This article is part of our Euro 2016 series.
MATCHES (EDT)
Thursday, 3:00 p.m: Portugal v. Poland
Friday, 3:00 p.m: Wales v. Belgium
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS:
Portugal: Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho, Joao Mario, Raphael Guerreiro
Poland: Jakub Blaszczykowski, Arkadiusz Milik
Wales: Aaron Ramsey
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Lukasz Fabianski, POL v. POR: Poland have allowed just a single goal in their four tournament matches, including shutting out Germany and Northern Ireland, who both made the round of 16 (Germany will face Italy in the quarters). Meanwhile, Portugal have scored just once two times and were shut out by Austria, with their breakout performance coming in a 3-3 draw with Hungary, who won Group F. Portugal are favored because of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is likely to take more than enough shots to get Fabianski the save points needed to overcome a potential goal allowed.
DEFENDER
Chris Gunter, WAL v. BEL: With Wales primarily playing a back-three, Gunter has moved into a more attacking wingback role, which netted him six crosses and five fouls drawn in the last two games. He's unlikely to get the clean sheet against Belgium, but there will be plenty of opportunities for defensive stats.
James Chester, WAL v. BEL: Taking two Welsh defenders against a tournament favorite isn't the easiest pill to swallow, but Chester has been a defensive star, winning 12 tackles and intercepting 11 passes in the last three games. He doesn't much much attacking upside, but the defensive stats give him a
MATCHES (EDT)
Thursday, 3:00 p.m: Portugal v. Poland
Friday, 3:00 p.m: Wales v. Belgium
EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS:
Portugal: Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Moutinho, Joao Mario, Raphael Guerreiro
Poland: Jakub Blaszczykowski, Arkadiusz Milik
Wales: Aaron Ramsey
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne
PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALKEEPER
Lukasz Fabianski, POL v. POR: Poland have allowed just a single goal in their four tournament matches, including shutting out Germany and Northern Ireland, who both made the round of 16 (Germany will face Italy in the quarters). Meanwhile, Portugal have scored just once two times and were shut out by Austria, with their breakout performance coming in a 3-3 draw with Hungary, who won Group F. Portugal are favored because of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is likely to take more than enough shots to get Fabianski the save points needed to overcome a potential goal allowed.
DEFENDER
Chris Gunter, WAL v. BEL: With Wales primarily playing a back-three, Gunter has moved into a more attacking wingback role, which netted him six crosses and five fouls drawn in the last two games. He's unlikely to get the clean sheet against Belgium, but there will be plenty of opportunities for defensive stats.
James Chester, WAL v. BEL: Taking two Welsh defenders against a tournament favorite isn't the easiest pill to swallow, but Chester has been a defensive star, winning 12 tackles and intercepting 11 passes in the last three games. He doesn't much much attacking upside, but the defensive stats give him a decent floor for a cheap price.
Cedric Soares, POR v. POL: Cedric finally made his tournament debut in the quarterfinal against Croatia, sending in six crosses and intercepting six passes. It was certainly good enough to warrant another start, and while Poland have been solid defensively, he provides enough attacking peripheral stats to warrant consideration.
MIDFIELDER
Kevin De Bruyne, BEL v. WAL: De Bruyne has been Belgium's best fantasy producer during the tournament, and there's little reason to think that will stop against Wales. Teammate Eden Hazard has been excellent in his own right, but De Bruyne has outperformed him in each match despite not scoring a goal. Fantasy players looking to pivot off KDB but don't like Hazard should quickly move to Dries Mertens, who has taken six shots (four on target) and sent in two crosses in his last 89 minutes.
Jakub Blaszczykowski, POL v. POR: Blaszczykowski has begun poaching a few corners, and he's coming off his best game of the tournament, finishing with a goal on two shots (both on target), four crosses and seven fouls won. The Portugal defense is far from elite, and Poland have plenty of weapons to open the field up for Blaszczykowski, who's scored at least 13 fantasy points in three of their four tournament games.
Ricardo Quaresma, POR v. POL: Quaresma has been an excellent fantasy producer, scoring 43 points in his last three games. Unfortunately, he only started once in that span, and you can't pick him for a fantasy lineup with the hope he plays off the bench. However, if he starts, he'll likely be on corners and extremely active in the attack.
Joe Allen, WAL v. BEL: Admittedly, there's not a ton of upside with Allen, but he does provide a decent defensive base and significant salary savings. He has at least four fouls drawn or tackles won in each of the last two games, while even chipping in an assist two games ago. Again, he's not going to explode for a hat trick, but he could get a hat trick of multiple peripheral stats at a low cost.
FORWARD
Gareth Bale, WAL v. BEL: For those looking to fade Ronaldo, Bale is the next-highest upside play against a Belgium side that haven't allowed a goal in three straight matches. Nevertheless, Bale will be taking plenty of shots and the Belgians are still essentially playing at least one centerback out wide, something that isn't likely to slow the Welsh superstar down much.
Robert Lewandowski, POL v. POR: With Arkadiusz Milik now sharing corner duties, Lewandowski's slightly increased price seems well worth it for a player who has taken six shots and drawn 12 fouls in the last two games. Portugal allowed three goals to Hungary in a very up-and-down game, and Poland certainly has the horses to keep up with Ronaldo, but with a much tighter defensive unit.
