This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
It's time for the final round of games for World Cup groups C and D. Two of the tournament favorites headline the slate in France and Argentina, with some interesting underdogs elsewhere. Another point to note is the early games, which are scheduled to protect competitive integrity, which means this slate is split into two matches at 10:00 am EST and two matches at 2:00 pm EST. So even though it's still a split state there is far more flexibility for contingencies on players in the second set of matches.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Australia vs. Denmark
- 10:00 am: Tunisia vs. France
- 2:00 pm: Poland vs. Argentina
- 2:00 pm: Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Kylian Mbappe, TUN vs. FRA ($21): I really wanted to start with someone other than Mbappe but it's impossible to. France are the biggest favorites on the slate and the only team with an implied total above two (2.02). Mbappe is the second priciest player on the slate but also has the second-best goal-scoring odds at +125. Mbappe's only flaw is that he has seen the lighter side of a set-piece split with Antoine Griezmann ($20) who is also worth consideration in his own right. With the highest implied total on the slate, all of the French attack is in play though Marcus Thuram ($16) is interesting in particular. He is projected to start and has +220 goal-scoring odds but comes in significantly below the price of Olivier Giroud ($19), who he would figure to replace. The biggest factor here is figuring out who is actually going to start in the attacking roles as changes could be coming. Hirving Lozano ($18) and Luis Chavez ($9) are both worth consideration as well, the former has strong +175 goal-scoring odds, while Chavez has actually taken the majority of sets for Mexico, despite his near-floor price.
Lionel Messi, ARG vs. POL ($22): Messi is the one player priced above Mbappe, and the one play with better goal-scoring odds. Argentina are the second biggest favorites on the slate though that match has the lowest implied total of the day. Still, Messi is simply unmatched as his floor is well past the ceiling of most other players and there are few players who can take over a game in the same way. His +100 goal-scoring odds in a match where Argentina have just 1.79 implied goals speaks to that, while his heavy majority of the sets for Argentina build that floor. In tournaments, it might be worth pivoting off Messi to somebody like Angel Di Maria ($17) but in cash it's hard to ignore Messi. If you want to get off Argentina in general Piotr Zielinski ($16) has taken all but two of Poland's set pieces or if you wanted to pay down near the bottom Naim Sliti ($11) took four of Tunisia's five sets against Australia.
Christian Eriksen, DEN vs. AUS ($18): Eriksen sits at +200 goal-scoring odds and will have an absolute stranglehold on set-pieces in a match Denmark are heavy favorites in. He is nearly a cash lock and combining him with somebody like Martin Braithwaite ($15) in tournaments could be a worthwhile stack. Another Danish midfielder worth considering in GPP is Jesper Lindstrom ($11) at such a low salary despite being a similarly rated favorite to Argentina and with the second-highest implied goals. Lindstrom also boasts +210 goal-scoring odds, putting him ahead of other Danish midfield options such as Mikkel Damsgaard ($16). If you're fading Denmark and want some differentiation in tournaments Craig Goodwin ($15) or Aaron Mooy ($13) will likely see time on set pieces, though both have goal-scoring odds past +500.
DEFENDERS
Cristian Romero, ARG vs. POL ($8): Argentina have the best clean sheet odds on the slate and Romero should still be able to fill the stat sheet defensively against a Poland side who aren't incompetent offensively. Clean sheet targeting for the other heavy favorites with players such as Ibrahima Konate ($10) or Victor Nelsson ($8) could also be a successful strategy.
Mohamed Drager, TUN vs. FRA ($9): Picking a defender against France is hard to do, but if you want to target some heavy French rotation as they look towards the knockout stage the Tunisian wing-back could see some joy. Drager has been averaging a floor of eight points in the opening two matches and France should certainly give him the chance to pile up clearances.
GOALKEEPERS
Hugo Lloris, FRA vs. TUN ($14): The highest-priced keeper on the slate actually doesn't have the best clean sheet chances, with just 45 percent compared to the 48 percent of Emiliano Martinez ($12). I find it hard to fade any of the four favored goalkeepers though I think I might prefer the cheapest of them: Guillermo Ochoa ($11). Mexico were blown away by Argentina but plenty of teams get blown away by Messi and company. Ochoa has shown some absolute magic at the World Cup and gets a much more manageable task against Saudi Arabia.