This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
11:00 a.m: South Korea v. Mexico
2:00 p.m: Germany v. Sweden
FORWARDS
Hirving Lozano, MEX v. KOR ($9,000): "Chucky" is the new star on the scene for El Tri. He scored 17 goals in 29 starts for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, which was his first campaign outside of Liga MX. He's also coming off a goal in the first round, which led Mexico to an upset victory over the Germans. South Korea is arguably the weakest team in the group, so Saturday could be an even bigger day for Lozano. I would rather save up by selecting forwards beneath Thomas Muller, who is priced at a hefty $11,000. Outside of Muller, the most expensive player costs $9,500, so a build for our squad should be fairly balanced.
Chicharito, MEX v. KOR ($8,500): Although he was fairly ineffective in round one, it is mostly because of the opponent, Germany, who was favored to win the tournament heading into the first match. Now that South Korea is the test, Chicharito, who has a history of coming up big in big games, has the fourth-highest chance of scoring out of any player on the slate, and let's not ignore that he has 49 goals in 103 international caps.
Son Heung-Min, KOR v. MEX ($8,000): Son is largely held as the best player on South Korea due to his important role for Tottenham. He plays a similar role for the national team but
MATCHES (EDT)
11:00 a.m: South Korea v. Mexico
2:00 p.m: Germany v. Sweden
FORWARDS
Hirving Lozano, MEX v. KOR ($9,000): "Chucky" is the new star on the scene for El Tri. He scored 17 goals in 29 starts for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, which was his first campaign outside of Liga MX. He's also coming off a goal in the first round, which led Mexico to an upset victory over the Germans. South Korea is arguably the weakest team in the group, so Saturday could be an even bigger day for Lozano. I would rather save up by selecting forwards beneath Thomas Muller, who is priced at a hefty $11,000. Outside of Muller, the most expensive player costs $9,500, so a build for our squad should be fairly balanced.
Chicharito, MEX v. KOR ($8,500): Although he was fairly ineffective in round one, it is mostly because of the opponent, Germany, who was favored to win the tournament heading into the first match. Now that South Korea is the test, Chicharito, who has a history of coming up big in big games, has the fourth-highest chance of scoring out of any player on the slate, and let's not ignore that he has 49 goals in 103 international caps.
Son Heung-Min, KOR v. MEX ($8,000): Son is largely held as the best player on South Korea due to his important role for Tottenham. He plays a similar role for the national team but takes more set pieces. He should have many chances to get on the board, and will likely have the ball more than any other player on his team. There is not much to pick from below Son, so I would choose two players in the $7,000-$9,000 price range.
MIDFIELDERS
Mesut Ozil, GER v. SWE ($9,000): Ozil takes some set pieces for Germany, so he has a chance of grabbing an assist, especially in a game where Germany are expected to be coming out for vengeance. Toni Kroos ($9,500) take some set pieces as well, so don't choose Ozil solely due to this factor, but he plays higher up the field than Kroos and should have more chances to score.
Emil Forsberg, SWE v. GER ($8,000): You must choose three players for your midfield, and this will be difficult to accomplish because most of the top options are forwards. Though Forsberg only produced 6.5 fantasy points against South Korea, he still offers a high ceiling due to his goal-scoring ability. He plays in the German Bundesliga, so he will face some familiar foes Saturday, and while he finished the season with an injury, the lack of exciting options in midfield gives Forsberg some appeal.
Andres Guardado, MEX v. KOR ($7,000): Guardado is a sneaky option in the midfield because he plays in a deeper midfield position, which allows him to record defensive stats while also occasionally taking set pieces. At just $7,000, he is among the cheapest midfielders on the slate, which makes him one of the best bargains.
DEFENDERS
Joshua Kimmich, GER v. SWE ($7,500): Kimmich is simply the best defender on the slate, and it is not even close. He can find himself taking set pieces from time to time, and he frequently bombs up the right wing to join the attack. In 55 appearances for club and country in the 2017/18 season, Kimmich produced seven goals and 17 assists, which is a bounty that I have not seen yet in my time covering world football. Try to fit in Kimmich to gain clear separation at the defender position because it may be hard to at other spots.
Ludwig Augustinsson, SWE v. GER ($5,000): Augustinsson is a left-back who has world-class crossing ability, as he mans many of the side's set piece situations. His 14.5 fantasy points in round one is nearly 3x value and a good indicator that he can reach that mark in round two.
Jesus Gallardo, MEX v. KOR ($5,000): Gallardo has played left midfielder for many of his clubs in the past, but he features as a left wing-back and an all-out left back for El Tri. At $5,000, his attacking pedigree comes at a bargain price, though his spot in the starting XI isn't guaranteed.
GOALKEEPER
Manuel Neuer, GER v. SWE ($6,000): Neuer missed most of the 2017/18 season with injury, but he has come back just in time for the World Cup. Although Neuer and the Germans were shocked in the first round by Mexico, a clean sheet seems to be in the cards in a bounce0back performance against Sweden.
