Copa America: Sunday Picks

MATCHES (EDT)

5:00 p.m: Jamaica v. Venezuela
8:00 p.m: Mexico v. Uruguay

Note: prices below are for DraftKings contests.

The Sunday matches couldn't be more different, as Jamaica and Venezuela are expected to finish as the bottom two teams in Group C while Mexico and Uruguay will compete for the top spot, with the latter the early favorite, though a key injury could derail those plans. It's also worth noting Venezuela has one win in their last 15 matches.

GOALKEEPER

Dani Hernandez, VEN v. JAM ($4,800): Venezuela are the heaviest favorites on the day and Jamaica have the lowest expected goal total, which is pretty much all you want from a fantasy goalkeeper.

Fernando Muslera, URU v. MEX ($4,400): None of the Sunday matches are expected to be high scoring, and Muslera has the benefit of having arguably the best centerback duo in the tournament in front of him. So, if Mexico take a ton of poor shots, with a few trickling their way into Muslera's hands, we could get a decent save total and a possible clean sheet.

DEFENDER

A two-game slate with four teams that don't cross a ton with their defenders makes looking for fantasy points a bit tough. And while Venezuela has decent clean sheet chances, we've seen all but two teams post shutouts, so paying up for defenders who could get the three-point clean sheet bonus seems unnecessary as well.

Maxi Pereira, URU v. MEX ($5,100): He's not cheap, but Pereira likely has the highest crossing upside of any defender on Sunday's slate. Mexico's Miguel Layun is another option, but $5,800 for a defender is a hefty price to pay. Additionally, if this game ends up being as tight as others we've seen, there may not be enough crosses to pay off.

Alexander Gonzalez, VEN v. JAM ($4,100): Gonzalez plays as both a midfielder and a right back, so if he lines up in an attacking position, he could provide some solid upside for a fairly cheap price, not to mention a potential clean sheet bonus if the Reggae Boyz are kept out.

Roberto Rosales, VEN v. JAM ($3,200): Rosales provides even cheaper access to the Venezuela defense, and while he's not a prolific crosser with Malaga, he only needs a few to help pay off this fairly cheap price against a Jamaica attack not known to be high scoring.

MIDFIELDER

Carlos Sanchez, URU v. MEX ($9,500): This price is obviously very high, but with few upper-tier players on this two-game slate, it's entirely possible to fit Sanchez in comfortably. He's a very good attacker and should provide a decent number of crosses, giving him a solid floor, and his upside is also high given Uruguay's attack, even without Luis Suarez.

Alejandro Guerra, VEN v. JAM ($6,100): Guerra is the best bet to score out of the Venezuela midfield, and he was in excellent form for Atletico Nacional, his club team, scoring three goals in his last four starts. With few big-ticket forwards, it shouldn't be impossible to pair Sanchez and Guerra.

Javier Aquino, MEX v. URU ($6,300): Mexico has a number of crossing midfielders, but the problem is that the lineup is far from settled, so it's imperative to check the confirmed lineups before setting your rosters. Aquino has been very active of late and could provide the spark the Mexicans need against a very solid Uruguay defense. That being said, if Jurgen Damm ($4,000) gets the call, he certainly deserves a look as well.

Rodolph Austin, JAM v. VEZ ($4,100): Austin has shown to be a decent crosser when he plays, and if Jamaica need to open it up because they fall behind, he could help that attack.

FORWARD

With scoring so low during in the first few matches of the tournament, and neither game on Sunday is expected to be high-scoring, it seems unnecessary to spend up at forward, especially when Edinson Cavani is $10,400, which almost seems cheap compared to Luis Suarez's $11,500 price, though it's worth noting Suarez will not play due to a hamstring injury.

Salomon Rondon, VEN v. JAM ($6,200): Rondon bagged nine goals for West Brom during Premier League play and is the head of Venezuela's attack. This is the easiest of their three group stage matches, and getting Venezuela's striker at a $4,200 savings over the top-priced available forward is well worth the pick.

Garath McCleary, JAM v. VEN ($4,000): McCleary is a decent crosser, which is always appreciated in a forward spot, especially on a slate that won't have a plethora of goal-scorers. In fact, filling two forwards spots has been a bit of a chore during Copa America, and finding a starting one at this price is worth the punt.

Diego Rolan, URU v. MEX ($8,600): If you want to get exposure to the Uruguay attack but don't want to pony up the five figures to get Cavani, Rolan is the next best option. The problem is that he's fairly goal dependent, so if this match plays out like a few others that we've seen this weekend, there may not be an explosive fantasy-point total.

Chicharito, MEX v. URU ($9,300): This is more of a warning than a suggestion, as I won't be paying this much for a forward going up against Uruguay's tough centerbacks. Chicharito, who had an excellent season for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, will have to be incredibly active in the attack to even get close to paying off this price, and he will have to score at least one goal (two if he doesn't take a lot of shots or draw a lot of fouls), to make value. If I'm looking for points from Mexico, I'll go to the midfield.