This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
The second game of this tournament provides a lot of interesting strategy decisions with some teams getting desperate to get a result and give themselves a chance to stay in contention to advance out of the group stage. On Monday's slate we have one strong favorite in Brazil, a lesser favorite in Portugal and an evenly matched affair in Korea vs. Ghana where Korea is a slight favorite. It is important to pick up on player's roles with their teams from game one early on and stay ahead of the competition.
MATCHES (ET)
- 8:00 am: South Korea vs. Ghana
- 11:00 am: Brazil vs. Switzerland
- 2:00 pm: Portugal vs. Uruguay
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
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FORWARDS
Raphinha, BRA vs. SUI ($8,800): With Neymar out, Raphinha should grab a bigger role on set pieces and is a solid price for the set taker on the biggest favorite on the slate. Switzerland isn't the easiest matchup however, so I'm unsure how much I fully stack Brazil. Richarlison ($9,900) started hot pumping in two goals for Brazil against Serbia. He makes a solid GPP play with the second best goal scoring odds on the slate of the projected starters.
Son Heung-Min, KOR vs. GHA ($9,600): The second forward spot is a tough decision for me on this slate. Son and Korea are a slight favorite against Ghana and he will be over set pieces for them. The other high priced option is Cristiano Ronaldo ($9,200) who is much more goal dependent but does have the best goal-scoring odds on the slate.
The value options on this slate are fairly thin but if looking at goal scoring odds you would have the most interest in Hwang Ui-Jo ($5,800) and Inaki Williams ($5,400). Ui-Jo pairs well with Son, but this total is 2 and I don't want to go overboard on the lowest total on the slate.
MIDFIELDERS
Vinicius Junior, BRA vs. SUI ($7,700): Junior showed a great floor without sets against Serbia. He is priced in the mid range here and could very well put up another good DFS game for us. He could be even more involved in the creation of play here without Neymar as well. Lucas Paqueta ($6,000) is another solid midfield play for Brazil, but is probably more reserved for GPP contests.
Bruno Fernandes, POR vs. URU ($8,600): Bruno had two assists against Ghana and was over all sets for Portugal. I think he is strong play once again here as Portugal are a solid favorite against Uruguay. He pairs well with Ronaldo if you go heavy on them on Monday. Pivots include Joao Felix ($7,900) who scored against Ghana or Bernardo Silva ($6,500).
On the other side of that game you could go to a lower owned Federico Valverde ($6,600) for Uruguay who had 10 floor points against Korea. Facundo Pellistri ($3,900) was a fairly popular punt on their first slate and you could go there again, but I prefer another cheap piece over him from another game. Ruben Vargas ($5,400) split sets with Xherdan Shaqiri ($8,000) for Switzerland and both are decent GPP looks against Brazil.
Mohammed Kudus, GHA vs. KOR ($4,500): This would be my favorite value piece in the midfield in an even matchup with Korea. He did have a split of sets for them against Portugal and nearly assisted the Ayew goal, but his pass was deflected. He looked really good for them and I think he underperformed DFS wise in game one.
DEFENDERS
Raphael Guerreiro, POR vs URU ($5,200): It is a toss-up between who I like better between him and his teammate Joao Cancelo ($6,100) if prices were the same. At a $900 discount I prefer Guerreiro on this slate. Both showed a solid floor and will have upside in good matchups for this team to be involved in a goal. On the other side Mathias Olivera ($5,400) looks to have a strong floor as well.
Abdul-Rahman Baba, GHA vs. KOR ($4,200): Baba had six crosses against Portugal and split sets with Kudus. At this price I think this makes him viable on Monday's slate. I don't want to go crazy on this game as mentioned above, but some of the prices help us get the high upside plays from other games.
GOALKEEPER
Alisson, BRA vs. SUI ($5,700): This could end up being Ederson depending on the health of Alisson, but I look at them as the same. This is a fairly tough matchup for Brazil in my opinion. They do have the best clean sheet odds on the slate, but it may make sense to pay down at the position. If paying down I could see using Lawrence Ati-Zigi ($4,600) or Kim Seung-Gyu ($4,900) in the lowest totaled game on the slate. Also, Yann Sommer ($3,800) is super cheap and he will have more save upside than any keeper on the slate.
