DraftKings DFS World Cup Picks for Tuesday, June 23: Portugal and England Headline a Four-Game Slate
Portugal and England are the teams to build around on Tuesday's four-game DraftKings World Cup slate, both sitting as heavy favorites with Harry Kane coming off a monster opener.
Tuesday gives us four games on DraftKings, a 1:00 PM ET start that runs through a 10:00 PM close. Portugal and England are the biggest favorites on the board, both around 80 percent to win and implied for two-plus goals. Colombia are solid at home against DR Congo, and Croatia are favored on the road against Panama in a tighter spot.
The lineup news to track is in England's attack: both Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are unlikely to start again, though both will come on for Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke at some point. Portugal also have questions in their defense and on the wings. Nothing's official until lineups drop, so confirm before lock.
Come talk lineups in the RotoWire Discord before lock. Here's how I'm attacking it.
WORLD CUP MATCHES (ET)
- 1:00 pm: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
- 4:00 pm: England vs. Ghana
- 7:00 pm: Panama vs. Croatia
- 10:00 pm: Colombia vs. DR Congo
For detailed stats and odds, check out the DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: World Cup Cheat Sheet.
Hit up our Discord with more questions.
FORWARDS
Harry Kane (ENG vs GHA, $10,600)
Kane is the one forward worth paying all the way up for if you want goals. He scored twice and fired seven shots for 33.3 points in the opener, and he's -145 to score for an England side around 80 percent to win. He's the forward who makes the most sense, though Cristiano Ronaldo ($9,900) will undoubtedly be a perfect GPP option since no one will want to play him again. Kane is such a key cog in England's attack, it's hard to avoid him if you want to win money.
Petar Musa (CRO vs PAN, $5,300)
For value up top, Musa leads the line for a Croatia side favored on the road against Panama, and at $5,300 he's less than half of Kane's price. He's +140 to score, and the cheap tag lets you pair him with one of the heavy favorites' attacks. If Ante Budimir starts, he's actually cheaper at $4,700, so you'll have a route to pivot in the third game of the day.
Francisco Conceicao ($9,200) and Joao Felix ($8,300) are the other Portugal attackers expected to start. Similar to the first game with Pedro Neto and Bernardo Silva, it'll be hard to trust them for minutes and production.
Luis Diaz ($9,600) and Luis Suarez ($8,100) lead Colombia in a favored spot, and Ivan Perisic ($7,800) is forward-eligible for Croatia. Perisic had a pretty active opener and went 90 minutes against England, so in a better spot, he's a reasonable option.
Diaz was most likely to score for Colombia in their first game and you're paying for it. Suarez could be an interesting tournament route, still as the central striker in their attack.
MIDFIELDERS
Declan Rice (ENG vs GHA, $8,000)
Rice took eight corners and free kicks in the opener, the most of anyone on the slate, and he's doing it for a side around 80 percent to win. He's not 100 percent, which is a bit concerning, but no one played him on the first slate and it's a wonder if that'll be the case again at $8,000. He doesn't have the same upside as some of the other midfielders, but he probably has the better floor if he's taking corners on both sides for England when Saka isn't on the pitch. Elliot Anderson could draw some attention for $6,200, but that's a hefty price for no guaranteed floor.
Martin Baturina (CRO vs PAN, $5,200)
Baturina is intriguing for the price and role in the squad. If Luka Modric ($5,800) isn't going close to 90 minutes, Baturina has a slight chance for a couple set pieces. He also presents an attacking optio in a good spot. A lot of this will depend on who starts for Croatia, but after scoring in the opener, it'd be a surprise if Baturina didn't start this one.
Bruno Fernandes ($10,200) disappointed in the opener, but he still finished with seven crosses and 12.7 points. I thought he was a lock in the opener, but the way Portugal played has me doubting him. As always with Fernandes, if the team figures it out around him, he always has potential for a massive outing.
Jude Bellingham ($9,100) is the pricier England option and will likely again be a good tournament route since he won't be popular. James Rodriguez ($9,000) takes Colombia's set pieces at +220, but without a lock for 90 minutes, he's a hard click for him at the price.
DEFENDERS
Joao Cancelo (POR vs UZB, $5,700)
Cancelo had five crosses in the opener and gets forward from the left for a Portugal side around 80 percent to win with a clean-sheet chance north of 55 percent. He's expected to start again and possibly over Nuno Mendes, who wasn't 100 percent entering the World Cup. If Portugal actually go into the attack, Cancelo is a player who will take shots from distance.
Arthur Masuaku (COD vs COL, $4,200)
Masuaku has been an afterthought at the club level for multiple seasons, but he quickly turned relevant against Portugal, providing an assist with four corners. It's another tough matchup, but at $4,200, I'm fine going this route. On the other side, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is $2,900.
I don't think it's a standout defender slate from the high end unless you think Daniel Munoz ($5,400) is going to score another ridiculous goal.
Reece James ($5,900) is always an option, but his DFS upside seems limited in this squad. Diogo Dalot ($4,700) is the cheaper route into the Portugal shutout.
Amir Murillo ($4,200) also needs a shout. He was excellent in the opener and while that won't happen against Croatia, he still gets up the pitch plenty to be relevant for the price.
GOALKEEPER
Orlando Mosquera (PAN vs CRO, $4,000)
I'm staying cheap here. Mosquera lines up behind a Panama side that should spend the night defending against Croatia, and shots faced is how cheap keepers pay off. At $4,000 he frees up cap for the studs, and Croatia's modest implied total means he isn't walking into a blowout.
If you'd rather a favored clean sheet, Camilo Vargas ($5,400) behind Colombia is the value option, with Jordan Pickford ($5,800) for England next.
