World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Thursday, June 25th
Thursday is the second day of the final matchweek of the Group Stage, with the teams from Group D, Group E, and Group F finishing up group play, giving us 6 games on the board. DraftKings once again has some great contests posted, so let’s get on the pitch and break down some of the top plays.
As Group Play wraps up, it’s important to remember that the top 2 teams from each group automatically advance to the Knockout Stage, while the top 8 3rd-place teams also move on. Also, when it comes to your DFS lineups, understanding who is playing for what can be critical to figuring out who will play and for how long in the final game of the Group Stage for these teams.
Thursday’s action starts at 4:00 PM ET with 2 games from Group E. Germany is 2-0-0 and has already locked up a spot in the next round after their last-gasp win over the Ivory Coast, who faces Curacao in a match they should dominate. Ecuador likely has to take down Germany to advance as a 3rd-place team.
The 2 games in Group F kick off at 7:00 PM ET, and this group is still very fluid. Tunisia is out, but the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden have each had flashes of brilliance and picked up wins. The Netherlands starts the day on the top of the table at 1-1-0 heading into their match against Tunisia. Sweden needs to beat Japan in the other game to move on in 2nd place, while Japan needs only a draw to claim the 2nd spot. The 3rd-place team from this group also has a good chance to advance.
We close out the day with Group D, with 10:00 PM ET kickoffs. The United States has already wrapped up the top spot as they head into their match against Türkiye, which has already been eliminated. Australia and Paraguay meet in the other match after each has gone 1-0-1. Both teams will likely advance in the end, with the winner of this game claiming 2nd place and the 3rd-place team also moving on.
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: Cody Gakpo, Netherlands ($9,900)
The Netherlands is the heaviest favorite on the slate as they take on Tunisia, and Gakpo will look to carry over his momentum from a brilliant showing against Sweden in his most recent match. In that game last Saturday, the 27-year-old went off for 40.8 DraftKings points on 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots (4 on goal), and 5 crosses. Gakpo was extremely dangerous from the wing all game and showed excellent finishing form while also still playing his role as key creator in his team’s key 5-1 victory.
The big game was a nice return to form for Gakpo, who is coming off an underwhelming club season for Liverpool. He contributed 9 goals and 6 assists alongside 76 key passes in his 51 appearances (including 40 starts in all competitions), but he struggled to influence matches at times.
He’s a better fit for the Dutch lineup and is in a great spot in this favorable matchup to put another big point total on the board as long as the Netherlands doesn’t opt to rest their stars.
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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.