This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 9:00 am: Hungary vs. France
- 12:00 pm: Portugal vs. Germany
- 3:00 pm: Spain vs. Poland
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday UEFA Euro 2020 Cheat Sheet
FORWARDS
Antoine Griezmann, FRA v. HUN ($8,900): There are reasons to use Kylian Mbappe ($10,000) over Griezmann, as he has better odds to score and will steal a set piece or two. However, in cash games, Griezmann is the safer play because not only is he cheaper, but he also has a higher floor. Of course, that won't stop Mbappe from bracing or even assisting twice on two Karim Benzema ($7,900) goals. France are the biggest favorite on the slate and are easiest to trust, which means there's a method to backing all three of their forwards. That'll undoubtedly hamper the rest of your squad, but given Benzema's low price, it's not impossible to use Mbappe, Griezmann and Benzema together. In comparison, England were a similar favorite Friday, but they had five players at $9,000 and above, including Harry Kane at $10,500. If you backed Kane on Friday, it makes sense to use Mbappe because the goal odds are similar and Mbappe has a higher floor. If you want some of Spain's attack and don't want to use multiple France pieces, Griezmann is the cash play, though it doesn't make complete sense to use him with Alvaro Morata ($8,300) or Gerard Moreno ($8,000), especially when Benzema is cheaper.
Adam Szalai, HUN v. FRA ($4,800): Given the high-end teams on this slate, there aren't a ton of value options, at least for cash games. Thomas Muller ($6,800) caught my eye, but he's still expensive in a tough matchup and without set pieces. That left me with Hungary and two players who stood out in the loss to Portugal. Roland Sallai ($5,200) is more likely to be on sets, but Szalai was more effective in that opening match and also went the full 90. In fact, Szalai had the second-most touches on the team, which is a surprising number for a forward. I'm not betting on Hungary to score against France, but if Szalai can get a couple shots and draw a few more fouls, that'll push him above five fantasy points. It's not much, but it could be enough because his price allows you to spend elsewhere. There's not much else to like for cash games, as a lot of these players are goal or bust. Robert Lewandowski ($8,100) is the perfect GPP candidate, but he may only touch the ball five times against Spain. And the Portugal v. Germany match is a complete toss up, making it hard to bank on any of those forwards.
MIDFIELDERS
Toni Kroos, GER v. POR ($6,800): I just said this matchup is a toss up, but that doesn't mean Kroos is bad value. In the first game, it seemed like he was getting the majority of sets over Joshua Kimmich, which led to a couple shots, four crosses and a floor of 12.8 fantasy points. Kroos doesn't have the upside of Bruno Fernandes ($9,000), but he has a similar floor and is much cheaper. A lot of the set-piece numbers in this matchup will depend on if someone scores early, but that's impossible to project. I'd rather plug Kroos into my cash lineups and accept his 10 points. Fernandes had a huge floor last match, but they played Hungary and most of his numbers came from corners because Portugal were pushing until the final few minutes. Pablo Sarabia ($6,600) would be interesting if he starts since he'll get some sets, while Dani Olmo ($7,600) is a fine upside play who won't go a full 90.
Koke, ESP v. POL ($5,700): Koke looked like Spain's best player in the first half against Sweden, and that should earn him another start. If they keep their same XI, he'd also be on the majority of set pieces, which resulted in 13.7 points in that first game. Similar to Kroos, he doesn't have a ton of upside, but he's a perfect cash play because he doesn't cost an overwhelming amount and you should get about 10 points. If you want more upside, Spain have plenty of options, but you have to wait until the last match for lineups. Ferran Torres ($9,100) is probably too expensive for not having set pieces and Olmo is rightly priced. Outside of their forwards, there isn't much else to like, though Marcos Llorente ($5,500) caught my eye after a second look. He took a massive drop in price, and while he doesn't get clean sheet points despite playing right-back, he's still expected to play a full 90 and get up the field a ton. Spain should control the match against Poland with both sides are in need of a win.
Paul Pogba, FRA v. HUN ($5,400): There's not much to like in terms of complete punts in the midfield because the Poland guys won't have enough of the ball and I'd rather not write about two Hungary players. That left me with Pogba, who is probably too expensive for his position, but he gets forward at times and that touch of upside makes him more valuable than teammate N'Golo Kante ($4,300). Since Koke and Llorente are in this range, Pogba won't be my first choice, which could make him less popular in GPPs. But if France score a few goals and control the match, Pogba will undoubtedly be around the box and in play to create chances.
DEFENDERS
Lucas Hernandez, FRA v. HUN ($4,500): Hernandez didn't do much against Germany, but he got a clean sheet and hit five points for a cheaper full-back. Now, he's still cheap despite playing Hungary. He's not the best fantasy defender on the slate, but he makes the most sense in all formats because of price. Both Portugal full-backs surpassed 15 fantasy points against Hungary, and while that's not always something to bet on, it's at least a good sign for Hernandez's prospects. It's expected France will control possession and be in the attacking third the majority of the match, so it'll be hard to look elsewhere, and he's $700 cheaper than teammate Benjamin Pavard ($5,200). There's also a chance Pavard doesn't start after suffering a blow to the head against Germany, so keep an eye on that in the early lineup.
Gergo Lovrencsics, HUN v. FRA ($2,900): There's a chance Jordi Alba ($6,200) is the most popular defender after his outstanding opening match, but I wouldn't bet on a repeat performance and now he's too expensive. And so, I'm going with another Hungarian even though I said I wouldn't recommend two of their players. Lovrencsics is priced like a center-back except he's a wing-back. He had three crosses against Portugal and went the full 90, which is good enough for me. Similar to that first game, I think Hungary will get a few chances to get forward, and if Lovrencsics can hit five points again, that's fine for a punt defender. There isn't anyone else to punt on unless you go for a favored center-back, and I usually hate that strategy unless you're stacking a team in a tournament.
GOALKEEPER
Rui Patricio, POR v. GER ($4,600): You could grab Hugo Lloris ($5,900) and call it a day, but that would likely move you off one of France's forwards. Instead, I'm going to Patricio because I didn't recommend any German forwards. There's always a chance this German attack bags a few goals, but similar to their opening match, I think this game will be tight and in that situation, I'd rather back the underdog. Otherwise, I'm not sure this is the slate to back big underdogs. France could easily score three-plus against Hungary and since Poland are in need of points, I think it's inevitable Spain score at least once this time.
