This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (EDT)
8:00 a.m: Denmark v. Australia
11:00 a.m: France v. Peru
2:00 p.m: Argentina v. Croatia
FORWARD
Antoine Griezmann, FRA v. PER ($11,500): It will be difficult to fit Griezmann with Messi and Eriksen, but he should be seen as the third-best option on the slate. He finished a goal from the penalty spot in round one, but he is a bit scoring-dependent, so he is a risky play. I would regard him as a GPP option, for Eriksen and Messi provide a much safer floor.
Kylian Mbappe, FRA v. PER ($9,500): Mbappe is a potential pivot off Griezmann, as he comes at a $2,000 discount. He reached just 12 fantasy points in round one due to his inability to score a goal, which displays his goal-dependent style of production. Griezmann has the second-highest odds to score, while Mbappe is fifth on the board, making him more of a GPP play.
Yussuf Poulsen, DEN v. AUS ($8,000): Poulsen is the cheapest player at the forward position that I will consider Thursday. His goal and 26 fantasy points in the first round make him an exciting play heading, and his dynamic style allows him to produce in multiple ways for Denmark.
MIDFIELDERS
Lionel Messi, ARG v. CRO ($12,500): Messi's listing as a midfielder comes in handy for this slate, for there are more solid plays at forward. He had a tough time out in against Iceland, but he still managed to reach 26 fantasy points, which
MATCHES (EDT)
8:00 a.m: Denmark v. Australia
11:00 a.m: France v. Peru
2:00 p.m: Argentina v. Croatia
FORWARD
Antoine Griezmann, FRA v. PER ($11,500): It will be difficult to fit Griezmann with Messi and Eriksen, but he should be seen as the third-best option on the slate. He finished a goal from the penalty spot in round one, but he is a bit scoring-dependent, so he is a risky play. I would regard him as a GPP option, for Eriksen and Messi provide a much safer floor.
Kylian Mbappe, FRA v. PER ($9,500): Mbappe is a potential pivot off Griezmann, as he comes at a $2,000 discount. He reached just 12 fantasy points in round one due to his inability to score a goal, which displays his goal-dependent style of production. Griezmann has the second-highest odds to score, while Mbappe is fifth on the board, making him more of a GPP play.
Yussuf Poulsen, DEN v. AUS ($8,000): Poulsen is the cheapest player at the forward position that I will consider Thursday. His goal and 26 fantasy points in the first round make him an exciting play heading, and his dynamic style allows him to produce in multiple ways for Denmark.
MIDFIELDERS
Lionel Messi, ARG v. CRO ($12,500): Messi's listing as a midfielder comes in handy for this slate, for there are more solid plays at forward. He had a tough time out in against Iceland, but he still managed to reach 26 fantasy points, which is an indication of his high floor. He has the highest odds of any player to score Thursday, and his playmaking ability is well-documented. Even with Argentina only listed as a slight favorite, Messi should be quite chalky.
Christian Eriksen, DEN v. AUS ($10,000): The next player who is nearly a lock is Eriksen. He has a goal and two assists in his last two games for Denmark, and as the taker of all set pieces, Eriksen is sure to be heavily involved in the attack. Australia is arguably the weakest side in the group and Denmark needs some type of result before facing France, which makes Eriksen an extremely tough fade Thursday.
Ivan Perisic, CRO v. ARG ($7,000): Perisic stuck out to me as too cheap in the midfield position. Although he is facing one of the toughest opponents in the tournament, Perisic is a highly-touted winger capable of giving any side problems with his pace down the left wing. He scored against Senegal in a match leading up to the tournament, and his 11 goals and nine assists in 37 games for Inter Milan this season is a bounty that indicates his constant involvement as an attacker. There are not a ton of options to fill the three midfield spots, so Eriksen and Messi should considered as the mega-chalk, while Perisic and Aaron Mooy ($8,000) make for solid options to fill the third spot.
DEFENDERS
Ivan Strinic, CRO v. ARG ($5,000): I tend to look for cheap fullbacks at the defender position, so I have three of the cheapest ones on the slate here. Strinic produced a solid 18 fantasy points without a goal or an assist in the first round, so he certainly has a great chance of hitting value. Many of the defenders priced above Strinic are either center-backs or fullbacks that are not guaranteed to produce more, so I'll elect to not go any higher than $5,000 position.
Sime Vrsaljko, CRO v. ARG ($4,500): Vrsaljko plays on the opposite side of Strinic, and he comes $500 cheaper. He produced four fewer fantasy points than Strinic in their opener, but we are looking to get three points for every $1,000 spent on the defender position, so both Croatian defenders reached that mark last round. They will be challenged to make a ton of defensive plays Thursday, so there is a solid chance that they repeat their performances early outputs.
Benjamin Pavard, FRA v. PER ($4,500): If Djibril Sidibe is forced to miss Thursday's match due to a knee injury, it'll be Pavard who once again fills in at right-back. It is rare that you can get a French fullback for this cheap, so Pavard offers a great bargain.
GOALKEEPER
Hugo Lloris, FRA v. PER ($5,500): After a commendable first round result for France, in which Les Bleus defeated Australia 2-1, Peru steps up to challenge one of the favorites to win the tournament. Peru failed to score against Denmark in the first round, which resulted in a monster game for Kasper Schmeichel ($5,500), and this time it is likely that Lloris repeats the Dane's performance. Lloris is not guaranteed to rack up a ton of saves, but his chances for a clean sheet are higher than any other goalkeeper on the slate, and Schmeichel's six saves against Peru in the first round may be a good sign of things to come. Willy Caballero ($5,500) and Schmeichel are the pivots away from Lloris.
