Women's World Cup: Sunday DFS Breakdown

Sunday's opening match unfortunately kicks off at 7:00 a.m. EDT, which takes it out of the main slates for DraftKings and FanDuel. It's unfortunate because you can only roster Samantha Kerr on a showdown, single-game slate or all-day slate, which is fine (GPPs aren't nearly as big) but not as fun. Kerr is the best player in the world and likely worthy of whatever salary the DFS sites give her. Australia isn't the biggest favorite (-160 on FanDuel Sportsbook and -152 on DraftKings), and while Kerr is only +120 (FD) or +107 (DK) to score a goal, it would be surprising if she didn't get on the scoresheet. That being said, Emily van Egmond is their likely penalty taker, though probably a better play on FanDuel than DraftKings because of her role in central midfield. Another name to watch for is Steph Catley, a dynamic left-back who is a very strong crosser, while Ellie Carpenter isn't hesitant to move up in the attack either.

But Australia aren't big favorites, so it's not like we should ignore Italy. Valentina Cernoia is a solid central midfielder with a role on set pieces, while captain Sara Gama will be a very key part of their defense. However, fantasy players are most likely to be concerned with Barbara Bonansea, who scored three goals and added six assists in eight qualifying games, and Cristiana Girelli, who scored seven times on the road to France.

The Brazil v. Jamaica match may end up being closer than expected, as superstar Marta has been ruled out because of a thigh injury she suffered about two weeks ago in training. If there's a match she can miss it's probably this one, as despite her absence Brazil are still -1300 favorites to win on FD Sportsbook and -1115 on DraftKings. So, while it could be closer than expected, it's not expected to be close. Marta's absence will put more pressure on Debinha to step up, and her role on set pieces already had people looking her way. She's only $10 on FanDuel and likely to be the highest-owned player on the slate because of it. This match is also expected to be high scoring, as it's -370 to go over 2.5 goals, -132 to go over 3.5 and +180 to go over 4.5; and most of that expectation is Brazilian goals, not both sides. No Marta means Cristiane has the best anytime goal scorer odds at -230, though Debinha herself is a solid -120. DraftKings players should be drawn to Andressa Alves, a winger who can play as an attacking midfielder, fullback or striker with +100 odds to score. Despite a nine-match losing streak heading into the tournament, Brazil stacks should be plentiful, with the only hesitation that they're expensive.

Finding values may be tough on the Jamaican side because they aren't expected to do much, though Bunny Shaw could theoretically get some looks after scoring 19 goals in World Cup qualifying. She's a solid aerial threat at an inch under six-feet tall, and France's Wendie Renard showed Friday how important height can be in this tournament (then again, Bunny Shaw is a very different player). The Jamaica center-backs should be plenty busy, and while they aren't super cheap on FanDuel, they aren't expensive by any means.

The England v. Scotland match will be closer, though England are still -420 favorites (for reference, that's bigger than Germany against China and Norway against Nigeria on Saturday). Scotland will only go as far as Kim Little takes them, which isn't nothing for a player who won the PFA Player of the Year at Arsenal and then won the NWSL MVP for Reign FC in consecutive years. She's a central attacking midfielder who can really do some damage against teams that aren't as good as Scotland; unfortunately, England are better. Claire Emslie and Caroline Weir could have some set pieces, but this isn't a match where they're likely to have a ton. If anything, Rachel Corsie could be a defender worth a little more salary on FanDuel. England have had some random poor results like a recent 1-0 loss to New Zealand, but on their best day they can beat anyone.

Jodie Taylor (+130 to score) is the most likely player in this match to find the back of the net, though Nikita Parris working from the wing could be more enticing on DraftKings after scoring 19 goals in 19 games for Manchester City last season. Speaking of wingers, Lucy Bronze is basically that despite playing as a fullback, though there's a possibility she lines up in central midfield, which isn't nearly as good on DraftKings. Fran Kirby is the wildcard for England because she's been so up-and-down recently, but when she's up, she's a slate breaker. If there's one issue we have is that seven different players on the roster have taken set pieces in recent matches including Lucy Staniforth, Alex Greenwood, Leah Williamson, Bronze, Beth Mead, Parris and Toni Duggan. Kirby is the most likely penalty taker, though Mead and Taylor have also taken. It's a mess, but many fantasy lineups are likely to have multiple English pieces unless they're really heavy on Brazil.