DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: England v. Denmark Showdown Preview

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DraftKings UEFA Euro 2020 England v. Denmark Showdown Cheat Sheet

England are a decent favorite Wednesday, which means their top guys are all pretty expensive. They have an implied goal total hovering above 1.50 goals, while Denmark are just below one.

A lot of people have complained about Gareth Southgate's lineups, but they haven't allowed a goal and are in the semi-finals. They didn't show a ton in the group stage, but they got the needed goals against Germany and took over the match early against Ukraine en route to four goals, two by Harry Kane.

Denmark have had the more exciting tournament, mainly because they lost their first two matches, the first being against Finland when Christian Eriksen went down. However, they figured things out and took hold of their last three games from a variety of standout performances. The difference between them and England is that they don't have a standout win like England's against Germany and they haven't been suffocating opponents. In the last game, Czech Republic had numerous chances to find an equalizer (in addition to winning the possession battle), but they never got it.

The Favorite

It's hard to suggest Harry Kane ($11,200) in cash games because it's unlikely he matches the four shots and two goals he had against Ukraine. The aim for him would be to repeat what Patrik Schick hit last match against Denmark, reaching 15 fantasy points with a goal and three shots. The downside is that Kane could be bottled up like Romelu Lukaku when he failed to take a shot against Denmark's three-man back line in the group stage. For Kane to hit value, he'll need a goal, so it makes sense to only use him in GPPs.

It makes more sense to captain Mason Mount ($9,600) in cash games, especially since he doesn't cost that much more than Luke Shaw ($8,400). I'm usually a big Shaw fan, but take away the assists and clean sheets from the last couple matches and he didn't do much. He scored double-digit fantasy points in all four starts, but that shows in his price and I'd rather fade him unless trying to stack the England back line with hopes of another clean sheet. Even with a clean sheet, Shaw's floor and upside is unlikely to reach whatever Mount does.

Mount will be the focal point of a lot of lineups, and he's yet to be subbed in his three appearances. He can also be used in tournaments, though he doesn't need to be captained with just one shot on goal in the tournament. Similar to Kane, Raheem Sterling ($10,000) holds the same value as prior matches; he's made the score-sheet in four of five games, but he doesn't have much of a floor and he'll need to score or assists to reach value.

Either way, Sterling is probably a better option than whoever starts on the right side, as Bukayo Saka ($6,600) and Jadon Sancho ($8,800) will likely be subbed. Saka is cheap, but he could also play 60 minutes and finish with two fantasy points. He's kind of in a dead range for England players because the defenders are cheaper and every other relevant player is above him. For a similar price, it makes more sense to use Jordan Pickford ($6,800) than Saka.

As usual, Kyle Walker ($5,200) has limited upside and it kind of makes more sense to use the center-backs over him because at least Harry Maguire ($4,400) and John Stones ($4,000) get forward on set pieces. 

With five straight clean sheets, Jordan Pickford is in play in all formats. He'll be more popular than goalkeepers usually are, so captaining him maybe won't be that big of a differential. If you're backing four or five England players, it makes sense to use him, as you'll be hoping for a win, at a minimum, along with a few saves. The best-case scenario would be a win and clean sheet with Denmark pushing in the second half and never succeeding, leading to multiple saves.

The Underdog

There's a world in which Denmark have more shots than England in a loss, so it's not crazy to consider them in cash. They lost to Belgium but outplayed them most of the way, with Kevin De Bruyne's presence being the only thing that separated the teams. The problem is that in the same vein as England, their forwards have low floors. Mikkel Damsgaard ($6,400) is pretty cheap, but he's gone just 60 minutes in each of the last two matches, so you're almost banking on another goal or assist. The same goes for Kasper Dolberg ($8,000) because, as seen last match, Yussuf Poulsen ($6,400) could get significant time off the bench. Even if Poulsen starts, he's a cheap forward who doesn't have a high floor, and he'll probably be subbed early.

I've backed Martin Braithwaite ($7,400) too many times in this tournament, so if I don't back him now, he'll likely score and be the best player in the game. He's most likely of the Danish forwards to play 90 minutes, but after scoring 3.5 points last match, his floor is far from guaranteed. Still, I'd rather captain Braithwaite than a forward who may only play 60 minutes.

I doubt Thomas Delaney ($4,800) repeats his goal-scoring performance, but he's cheaper than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg ($5,400). Both present limited upside and floors, as Hojbjerg has fallen back to Earth after getting forward more than expected in the group stage.

The best place to go for Denmark has been their full-backs and even in a tough spot, that continues to be the case. Joakim Maehle ($6,200) has been awesome in this tournament, though his floor isn't guaranteed despite playing as a wing-back. A lot of his fantasy points have come from two goals and an assist the last three matches, as he has just six crosses in that period and he'll be on the same side as Kyle Walker, who plays more defensively than Luke Shaw. He'll be popular as the lone Denmark player, but he's far from a must in cash games.

Jens Stryger Larsen ($5,800) is cheaper and on sets, but he's going to be subbed for Daniel Wass ($5,200) again, which could be more harmful to his floor in a tougher matchup. In addition to having fewer corners than prior games, he'll only play 70 minutes and that could lead to a five-point floor.

There won't be many who use Kasper Schmeichel ($4,600) in cash games, as using opposing goalkeepers in England matches has not worked. So far, they've been fairly efficient, scoring eight goals from 16 shots on target, so it's not like Schmeichel will rack up five saves and only allow a goal. It makes more sense to bet on a Denmark 1-0 or 2-0 win than using him as your lone Denmark piece. England have disappointed before, so getting that win and clean sheet isn't impossible for Schmeichel if you're looking for a GPP move.