World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Monday, June 29th
The Knockout Stage of the World Cup got off to a dramatic and exciting start with Canada’s win yesterday, and it continues today with 3 more games on the schedule. By the end of the day, 4 teams will have earned their spots in the Round of 16. DraftKings has great contests on the board today for both Classic and Showdown formats. For this article, we will be focusing on the 3-game featured slate.
Unbeaten Brazil will get the action underway, as they take on Japan at 1:00 PM ET in Houston. At 4:30 PM ET, Germany takes on Paraguay in Foxborough. The last game of the slate kicks off at 9:00 PM ET in Guadalupe, Mexico, where the Netherlands and Morocco will clash in the most closely-matched game of the day, according to the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Since we have reached the Knockout Stage, each team is now just one win from the next round and one loss from going home. These 3 matchups are part of the Round of 32, which means that teams just 5 wins away 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. 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
Top Play: Vinicius Junior, Brazil ($10,000)
If you have the salary to pay up for a star, Vinicius brings both a very high ceiling and a very high floor. While both Raphinha (blisters) and Neymar (calf) have been dealing with injuries, Vini Jr. has stepped up and produced consistent excellence while bringing plenty of goal-scoring upside as well.
He is tied for 2nd in the tournament with 4 goals, and he has also contributed in many other ways. He had 17.1 DraftKings points in the opening draw against Morocco, with 1 goal on 1 shot, 1 chance created, and 3 crosses. Against Haiti, he had 1 goal, 1 assist, and 24 DraftKings points. He had his best showing of the World Cup against Scotland in the most recent game, pouring in 2 more goals (a 3rd was disallowed) to go with 8 shots (5 on goal) and 2 shots created. That big game resulted in 38 DraftKings points and shows how high his ceiling can be.
Japan allowed 2 goals to the Netherlands and 1 goal to Sweden in Group Play, and they are a good matchup for Vinicius to deliver another major game and help move the Brazilians on to the next round.
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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.