though it was Kolarov who scored the free kick goal last time out. Ultimately, I expect Brazil to have the better of the possession by a far amount and I won’t have much of Serbia outside of one-offs in GPPs.
Switzerland vs. Costa Rica
Switzerland came through with a dramatic winner last time out and have the advantage of entering the final day against the group’s weakest team. The man who scored that goal is the top man in the Swiss offense as Xherdan Shaqiri is vital to their success. He should have plenty of the ball and while this game as the lowest total on the board, I still want a few pieces from the Swiss. Shaqiri shot eight times against a defense stronger than Costa Rica’s and unless he has an off-game he should be a total menace on Wednesday. Looking for a Costa Rican option? Yeah, well, join the club. I’ll give you David Guzman as another punt defender because he takes corners and direct free kicks should Costa Rica mount any offense. He’s also cheap, so there’s that. I’m obviously not in love with it, but you need to have a couple of these types of players in order to make a lineup.
That’s what I have for you today, good luck and I’ll see you in Slack tomorrow morning! Remember, a ton changes based on confirmed lineups & formations. Not a VIP? Join now and use code “SNIPER” for 10% off membership.