World Cup Qualifiers: Sunday Cheat Sheet

World Cup Qualifiers: Sunday Cheat Sheet

This article is part of our Daily Fantasy Soccer Cheat Sheet series.

MATCHES (EDT):
World FIFA rankings in parentheses

12:00 p.m: Denmark (44) v. Armenia (102)
12:00 p.m: Kazakhstan (96) v. Poland (16)
12:00 p.m: Lithuania (125) v. Slovenia (59)
12:00 p.m: Slovakia (24) v. England (13)
2:45 p.m: Romania (25) v. Montenegro (95)
2:45 p.m: Norway (50) v. Germany (4)
2:45 p.m: Malta (176) v. Scotland (51)
2:45 p.m: Czech Republic (34) v. Northern Ireland (28)

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS:

Denmark: Christian Eriksen
Armenia: Aras Ozbiliz, Marcos Pizzelli
Kazakhstan:
Poland: Arkadiusz Milik
Lithuania: Arvydas Novikovas
Slovenia: Josip Ilicic
Slovakia: Robert Mak
England: Wayne Rooney
Romania: Gabriel Torje, Nicolae Stanciu
Montenegro: Marko Vesovic
Norway: Stefan Johansen
Germany: Toni Kroos
Malta: Clayton Failla
Scotland: Matt Ritchie
Czech Republic: Ladislav Krejci
Northern Ireland: Oliver Norwood

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Jan Oblak, SVN at LTU: Oblak has been one of the best fantasy keepers in the world over the past year and change, and while much of that is due to Atletico Madrid's excellent defenders, he certainly plays a big part. Slovenia have allowed five goals in their last seven matches, including just two in four friendlies this year, and while his $5,000 price on DraftKings isn't especially cheap, there are plenty of goalkeepers who are more expensive and less reliable.

DEFENDER

Peter Ankersen, DNK v. ARM: Both of Denmark's fullbacks like to cross for their club teams, and while roles for those teams don't always equal to what they do internationally, there's some added benefit to using Ankersen or Riza Durmisi, as Armenia come in as the team most likely to be shut out, with star Henrikh Mkhitaryan out with a knee injury.

Callum Paterson, SCO at MLT: With Alan Hutton and a number of other Scottish defenders banged up, Paterson could get the start against a Malta side that has the second-worst win odds on the slate. Teammate Andrew Robertson hasn't been able to rack up as many peripheral stats as many had hoped over his opening Premier League matches, which is something Paterson hasn't had much trouble with this season, and he's scored twice in his last five matches, prompting serious advances from Wigan. If he gets the start, his salary savings should be enough to make him a great option.

MIDFIELDER

Christian Eriksen, DNK v. ARM Eriksen's role for Denmark is even busier than what he does for Spurs, making him an excellent play thanks to his solid floor from crossing and upside with two strong attackers in front of him. Denmark are by far the biggest favorites on the slate, and they should punish Armenia on the feet of Eriksen, who will take shots, send in crosses and draw fouls.

Matt Ritchie, SCO at MTL: Ritchie takes corners and free kicks for the second-highest favorite on Sunday's slate, and he showed plenty of times during the last Premier League season that he's capable of putting up big games. He's plying his trade in the Championship now after a move to Newcastle, but he's still plenty reliable as a fantasy option.

Nicolae Stanciu, ROU v. MNE: Getting access to the Romania attack is a worthy endeavor, and while Gabriel Torje may have more upside from the midfield spot, Stanciu will likely take more corners, giving him a better floor. That being said, both are worthy of consideration, with Romania expected to score more goals than the Czech Republic, England and Slovenia, who are also favorites.

FORWARD

Robert Lewandowski, POL at KAZ: Lewandowski had a fairly disappointing European Championship, but he's still by far Poland's highest-upside fantasy option. He started off his domestic season with a bang, bagging a hat trick on 12 shots (six on target) in a dominant win over Werder Bremen, and his role with Poland is just as important as it is with Bayern Munich.

Josip Ilicic, SVN at LTU: While plenty of people will look to Wayne Rooney after his hot start for Manchester United, Ilicic offers much of the same floor and upside but against a far inferior opponent. Yes, Slovenia aren't exactly a world superpower, but Ilicic is responsible for so much, including corners, that he is likely to be involved in any goal they score, while England could do plenty and leave Rooney off the scoresheet. Ilicic has also started off his domestic campaign well, picking up two assists in his first two matches for Fiorentina while also adding five shots, five crosses and five fouls drawn.

Arvydas Novikovas, LTU v. SVN: Lithuania have the best odds of any underdog and they are at home, which should make fantasy players feel slightly better about possibly taking a player who struggles to get starts for his 2. Bundesliga side. That being said, Novikovas has taken corners for Lithuania, at least giving him somewhat of a decent floor at the forward spot.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Andrew M. Laird plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kingmorland, DraftKings: andrewmlaird, Yahoo: Lairdinho.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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