World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Friday, July 3rd
The final three matches in the Round of 32 take place this Friday, as the final three teams will punch their tickets to the Round of 16. The defending champions are in action, as Argentina takes on the upstart Cape Verde in the middle game of the three matches. While that is the spotlight matchup that everyone has been waiting for, the games before and after it are also very intriguing for many reasons. The action kicks off at 2:00 PM ET, and DraftKings has a solid slate of fantasy contests available in both showdown formats, which focus on a single game, and classic formats, where you can select from each of the 6 teams in the player pool.
In the first match of Friday, Egypt will take on Australia at 2:00 PM ET, followed by Argentina against Cape Verde at 6:00 PM ET. The last game of the Round of 32 begins at 9:30 PM ET, when Colombia and Ghana will meet in Kansas City, with the winner taking the final spot in the Round of 16.
According to the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Argentina is by far the heaviest favorite of the day, with Cape Verde an extremely long-shot underdog. Colombia is also heavily favored against Ghana, while Egypt is a slight favorite against the Socceroos in the closest matchup on the board. The Round of 16 begins this weekend, as teams start to fill in the quarterfinals and move closer to the final.
Since we have reached the Knockout Stage, it’s important to remember that every match is an elimination game for each team. These three matchups are part of the Round of 32, with teams just 5 wins from hoisting the World Cup. Extra time will be played if the game is tied at the end of regulation, with two 15-minute halves plus stoppage time. There is no “Golden Goal,” and the entire period will be played even if a team scores. If there is no winner at the end of extra time, the teams will have a penalty shootout to determine the winner. As we’ve already seen from a few matches, penalty conversions and saves are important fantasy opportunities to keep in mind during this stage.
If you’re new to soccer DFS, don’t worry! We have you covered with my Beginner’s Guide to Daily Fantasy Soccer, our soccer player projections, and our soccer optimizer (LineupHQ). And last but not least, don’t forget to check out our World Cup DFS Simulation tool.
Forwards
To read more and also unlock the full capability of the above projections tool, sign up for Soccer Premium!
-
-
-
This content can help you make better Soccer DFS picks
- To access this content, subscribe to Soccer Premium or purchase a 3-day trial.
- A Soccer subscription will allow you to access this content and much more!
About the Author
Zach Thompson is a featured writer at FantasyLabs for NBA, MLB, NFL, golf, and soccer content. Zach’s fantasy experience dates all the way back to high school, when he would manually tabulate fantasy football scores using Tuesday morning’s newspaper. Even though he was raised on the island of Guam on the opposite side of the world, Zach is a hardcore Boston sports fan who loves playing fantasy sports in almost any format. Zach joined the FantasyLabs team in 2022 and is also a contributor for DraftKings Network and RotoGrinders.