This article is part of our Euro 2016 series.
MATCHES (EDT)
9:00 a.m: England v. Wales
12:00 p.m: Ukraine v. Northern Ireland
3:00 p.m: Germany v. Poland
ODDS REPORT
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS
England: Harry Kane (no, really)
Wales: Aaron Ramsey
Ukraine: Yevhen Konoplyanka
Northern Ireland: Oliver Norwood
Germany: Toni Kroos
Poland: Arkadiusz Milik
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey/Danny Ward, WAL v. ENG: Any of the three favored keepers are solid picks, but if you're looking to save, whoever starts in goal for Wales looks to be a decent bet against an England side that just can't seem to put it together in big spots. There will likely be plenty of save opportunities, which could make up for the lack of clean sheet.
DEFENDER
Artur Jedrzejczyk, POL v. GERM: Jedrzejczyk was the highest-crossing defender during the opening matches of the six teams playing Wednesday, though he finished with just six, adding one foul drawn and six interceptions. There aren't many high-impact defenders on the slate, but getting one that's active in the attack (even against a tough opponent) is worth considering.
Artem Fedetskiy, UKR v. NIR: While teammate Vyacheslav Shevchuk appeared to be quite active, including an impressive rocket shot that went just wide, Fedetskiy was still the more productive of the two, finishing with one cross, two fouls drawn, three tackles won and an interception. Shevchuk is a bit cheaper on DraftKings, but the production isn't as consistent.
Chris Baird, NIR v. UKR: If we can find many high-crossing defenders, then it's worth
MATCHES (EDT)
9:00 a.m: England v. Wales
12:00 p.m: Ukraine v. Northern Ireland
3:00 p.m: Germany v. Poland
ODDS REPORT
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS
England: Harry Kane (no, really)
Wales: Aaron Ramsey
Ukraine: Yevhen Konoplyanka
Northern Ireland: Oliver Norwood
Germany: Toni Kroos
Poland: Arkadiusz Milik
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Wayne Hennessey/Danny Ward, WAL v. ENG: Any of the three favored keepers are solid picks, but if you're looking to save, whoever starts in goal for Wales looks to be a decent bet against an England side that just can't seem to put it together in big spots. There will likely be plenty of save opportunities, which could make up for the lack of clean sheet.
DEFENDER
Artur Jedrzejczyk, POL v. GERM: Jedrzejczyk was the highest-crossing defender during the opening matches of the six teams playing Wednesday, though he finished with just six, adding one foul drawn and six interceptions. There aren't many high-impact defenders on the slate, but getting one that's active in the attack (even against a tough opponent) is worth considering.
Artem Fedetskiy, UKR v. NIR: While teammate Vyacheslav Shevchuk appeared to be quite active, including an impressive rocket shot that went just wide, Fedetskiy was still the more productive of the two, finishing with one cross, two fouls drawn, three tackles won and an interception. Shevchuk is a bit cheaper on DraftKings, but the production isn't as consistent.
Chris Baird, NIR v. UKR: If we can find many high-crossing defenders, then it's worth finding cheap ones who can do other things. Baird falls squarely in that category, as he's sub-$3K and had three tackles, two interceptions, one cross and a foul drawn in Northern Ireland's opening match. He's not going to get an explosive score, but the salary savings could help find that elsewhere.
MIDFIELDER
Yevhen Konoplyanka, UKR v. NIR: Ukraine looked very strong despite a 2-0 loss to Germany in their opening match, and they are now a heavy favorite against an overmatched Northern Ireland side. Konoplyanka co-led all players with 14 crosses in the opening round of matches, and he should be fully expected to be a major part of the Ukrainian attack Thursday.
Toni Kroos, GER v. POL: Many fantasy Premier League players looked to Mesut Ozil for production out of the German midfield, but it's really Kroos who has a better handle on the attack, especially since he's on most set pieces and corners, leaving Ozil to only produce in open play, which isn't where he gets most of his fantasy production (outside of assists).
Oliver Norwood, NIR v. UKR: Norwood's opening game didn't include as many crosses as many had hoped, but he still packed the stat sheet with three fouls drawn, five tackles won and two interceptions in addition to his two crosses. Ukraine are likely to attack quite a bit, which could leave Norwood open on the wing to create.
FORWARD
Arkadiusz Milik, POL v. GER: Milik was the Polish forward to own in their first match, as strike partner Robert Lewandowski failed to take a single shot, while Milik took five (two on target) and added seven crosses, two fouls drawn and a tackle won. Lewandowski is still much more expensive, and the matchup is less than ideal, as the German squad includes a number of of club teammates, making Milik even more attractive for fantasy production.
Daniel Sturridge, ENG v. WAL: This match figures to be pretty testy, but Sturridge has all the tools to have a big fantasy day against Wales. He didn't start England's opening match against Russia, but with Raheem Sterling doing so little, the opportunity seems ripe to let Sturridge loose, especially since Wales won't allow the space needed for Jamie Vardy to make his runs.
Thomas Muller, GER v. POL: He's the second-most expensive player on the board, but Muller has a huge advantage over club teammate Lewandowski in that he doesn't have to face the Germans. He only got one shot off during their opening match, but he still has tremendous upside and figures to be heavily involved. It's not often he has two bad games in a row.
