This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
The semifinals are here and FanDuel is offering a two-day, two-game slate covering both matchups. France enter as the biggest favorite on the slate against the continued underdogs of Morocco while Argentina are also over 50 percent favorites to win against Croatia. Scoring will be at a premium on the slate with both implied goal totals under 2.5.
MATCHES (ET)
- Tuesday, 2:00 pm: Argentina vs. Croatia
- Wednesday, 2:00 pm: France vs. Morocco
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
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FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Lionel Messi, ARG vs. CRO ($22): Messi's price didn't change from the quarterfinals despite adding a goal and an assist in a 41-point effort against the Netherlands. Messi is unfadeable in cash as he has the highest floor on the slate to go along with an equally impressive ceiling. He hasn't scored below 31.3 points in the tournament and there's no reason to think he won't be at the center of any success Argentina has. Julian Alvarez ($17) and Lautaro Martinez ($16) are good tournament shouts depending on which of them draws the start as they have the third and fourth-highest goal-scoring odds on the slate. Angel Di Maria ($14) is also a differential option if he starts as he took the majority of set pieces in the last match despite coming on as a substitute.
Kylian Mbappe, FRA vs. MOR ($21): Mbappe isn't the safest pick for cash games after putting up a dud against England, but he has by far the highest total among his teammates. Mbappe does not take corners or free kicks, but would likely be on penalties while having open play value that has produced two games of over 58 points in the tournament. He's also tied with Messi for the best goal odds on the slate at +130. Antoine Griezmann ($18) is the floor option and a good play at his price as he does take set-piece responsibility and he showed his ability to set up goals with two assists in the quarterfinals. Olivier Giroud ($19) is a goal-dependent GPP play, while Ousmane Dembele ($17) has an upside at this price and is likely the fourth option for fantasy players which may lower his drafted percentage.
Hakim Ziyech, MOR vs. FRA ($14): Ziyech is the main creator for Morocco both in open play and with his excellent ability to strike the ball from set-piece opportunities. His +600 goal odds are not enticing, but his price is fair for a player who has only had one match below 9.9 fantasy points in the tournament with highs of 25.2 and 23.2 in games he got onto the scoresheet. Youssef En-Nesyri ($13) is Morocco's goal-dependent option with a paltry +500 odds while Sofiane Boufal ($10) and Azzedine Ounahi ($9) have both played well in the tournament despite neither having a goal contribution with Ounahi, in particular, putting up just shy of ten points in his last two matches.
Luka Modric CRO vs. ARG ($11): Modric remains extremely cheap and is a nice option for those looking to save salary. He lacks the upside of Messi and Mbappe but has a similar floor to Antoine Griezmann as he takes the majority of set pieces and would be on penalty duty if Croatia were to win one. He's yet to get on the scoresheet at the tournament, but is a decent bet to get to double-digit points at a low salary. Ivan Perisic ($16) offers more upside in attacking play, but his +500 goal odds are tough to roster in cash, while Andrej Kramaric ($15) is goal-dependent while only having slightly better odds at +400.
Defenders
Jawad El Yamiq, MOR vs. FRA ($9): El Yamiq has stepped into the Morocco back line after an injury to Nayef Aguerd ($9) and has played well, including making ten clearances during Saturday's win over Portugal on his way to 24.5 FanDuel points. A similar performance should be in the cards with Morocco's stout defense likely being on the back foot against the high-powered France attack leading to plenty of opportunity to make clearances again.
Nahuel Molina, ARG vs. CRO ($10): Molina has shown the ability to get forward, scoring a goal that opened the scoring during Argentina's quarterfinal win. He's also shown a less-than-stellar defensive floor with zero points in 80 minutes against Australia and 6.9 points during the 2-1 group-stage loss to Saudi Arabia. That said, he is fairly cheap and although unlikely, could pop up with another goal or an assist like in the final group stage match against Poland.
Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris, FRA vs. MOR ($13): I don't always love going with the most expensive keeper on the slate, but for me playing either Lloris or Emiliano Martinez ($12) is the way to go. I favor Lloris' matchup with Morocco having only a 0.74 implied goal total and their highest-scoring player odds being at +500. Lloris showed an upside game with six saves against England and although it's unlikely he's forced into that many against Morocco, his clean sheet odds are more than favorable.
