Women's World Cup: Monday DFS Breakdown

The final round of group stage matches begin Monday, which means we need to take stock of what's at stake. China and Spain will battle for second place in Group B, with the winner likely securing second place, though Spain need just a draw to get there because of goal differential. Germany lead the Group with six points after two matches, and a draw against South Africa, who cannot finish in the top two, will see them finish first. While they just need a draw, Germany are the biggest favorite on the four-game slate at -1250 on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the oddsmakers expecting goals to be scored, as the over 3.5 is -118 versus -110 for the under. Spain and China figure to play the closest match, with the former a -112 favorite to win (the latter is +390). Given how important the match points are, oddsmakers are expecting that one to be very tight, with the under 2.5 goals sitting at -177 versus +135 for the over.

France are the second-biggest favorite on the day, sitting at -770, and they only need a draw against Nigeria to win Group A. Meanwhile, Nigeria could finish second with a draw and a Norway loss, though Norway is a -225 favorite against South Korea (+510 to win), and they probably only need a draw to finish second because Nigeria is certainly unlikely to beat France.

Germany will once again be without Dzsenifer Marozsan, a situation that allowed Lena Goessling to take one corner against Spain before Lina Magull came off the bench and took one late in the match. Magull seems the most likely to take set pieces against South Africa if she starts, though Goessling and Sara Dabritz loom if she doesn't. Germany are likely to have plenty of opportunities against South Africa, so these situations shouldn't be ignored, even if the German attack really hasn't been great this tournament. Alexandra Popp managed just one shot against Spain, and she has yet to reach 5.00 DraftKings points during the World Cup. Nevertheless, she's leading the line for a big favorite, and at -177 odds to score a goal, she could be popular in tournaments. Dabritz is actually a decent +138 to score (the same as Magull) after taking four and five shots in the first two matches, respectively, and ahead of Svenja Huth (+150). Popp's struggles up front could give Lea Schuller (-125 to score) a start, though Germany have been winning anyway, so they may not want to adjust too much. Verena Schweers returned 6.00 fantasy points on a $3,300 DraftKings salary while starting at left-back against Spain, though half of her points came from the clean sheet bonus (she did have a yellow card), so while she is only $3,700 on Monday's slate, the attacking floor is somewhat suspect; then again, the opponent is significantly worse.

It's tough to get overly excited about anyone from South Africa, even if Kholosa Biyana finished with 10.25 DraftKings points on a $4,100 salary against China and she's now $800 cheaper. It was a variety of attacking and defensive stats that got her there, but she managed only 3.75 against Spain and she's more likely to be in that range against the team expected to win the group. Thembi Kgatlana remains their lead attacker, and if you think Germany give up a goal after holding China and Spain scoreless, Kgatlana is probably the target.

Spain and China face off in the second early match of the day, one that is expected to be the closest among the four. While China is technically the only side that needs a win to finish second, there's little reason for Spain to play for a draw, and that's why plenty of people will look toward Jennifer Hermoso again after she scored 12.00 and 9.50 floor points on DraftKings in the first two matches, respectively. Her $9,300 salary on DraftKings and $22 on FanDuel make her the second-most expensive player on both sites, but she's simply too important for Spain in a near-must-win match that many are likely to consider her in cash games and GPPs. Mariona has been a decent pivot, and that applies again since she's $2,700 cheaper on DraftKings and $10 cheaper on FanDuel, though she's not nearly as effective on the latter site. Midfielder Marta Corredera has put one of two shots on goal in each of the first two matches, and she may not get as much attention as teammate Alexia Putellas. Then again, it's possible fantasy players decide to go to the other side of the match and pay $6,300 for Wang Shuang, who didn't start China's first match of the tournament and was pretty disappointing in the second despite sending in six crosses and creating five chances. The chances are nice on FanDuel, where she scored 18.90 fantasy points against South Africa, but Spain is significantly better and she may not get quite as many opportunities. China has played in two 1-0 matches, and no one would be overly surprised if this one ended the same way. Given the other teams on the slate, using roster spots on players like Wang Shanshan, Gu Yasha, Zhang Rui or Li Ying just doesn't seem that helpful. If anything, goalkeeper Peng Shimeng may be the most interesting because the match has the lowest total on the slate, with the under 2.5 goals sitting at -200 (the other three games are overs).

Norway has had a very up-and-down tournament, beating Nigeria 3-0 before losing 2-1 to France. Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten have split set pieces, and now that they're heavily favored again, they won't come cheaply on DraftKings, though Reiten is the only expensive one on FanDuel, with Graham Hansen a measly $14. The biggest selling point for Norway's attackers on Monday is that they're likely to be lower owned than those from Germany and France because they aren't as big favorites, but that doesn't mean they won't be able to produce. It's really tough to justify them for cash games, though Graham Hansen could get some ownership as an $8,500 forward. This match as a whole could be pretty empty in terms of ownership, as it's highly unlikely people are targeting South Korea's attackers after they failed to score against France and Nigeria. They haven't been completely devoid of fantasy scorers, though it says quite a bit when Jang Sel-Gi is their best scorer, hitting 7.00 and 8.50 in the first two games, respectively, despite no appearances on the scoresheet or a clean sheet. However, at $4,500 on DraftKings, it's tough to get overly excited when there are fullbacks from favored sides in the same price range. If anything, you could try Lee Mi-Na after she scored 4.5 fantasy points in 56 minutes against Nigeria, and she's now $300 cheaper at $3,500.

France figures to get plenty of ownership once again, as they are heavy favorites against Nigeria in a match that could clinch them the top spot in Group A. Nigeria was pretty outclassed by Norway in their first match, but they were dominant against South Korea on Wednesday, with Asisat Oshoala leading the way with 16.25 fantasy points, including a goal. The matchup against France has her at $4,100 on DraftKings, her lowest price of the tournament, and while Nigeria are likely to have very little possession again, Oshoala showed what her speed can produce. We've also seen two solid floor performances from Francisca Ordega, who is only $100 more, but again, the upside seems pretty limited against a much stronger French side.

France consideration will always start with Eugenie Le Sommer, the most expensive player on DraftKings and FanDuel, as she has two goals on nine shots (four on target), four chances created, five crosses and four fouls drawn in matches against South Korea and Norway. One of the reasons she is so expensive is her consistency, as we saw in the Norway match that others can produce, like Valerie Gauvin, who had one goal on seven shots (five on goal) after playing just 20 minutes off the bench against South Korea. If there's one thing we have learned it's that Gaetane Thiney has a role on set pieces but does little else, making it really tough to justify using her in cash games. Sure, she could pick up an assist like she did off a corner in the opener, but if there's upside to be had from France, she's not it. Plus, if you really want to get the most consistent floor player on the team with a role on set pieces, why pay $7,100 for Thiney when you can save $900 for Amel Majri, who would be an easy pick at $6,200 if she was a midfielder, but now we get clean sheet upside to boot. Majri has an assist in each match this tournament, she's sent in 10 crosses in each game, and there's no doubting she'll continue that march up the left wing against Nigeria. Paying that much for a defender will always rub some people the wrong way, but if you would consider a $6,200 midfielder with set-piece responsibilities on a huge favorite, we should be sprinting to lock her in as a defender.