This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Denmark v. France
10:00 a.m: Australia v. Peru
2:00 p.m: Iceland v. Croatia
2:00 p.m: Nigeria v. Argentina
FORWARDS
Lionel Messi, ARG v. NGA ($12,300): Argentina have been abysmal during their first two matches, but they still have an opportunity to qualify for the knockout round with a big win over Nigeria. The Argentina lineup is very much in flux, but it's pretty clear that Messi will be their most important attacker, as always. His price is the highest on the slate by $2,400, but I find it really tough to think of anyone else who has a higher upside, and Argentina's absolute need to win (likely by multiple goals) should have Messi shooting early and often to help his floor. If you really don't want to play Messi but think Argentina score enough, Sergio Aguero ($8,900) or Gonzalo Higuain ($8,100) are certainly GPP possibilities.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, ISL v. CRO ($8,400): Speaking of must-win games, Iceland need a win over Croatia, who have already qualified for the knockout round and will finish first in Group A with a draw or an Argentina win. Iceland aren't usually a high-attacking team, but you need to score goals to win matches, so Sigurdsson should be on the attack pretty heavily. Additionally, Iceland don't usually play for high scores, but they only have a one-goal advantage on Argentina in terms of goal differential, so there is more of a need to win by multiple goals than to squeak
MATCHES (EDT)
10:00 a.m: Denmark v. France
10:00 a.m: Australia v. Peru
2:00 p.m: Iceland v. Croatia
2:00 p.m: Nigeria v. Argentina
FORWARDS
Lionel Messi, ARG v. NGA ($12,300): Argentina have been abysmal during their first two matches, but they still have an opportunity to qualify for the knockout round with a big win over Nigeria. The Argentina lineup is very much in flux, but it's pretty clear that Messi will be their most important attacker, as always. His price is the highest on the slate by $2,400, but I find it really tough to think of anyone else who has a higher upside, and Argentina's absolute need to win (likely by multiple goals) should have Messi shooting early and often to help his floor. If you really don't want to play Messi but think Argentina score enough, Sergio Aguero ($8,900) or Gonzalo Higuain ($8,100) are certainly GPP possibilities.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, ISL v. CRO ($8,400): Speaking of must-win games, Iceland need a win over Croatia, who have already qualified for the knockout round and will finish first in Group A with a draw or an Argentina win. Iceland aren't usually a high-attacking team, but you need to score goals to win matches, so Sigurdsson should be on the attack pretty heavily. Additionally, Iceland don't usually play for high scores, but they only have a one-goal advantage on Argentina in terms of goal differential, so there is more of a need to win by multiple goals than to squeak out a 1-0 victory. If you want the top goal scorer for Iceland who could head in a Sigurdsson cross, Alfred Finnbogason ($5,700) is your guy.
MIDFIELDERS
Christian Eriksen, DEN v. FRA ($9,300): Denmark only need a draw to clinch second place in Group C, and France only need a draw to guarantee they finish first, so paying this much for Eriksen in a game they don't necessarily have to win makes me a bit nervous. That being said, he has arguably one of the highest floors just because he does so much for Denmark, and the France defense hasn't been fantastic this tournament. Speaking of France, I'd strongly consider rostering Thomas Lemar ($8,000) if he got the start, and I'd probably do the same if Nabil Fekir ($9,100, midfielder/forward) was in since they would probably have a good share of set pieces as long as only one of them was in the starting XI.
Aaron Mooy, AUS v. PER ($6,300): Australia have been less than inspiring in their first two matches, but a win over Peru and a non-Denmark win would actually see them advance to the round of 16. Mooy is expected to be over all set pieces, though as we've seen in both of their World Cup games, Mile Jedinak ($4,900) will be on penalties. Nevertheless, Australia's best shot at scoring will likely be from a Mooy cross, so he is likely to provide a solid floor based on his fairly mid-sized price.
Marcelo Brozovic, CRO v. ISL ($4,100): We could see a heavily rotated side for Croatia on Tuesday because they don't really have a ton to play for, which could allow Brozovic to end up as their primary set-piece taker. Speaking of Croatia set pieces, I have no interest in Luka Modric ($8,700) because of his price and match situation, and while Ivan Rakitic ($5,600) could be next in line for set pieces if Modric doesn't start, even his price may be too much. If you don't want to play around with the Croatia midfield, Oghenekaro Etebo ($4,300) continues to be a peripheral stat machine, and he even took a few corners in Nigeria's last match. Facing off against a desperate Argentina attack probably won't lead to a lot of attacking upside, but the defensive work Etebo does could pay off.
DEFENDERS
Birkir Mar Saevarsson, ISL v. CRO ($3,800): Iceland's need to attack puts Saevarsson in play even though he hasn't been a prolific attacking fullback this tournament. His cheap price makes him particularly attractive because of the need to put goals on the scoreboard, and if Croatia don't put out a strong attacking team, the clean sheet is in play too.
Luis Advincula, PER v. AUS ($5,400): Peru have nothing to play for, though they've kind of played that way the entire tournament, so I'm not sure we need to avoid them completely in their last match in Russia. I don't think there are any other good attacking defenders worth paying up for, but Advincula's ability to move up the pitch, plus get on a few free kicks, at least has me considering him.
Josh Risdon, AUS v. PER ($4,100): As with Mooy, Risdon is worth considering because of his crossing ability and Australia's need to to win for any shot at moving on. Risdon isn't a high-volume crosser, though he does do some extra defensive work (winning seven tackles in the first two games) that makes his floor a little higher.
GOALKEEPER
Hannes Halldorsson, ISL v. CRO ($4,500): Goalkeeper is a mixed bag Tuesday (as if it's always nice and orderly), and I'm not sure we'll see any clean sheets. Theoretically Wilfredo Caballero ($5,600) would be in play because Argentina need the win against Nigeria, but their defense, and Caballero specifically, has been so bad that it's really hard to trust him at that salary. Instead, I'll focus on the team that has to win and will be facing a side that doesn't really have to do anything, which turns us to Halldorsson, who I don't think will have as much save upside as Australia's Mathew Ryan ($4,600) but I think the Iceland defense is better and he'll have easier shots to save.
