This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
Saturday's World Cup slate sees some of the tournament favorites and dark horses go head-to-head. Argentina are looking to bounce back against Mexico, while France take on Denmark, who have won two in a row against Les Bleus. It's worth mentioning that the World Cup, as always, is a staggered start and contingency plans (and a good alarm clock for my fellow Pacific time zone people) reign supreme in all formats.
MATCHES (ET)
- 8:00 am: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia
- 11:00 am: France vs. Denmark
- 2:00 pm: Argentina vs. Mexico
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Robert Lewandowski, POL vs. KSA ($20): My top forward is the man with the best goalscoring odds on the slate. Saudi Arabia shocked the world by beating Argentina in the opener but multiple ruled out goals hide how much joy Argentine had going forward. With -120 goalscoring odds, Lewandowski could feast on this Saudi Arabian side, even though this match has the lowest implied total on the slate. If you don't want to pay up to Lewandowski, then it's worth looking at Olivier Giroud ($19) or Lautaro Martinez ($18), both of whom are leading the line for favorites and have the fourth and fifth best goalscoring odds, respectively.
Lionel Messi, ARG vs. MEX ($22): The highest-priced player on the slate has the second best goalscoring odds and of course a phenomenal floor. Argentina are the biggest favorite on the slate and if you wanted to pay up at forward, Messi could be the option to do so. He scored a penalty and had two other goals ruled out for marginal offsides during the opening loss to Saudi Arabia, potentially hiding what could have been a major boom day. Other premium options if you want to pay up but are fading Argentina could be Kylian Mbappe ($21) or Antoine Griezmann ($18)
Christian Eriksen, DEN vs. FRA ($15): Eriksen does absolutely everything for Denmark, as he will have a role on every set piece and gets a bit of a discount as a heavy underdog against France. Stacking Denmark could be a way to victory here, though. Denmark defeated France in their last two meetings and seem to have Les Bleus' number. If you want to stay away from the Danes then Piotr Zielinski ($16) is a slightly pricier option but comes in as a favorite against Saudi Arabia and should have a similarly strong hold on set pieces, as well as much stronger +260 goalscoring odds.
DEFENDERS
Cristian Romero, ARG vs. MEX ($8): Romero is an option purely to target that 42 percent clean sheet chance for Argentina. He likely won't see too much of the ball, at least defensively in a match Argentina should control. Romero and the Argentine defense as a whole could slip under the radar after conceding two in that opening match against Saudi Arabia. Jakub Kiwior ($11) would be another option on the Polish side. Cesar Montes ($10) could be a decent contrarian play and will likely have the chance to pile on the clearances, though a clean sheet seems far-fetched.
Theo Hernandez, FRA vs. DEN ($14): Some people are still stung by Lucas Hernandez going down with a UCL injury in the opening match. Theo took his place and comes in at a near max price of $14. While he doesn't have a role on set pieces, France should see a ton of the ball and Hernandez loves to get forward and provide width and create chances. Benjamin Pavard ($10) on the opposite side of the pitch is a more conservatively-priced option but could have a better chance for tackles and clearances, while still getting forward himself.
GOALKEEPER
Emiliano Martinez, ARG vs. MEX ($11): Martinez is the cheapest keeper from the favorites despite having the best clean-sheet chance. That's probably a discount after an awful showing during the opening match but still makes him an interesting target. Wojciech Szczesny ($13) is the priciest keeper on the slate but isn't exactly the most consistent option, while Saudi Arabia have shown they can cause some issues for solid defenses. Kasper Schmeichel ($7) is heavily discounted as underdogs against France, but if you're fading France he would be an integral part of the lineup, and give you some breathing room to pay up elsewhere, while also likely facing a good amount of shots.