DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday World Cup Picks

MATCHES (EDT)

9:00 a.m: Argentina v. Iceland
12:00 p.m: Peru v. Denmark
3:00 p.m: Croatia v. Nigeria

FORWARDS

Angel Di Maria, ARG v. ISL ($8,900): The decision to pay up for Lionel Messi ($12,700) will have significant ramifications throughout the rest of a fantasy lineup, so it's not as easy plugging him in and slotting in the rest with cheaper players because of who else is available on the slate. There's no denying that Messi has the highest upside, especially against an Iceland team picked to finish last in Group D, so if you decide to fade him, just know that he's likely to be very popular because he's arguably the best player in the world and lining up against a country that only has 300,000 people. I get it. Di Maria comes in with a decent share of set pieces and $3,800 in savings versus Messi, money that can definitely be well spent in other places. If you're looking for the GPP pivot to Messi, it's either Sergio Aguero ($8,700) or Gonzalo Higuain ($7,800) since one of them is expected to lead the line for Argentina.

Victor Moses, NGA v. CRO ($6,500): Moses should be one of the more popular cash forwards Saturday because of his fairly low price and basic monopoly over Nigeria's set pieces. The matchup against Croatia isn't ideal, though it'll at least be easier than their match against Argentina. Nigeria have a few interesting attacking pieces, but the floor play is definitely Moses and you can make the argument the upside as well.

Christian Cueva, PER v. DEN ($6,900): The Peru-Denmark match is expected to be the closest of the three on Saturday's slate, and while Peru are the underdogs, Cueva at least has a share of set pieces for the side. He's admittedly not a high-volume shooter or open-play crosser, but he's Peru's best playmaker and the winner of this match will have a big leg up on qualifying for the knockout round. Cueva is more of a cash-game option, but the GPP-upside play is Edison Flores ($5,000), who will play more outside but will still be able to get in the box.

MIDFIELDERS

Christian Eriksen, DEN v. PER ($10,400): Eriksen is the reason to think long and hard about fading Messi because salaries get really tight if you try to roster both of them. Messi has one of the highest fantasy upsides any time he takes the pitch, but Eriksen arguably has the highest and most consistent floor in the World Cup. He has a full monopoly of set pieces for Denmark while also being their most active shooter and creator. If you want exposure to Argentina but can't afford Messi then you can always try and make up the points with Di Maria; there is no pivot to Eriksen for Denmark, who aren't overwhelming favorites, though they are expected to win.

Luka Modric, CRO v. NGA ($8,200): Modric is the main set-piece taker for a Croatia side that is packed with players who can rack up the peripheral points. Unfortunately, Modric's share of set pieces is heavily split, and he doesn't have the upside of Ivan Perisic ($8,000), who is also forward eligible. In addition to Modric and Perisic, Ivan Rakitic ($4,900) and Marcelo Brozovic ($5,100) are fully capable of making value at their prices, even playing as holding midfielders, while Mario Mandzukic ($7,400) comes in with his own solid goal potential. That many potential plays makes it hard to decide who to select, but we've seen in previous matches that we could get a few of them making value in the same game and none of them are likely to have such an explosive game that fading them is lineup-killing.

Lucas Biglia, ARG v. ISL ($3,600): Paying up for players like Messi and Eriksen will require paying down in other places, and Biglia fits as a holding midfielder for Argentina. Expected to line up next to the more defensive Javier Mascherano ($3,700), Biglia may be able to move forward in the attack for an Argentina side likely to dominate possession. He's a bit of a sub risk because of how deep Argentina are, but his low price for a big favorite is definitely encouraging.

DEFENDERS

Sime Vrsaljko, CRO v. NGA ($5,400): I actually don't think this is a slate where it's necessary to pay up for defender, but Vrsaljko is the guy I'd target if I had the money. As mentioned before, Croatia are packed with fantasy-point producers, and Vrsaljko makes his impact from the right-back spot. Again, I don't think it's worth paying up for him because it likely costs you one of the higher-impact midfielders or forwards.

Marcos Rojo, ARG v. ISL ($3,600): Rojo is more of a clean sheet play than anything else, as he isn't expected to join the attack much while playing as a centerback next to Nicolas Otamendi ($5,000). The Argentina fullbacks won't cross much anyway, so I'd rather pay down for Rojo with the expectation that he gets a few interceptions and wins a few tackles before clicking in the clean sheet bonus.

Luis Advincula, PER v. DEN ($4,200): Using club stats isn't always the best when trying to apply them to international play because guys don't always play the same positions, but Advincula is a regular high crosser for Lobos BUAP and plays a close-enough role for Peru that we can expect him to join in the attack when available. Peru's clean sheet chances are pretty poor, but if Advincula can move up in the attack and send some crosses in, an assist wouldn't be totally shocking.

GOALKEEPER

Kasper Schmeichel, DEN v. PER ($4,900): Paying up for Argentina's Wilfredo Caballero ($5,800) makes plenty of sense because they are such big favorites against Iceland, though I'm not sure he'll see the ball enough to make any saves. The Denmark-Peru match should be closer, but Denmark have the players to control more possession and Peru don't have any elite finishers who Schmeichel should worry about (Advincula might).