Will the upsets continue? Sunday saw one of the perennial favorites go down to a huge underdog and the host country, Russia. But now we are on to Monday and two more massive favorites take the field as either Brazil and Belgium are many people’s pick to win the whole tournament. But they have to navigate the round-of-16 first and that means we have plenty to dig into for our DFS contests. The below is a preview of each game and my thoughts 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
Brazil vs. Mexico
Mexico started off the tournament with what was a major shock in their victory over Germany. However, Germany continued to stumble and are on their way home while Mexico needed a bit of good fortune to qualify after their own poor performance in the final game of the group stage. At nearly 7-1 underdogs most of the Mexican players are priced down for DFS so it comes down to who you think is the best option. Personally, I think I’m going with Hirving Lozano as he has played well so far, scoring a goal, notching an assist, drawing multiple fouls, and from what I’ve seen always being a part of the game flow.
Brazil burned me a bit last time out as Marcelo suffered an early injury last game and had to be removed just minutes into the match. Coutinho is a player that has gotten a lot of buzz this World Cup but I find hi better as a GPP option. Given the choice in cash games, I’m always going to play Neymar and Monday will be no different. He takes shots, creates chances, takes set pieces, draws fouls and is the focal point of the Brazilian offense. I have another GPP play I really like for tomorrow but I’ll save that for VIP members.
Belgium vs. Japan
Belgium’s offense is ridiculous high powered and incredibly fun to watch, as of right now they are my pick to win the tournament. The Belgians should be well rested after sitting their stars in the last group match, which they still won 1-0 against England. So many choices, so many choices…I’ve been writing up Kevin De Bruyne but honestly he’s sitting a little further back in the midfield than I typically like. That leads me to Eden Hazard who has been scoring goals and acting as playmaker while also taking some set pieces. You really can’t go wrong rostering a Belgium player in GPPs and I haven’t forgotten about Romelu Lukaku but I do think that Hazard makes for the best cash game play of the bunch.
You can’t totally write Japan off after we saw a couple of big underdogs force penalty kicks on Sunday. For a little much needed value Gaku Shibasaki fits the bill for me. He plays as a holding midfielder so he should get his fair of defensive statistics and he takes some corners for Japan if they make their way forward enough to win them. You will need a couple of punts to cram in Neymar and/or your choice of Belgians and my search starts on the Japanese side.
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.