DraftKings DFS World Cup Picks for Monday, June 15: Spain Headline a Four-Game Slate

Spain are overwhelming favorites over Cape Verde to open Monday's four-game DraftKings World Cup slate, but there are other ways to go because of pricing.

Monday runs four games on DraftKings, a noon ET start through a 9:00 PM nightcap. Spain against Cape Verde is the headliner, with Spain near 90 percent to win and implied for more than three goals. Uruguay and Belgium are strong favorites in their spots, and Iran are the modest favorite against New Zealand in the lowest-total game of the day.

Two notes before you build. Lamine Yamal returning from injury for Spain and out of the projected XI, which firms up the forwards who are starting. And Uruguay's defense is a mess: Ronald Araujo is out, and Jose Maria Gimenez, Sebastian Caceres and Matias Vina are all questionable, so their value sits with the full-backs rather than the middle.

Come talk lineups in the RotoWire Discord before lock. Here's how I'm attacking it.

WORLD CUP MATCHES (ET)

• 12:00 pm: Spain vs. Cape Verde
• 3:00 pm: Belgium vs. Egypt
• 6:00 pm: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay
• 9:00 pm: Iran vs. New Zealand

For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: World Cup Cheat Sheet.

Hit up our Discord with more questions.

FORWARDS

Spain are the smash, near 90 percent to beat Cape Verde and implied for more than three goals, and with Yamal banged up, the forward picture there actually gets cleaner.

Mikel Oyarzabal (ESP vs CPV, $11,000)

Oyarzabal was going to start no matter who was injured, but his upside is highest of the bunch and you have to pay for it. I don't think that's a bad thing. While minutes aren't guaranteed for anyone, Ferran Torres ($9,800) will probably sub off for Lamine Yamal at some point, while Alex Baena or whoever starts on the left, will do the same.

Saman Ghoddos (IRN vs NZL, $4,800)

Ghoddos allows you to play a few of those Spain guys. The matchup is good and Ghoddos will take a split of set pieces at a minimum. He's not the most exciting play, but his price makes it pretty easy to look his way in cash and even tournaments.

Darwin Nunez (URU vs KSA, $7,300)

Nunez is the cheaper goal play off the Spain studs. Uruguay are around two-thirds to win, he's +135 to score, and $7,300 leaves room to pay up in the midfield. Trusting Nunez isn't something many people have done in DFS, so this probably isn't the move in cash games. 

Federico Vinas ($6,200) is the cheaper Uruguay striker at +145. Mehdi Taremi ($10,000) leads a favored Iran, but he's extremely expensive given that you'd rather pay for the Spain studs.

Jeremy Doku ($9,500) could be a nice tournament option since he's expensive enough that he won't be overly popular. Mohamed Salah ($8,500) isn't the worst idea, but you're paying a lot for an underdog.

MIDFIELDERS

The midfield is stacked across the favorites, so this comes down to which ones you fit and which value lets you fit them. 

Kevin De Bruyne (BEL vs EGY, $9,000)

De Bruyne has the highest midfield floor on the slate. Belgium are around 60 percent to win, the attack runs through him, and the price is fair for that kind of output. He's the one to build the midfield around. No matter how the game goes, he's probably the safest play of anyone, even the Spain set-piece takers. 

Alex Baena ($7,900) is cheaper, but he also has early sub risk and it wouldn't be surprising if Spain's attack ran through the other side. With De Bruyne, you know he'll be on the ball no matter what. 

Federico Valverde (URU vs. KSA, $8,300)

Valverde nearly matches De Bruyne's floor and Uruguay are the bigger favorite, so he's a fine second stud or pivot. As the team's main set-piece taker, you'll get a decent floor and without Giorgian De Arrascaeta available, he could turn into the midfield's biggest creator. Kind of in the same boat as Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Valverde hits a lot of categories given his role in Uruguay.

Maxi Araujo ($6,100) is a little cheaper for Uruguay and will do most of his work on the wing.

DEFENDERS

Pedro Porro is the headliner at defender, but there's a big question on whether he starts or not.

Pedro Porro (ESP vs CPV, $6,200)

Porro is the Spain right-back and the best defender floor on the board by a wide margin since he could get a split of set pieces. The question is if it'll be him or Marcos Llorente in the XI. Fortunately, Spain are the first game so you'll have that answer early. 

Guillermo Varela (URU vs KSA, $4,500)

Varela is the value full-back. He's Uruguay's right-back on a side favored to win and keep it tight, and at $4,500 he frees cap for the studs up top. I'm not overly confident in the Uruguayan full-backs, but at under $5,000, I think they're fine plays.

Marc Cucurella ($5,500) is the other Spain full-back if you want to double the shutout and hope he can rip a few shots. Milad Mohammadi ($5,700) is the Iran option. For the Spain clean sheet on the cheap, Aymeric Laporte ($4,800) and Pau Cubarsi ($3,700) are the center-backs to pair with Unai Simon.

GOALKEEPER

Unai Simon (ESP vs CPV, $6,000)

The Spain clean sheet is the best on the slate, around 60 percent with the team near 90 percent to win. I trust Spain more then Germany to keep a clean sheet if you're worried about what happened Sunday. 

Mohammed Al-Owais ($4,000) makes sense as a cheaper option. Uruguay don't have an elite attack and Nunez is known for not convering big opportunities.