World Cup DFS Picks & Strategy: Wednesday, July 1st
After three days of the Knockout Stage, 7 of the 16 spots in the next round are full, with 3 more tickets up for grabs today. Yesterday, Norway, France, and Mexico joined Brazil, Canada, Paraguay, and Morocco. Can the United States become the third host nation to move on to the next round? That’s just one of the three great matchups on the board, and DraftKings has great contests posted once again, whether you prefer playing Showdown formats of just 1 game or the full slate in the Classic format. This article will focus on the 3-game featured slate.
The action starts a little earlier today than it has the last few days, with kickoff at 12:00 PM ET when England takes on Congo DR in Atlanta. At 4:00 PM ET, Belgium looks to shake off a disappointing Group Stage showing with a matchup against Senegal in Seattle, and then at 8:00 PM ET, the biggest match of the day for many of you features the United States taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina at 8:00 PM ET in Santa Clara.
According to the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, England is the heaviest favorite of the day by a narrow margin over the United States, who is also heavily favored. The middle match is much closer, with Belgium the slight favorite to advance.
Since we have reached the Knockout Stage, each team is 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 are 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
Top Play: Folarin Balogun, United States ($8,300)
Balogun has been the United States’ primary option up top for both games he has played in the World Cup. He starred in the team’s opener, with 2 goals on 5 shots (3 on goal) as well as 1 cross. He finished that match with an impressive 32.9 DraftKings points.
In the second game, the United States was without star Christian Pulisic ($9,000) in the midfield, and Balogun had to deal with a tough Aussie defense. He had 2 shots (0 on goal) and only 2.2 DraftKings points, and he also received a yellow card. That card not only dinged his fantasy total, but it also forced him to sit out the third match, as the US was conservative and avoided any players picking up a suspension.
Balogun and Pulisic should be back in place and ready to lead the Americans in a favorable matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who allowed 6 goals in 3 games in Group Play, including 4 goals to the Swiss. The United States’ offense looked very strong in the first 2 games of the tournament, and they’ll look to regain that form now that key pieces are back in the lineup.
During his club season with Monaco in Ligue 1, the 24-year-old Balogun proved he can be a strong finisher, with 19 goals across 43 appearances. His success in the opener shows just how high his ceiling can be if Pulisic’s return to the midfield can get the United States’ offense back in form in this favorable matchup.
With all of that being said, Balogun isn’t nearly as proven a player as Harry Kane ($9,900), so if you have the salary to pay all the way up for the English forward, he’s probably safer. However, if you want to save some salary and still get a high ceiling, Balogun is a strong option to consider.
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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.