DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Saturday-Sunday World Cup Picks

MATCHES (EDT)

Saturday, 10:00 a.m: Belgium v. England (play-off for third place)
Sunday, 11:00 a.m: Croatia v. France (final)

FORWARDS

Antoine Griezmann, FRA v. CRO ($9,400): Griezmann's floor hasn't been particularly high during the World Cup, but he remains France's most reliable producer and they are the biggest favorite on the slate. It's not a huge slate, and the France-Croatia match actually has a lower implied goal total than the England-Belgium game, but there's still some safety from Griezmann that not a lot of other players bring to the table. He's gotten on the scoresheet in three consecutive games (two goals on 11 shots and two assists on six chances created), and while teammate Kylian Mbappe ($8,500) is the more exciting player because of his blazing speed, he simply isn't as safe. Mbappe should be very popular in GPPs, and those who haven't been burned already by Olivier Giroud ($5,900) could also try him out in tournaments, even without a single shot on goal among his 13 attempts during the World Cup.

Dries Mertens, BEL v. ENG ($7,100): The big assumption going into Saturday is that England and Belgium will heavily rotate their lineups for the third-place game, which could allow Mertens to reclaim a spot in the first XI. He began the tournament as a starter but quickly lost his job due to some relatively lackluster performances despite a goal in the opening match and an assist after that. Either way, he makes for a decent play if he's starting in the Belgian attack, but it's mostly in the expectation that Romelu Lukaku ($8,000) and Eden Hazard ($8,900) are rested. I would strongly consider Hazard if he was in the starting lineup, mostly for cash games, and Lukaku is always a GPP consideration because of his goal-scoring upside. It's also possible Nacer Chadli ($4,900) is an option, especially after taking every Belgian corner in the semi-final to help him finish with 11 crosses, though he could lose those opportunities just as quickly as he won them. On the plus side of all this is that we'll know the Belgium lineup before contests lock. In fact, we'll know the England setup too, which means we'll know if we have to face a few lineups with Harry Kane ($9,800) as he chases the Golden Boot and England World Cup scoring record, or if we can take GPP stabs at Jamie Vardy ($5,500), Marcus Rashford ($6,700) or Danny Welbeck ($5,200).

Ante Rebic, CRO v. FRA ($5,100): Grabbing a forward from the biggest underdog on the slate isn't the easiest direction to take, but Rebic's relatively low price makes it a plausible action. He's scored at least 6.25 fantasy points in three consecutive games, which came without a goal or an assist, and while he commits a few too many fouls at times, he's still be a decent creator for a position that doesn't always have a number of high-floor players. Semi-final star Mario Mandzukic ($6,300) has to be a GPP consideration after scoring in two of the last three games, with an assist in the non-scoring one, but the price difference between he and Rebic makes me want to side with the cheaper option.

MIDFIELDERS

Luka Modric, CRO v. FRA ($7,600): Modric figures to be one of the most popular players for cash games because of his role on most of Croatia's set pieces. His upside isn't tremendous, but he always seems to be in on the action when Croatia put one into the back of the net. I'm also always willing to consider Ivan Rakitic ($4,500), and if you think that France controls the final, Rakitic may be a solid alternative to Modric because of the price difference. Paying down for Rakitic seems a lot better than trying to squeak out a few more dollars with Marcelo Brozovic ($3,400), who has scored more than 3.75 floor points just once in the tournament.

Thorgan Hazard, BEL v. ENG ($6,000): Rostering the younger Hazard brother comes with the expectation that Belgium will rotate and sit Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne ($8,100), who would be serious contenders for a lineup spot if they start. Thorgan could be on set pieces with the right rotation, and fantasy owners may also consider Adnan Januzaj ($5,800) after he scored against England in the group stage, plus Youri Tielemans ($4,100), who had an assist in that game. The Belgian midfield could give us some really good values, which is great since that game is expected to be high scoring, but the personnel and formation will lead us to the right plays.

Paul Pogba, FRA v. CRO ($5,400): I know you're looking at that $4,000 price for Blaise Matuidi and thinking that he definitely...probably...maybe...might be able to repeat his semi-final performance, which saw him take three shots, including one on goal, draw four fouls, win six tackles and intercept three passes to reach 15.5 fantasy points. But all you have to do is scroll down literally one game to see that his floor is negative. Matuidi has played four matches in the World Cup and has scored more than four points once and fewer than two points twice. The more reliable option is likely Pogba, whose upside feels like it should be higher but it's not because he's taken just one shot in each match. He's good at drawing fouls and winning a few tackles, though committing 11 fouls in hist last four games doesn't help. However, I still think he's worth considering with the World Cup on the line, though he's probably more of a GPP play than a realistic cash option. The French midfield just doesn't lend itself to much upside, and yet here they are as the biggest favorites on the slate.

DEFENDERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold, ENG v. BEL ($5,100): Expected rotation, plus the injury to Kieran Trippier ($6,500), probably brings Alexander-Arnold back into the fold, and he's an easy consideration after he took every corner in his previous start, which happened to come against Belgium in the group stage. Similar to other England games, you can also consider whoever starts on the left side, with Danny Rose ($4,900) possibly getting the call. And while we've seen center-backs John Stones ($3,800) and Harry Maguire ($3,600) pay off handsomely, I wouldn't expect similar outputs from Phil Jones ($2,900) or Gary Cahill ($2,800) if they get opportunities to start.

Sime Vrsaljko, CRO v. FRA ($4,700): Vrsaljko has been one of Croatia's better attacking pieces of late, as he sent in 19 crosses in the past two games. If France take an early lead, Vrsaljko will be tasked with providing width and sending in more balls from wide areas, which only helps his fantasy upside. He hasn't been winning nearly as many tackles for Croatia as he does for Atletico Madrid, but joining in the attack should help make up for it. We could also have a cheap replacement on the other side of the field, as Josip Pivaric ($3,400) could start if Ivan Strinic ($3,500) can't recover from a groin injury suffered in the semi-final, though the problem is that Pivaric is the better attacker and you don't really want to get stuck with Strinic if he is able to start.

Thomas Meunier, BEL v. ENG ($5,200): Meunier is available again after serving a one-match ban for yellow-card accumulation, though his return doesn't necessarily mean he'll start in a meaningless match to see who finishes in third place. However, Meunier has shown great attacking upside at times, and his game does have the higher implied goal total. If you think France easily control their match against Croatia, then you could pay up for Lucas Hernandez ($5,000) or Benjamin Pavard ($5,400), but I'm not sure we'll get a high enough floor to justify the price when they don't have Meunier's ceiling.

GOALKEEPER

Hugo Lloris, FRA v. CRO ($5,400): Lloris has the highest win and clean sheet odds, and that safety may be worth it in cash games on this two-game slate. Opposing keeper Danijel Subasic ($4,100) is considerably cheaper, and while he could make a few saves, he remains unlikely to get the five-point win bonus, let alone the five points for a clean sheet. We could see some backups start in the Belgium-England game, though with both teams expected to just go for it, I don't think there's a big 20-point performer in goal to help with GPP lineups.