World Cup: Group H Preview

MATCHES (EDT)

Tuesday, June 19 - 8:00 a.m: Colombia v. Japan
Tuesday, June 19 - 11:00 a.m: Poland v. Senegal
Sunday, June 24 - 11:00 a.m: Japan v. Senegal
Sunday, June 24 - 2:00 p.m: Poland v. Colombia
Thursday, June 28 - 10:00 a.m: Senegal v. Colombia
Thursday, June 28 - 10:00 a.m: Japan v. Poland

The last alphabetical group figures to be the most competitive, with Colombia the favorite to top the four teams, though they do so with the lowest odds among all teams in the World Cup expected to advance as group winners. And while nearly every match in this group is expected to be fairly close, none of the four sides have strong consideration to actually win the tournament, as their cumulative 5.2 percent chance to win is the lowest of any group, including Group A's 6.0 percent chance despite including Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Six tight matches means we could be in for lots of fantasy points, as we could be somewhat comfortable rostering at least one player from each team in each game. As noted, Colombia are the favorites, and much of that is because of the play of 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez, who scored six goals in just five games as Colombia were eliminated in the quarter-final. Coming off a solid season on loan at Bayern Munich, James figures to be the focal point of the Colombia attack once again, though this time he'll have a healthy Radamel Falcao up top after the striker missed the last World Cup due to a torn ACL.

Poland were a high-scoring team during qualifying, bagging at least two goals in almost every game thanks to the incredible contributions of Robert Lewandowski, whose 16 goals were more than any other player in Europe. He's not a one-man band, however, as it's difficult to be that good in front of goal if you don't have teammates to get you the ball. Luckily for Poland, they have a number of active wingers and playmakers who can feed Lewandowski, and it wouldn't be a total surprise if they finished the group as the highest-scoring team.

On the flip side, it would be downright shocking if Japan found a way to score the most goals in the group, even with a few talented players in the starting XI. Japan are arguably the best fourth-team in the groups, and while they'll make it tough on Colombia, Poland and Senegal, they're still highly unlikely to finish in the top two, even with great play from Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa.

Senegal have a better chance at supplanting either Poland or Colombia, even if their side is inexperienced in the World Cup. Making their first appearance since 2002, Senegal boast a strong central midfield and the blazing speed of Sadio Mane on the wing to get them toward goal. Nearly all of their players are employed by teams in the bigger European leagues, and their success will likely come down to how well they defend, which is encouraging thanks to Kalidou Koulibaly's presence in central defense.

OFFICIAL ROSTERS

ODDS REPORT

PLAYER GOAL ODDS

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colombia: Make no mistake, James Rodriguez is the man for Colombia, so if you're looking for the guy with the highest floor and ceiling, it's him (you could make the ceiling case for Radamel Falcao, who has better Golden Boot odds than James, but it's close). Looking for a differential on the team, Luis Muriel figures to start on the left wing, and while he's not an open-play crosser, he was an active shooter for Sevilla when he got starts this past season. Juan Cuadrado is the higher crosser of the two, but if you're really looking for crosses from Colombia then just head back to James.

Japan: The drop from AC Milan in Serie A to Pachuca in Liga MX was a drastic one for Keisuke Honda, but the big positive is that he was able to be a significant fantasy contributor, particularly on DraftKings, thanks to his willingness to shoot and his monopoly of set pieces. Teammate Shinji Kagawa is arguably the better player, but he struggled to get consistent minutes at Borussia Dortmund this season and will have to overcome that if Japan are to have any chance at making some noise.

Poland: The upside play for Poland is always Robert Lewandowski, who has scored at least 29 Bundesliga goals in each of the past three seasons, but fantasy players should also consider the ones responsible for setting him up, namely Piotr Zielinski and Kamil Grosicki. The two could split corners, with Jakub Blaszczykowski also an option when he's on the pitch, and while Grosicki is the more reliable open-play crosser, Zielinski is the better creator and more active shooter.

Senegal:Sadio Mane will get a lot of the attention from fantasy players because he plays for Liverpool and scored in the Champions League final, but there could be great value in rostering the guy on the other wing, Keita Balde, who will be competing with Ismaila Sarr for playing time. Fully recovered from a thigh injury that cost him the last month of the Ligue 1 season, Keita showed numerous times over the past year how dangerous he can be in open play, activities that allow him a solid fantasy floor in many formats thanks to his willingness to take shots and ability to draw fouls. He's not a big crosser, though he could be on some corners to increase his fantasy floor at places like DraftKings.

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Colombia: James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado, Mateus Uribe
Japan: Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, Genki Haraguchi
Poland: Piotr Zielinski, Kamil Grosicki, Jakub Blaszczykowski
Senegal: Badou Ndiaye, Keita Balde, Mbaye Niang, Sadio Mane

EXPECTED PENALTY TAKERS

Colombia: James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao
Japan: Keisuke Honda, Yuya Osako
Poland: Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski
Senegal: Sadio Mane, Moussa Konate

ROUND OF 16 OPPONENTS

• Winner of Group H plays the runner-up of Group G (Belgium, England, Panama, Tunisia)
• Runner-up of Group H plays the winner of Group G