RADIO
Welcome back to a special version of “The Kick-Off”, World Cup Edition! We are here for MatchDay 7 of the tournament and the second round of matches for the six clubs on the slate.
Today’s slate will feature a tournament underdog in Belgium -110 versus Morocco and a battle of heavyweights in Group E, Germany +188 versus Spain +130. This slate will center around a Belgium stack and you will need to get creative elsewhere in order to fit both of them in a lineup. I will guide you through this three-match slate starting at 8:00 A.M. EST.
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] or via Twitter @df_solutions or on “SLACK”.
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The World Cup Matchday 7
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DraftKings DFS Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois- DK $5.3K
Opponent - Morocco
The Real Madrid keeper had an easy win in his 2022 World Cup debut, keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 victory over Canada. He should see a similar result against Morocco, with fewer shots. Courtois is being highlighted because as I have mentioned in prior articles, in small slates, it is crucial to get wins from a goalie. Not only does Courtois have the odds of winning, but he will also be the highest-owned keeper on the slate. The only downfall is he will not have a floor due to the lack of offense Morocco is producing.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Livakovic (DK $5.1K), Simon (DK $4.9K)
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Romelu Lukaku-DK $8K
Opponent - Morocco
Lukaku looks to be on pace to start for Belgium against Morocco. The striker seems to be ahead of his scheduled return in which he would replace teammate Michy Batshuayi in the Starting XI. Last season in his return to the English Premier League, he scored 13 goals and assisted two goals through 38 appearances in all competitions.
This season, he had two goals and one assist in five appearances back in Serie A prior to his injury. Where Lukaku does his real damage, though, is at the international stage, with 68 goals and 14 assists through 102 matches. Keep in mind that if Lukaku does start this match, he may be substituted early if they have the lead. to ensure the star striker gets the rest he needs as he comes off injury.
Ferran Torres- DK $8.4K
Opponent - Germany
Despite what everyone thinks will be a close matchup, Spain should handle Germany with ease after their 7-0 thumping of Croatia. Unlike England, Spain has a quality all over the pitch that can provide consistent results. Germany’s defense is equal if not worse than Croatia’s defense. This will only provide ample opportunities for the young Spaniards to get in behind the German defense.
It is hard to predict who is in charge of taking set-pieces for Spain, but it seems that for the time being, it is a timeshare with a few players, and Torres is included in that bunch, providing him a slight value boost. In the match against Croatia, Torres had two goals, two shots, and two crosses in 57 minutes.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Gnabry (DK $7.9K), David (DK $6.6K)
DraftKings DFS Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne- DK $9.5K
Opponent - Morocco
I do not like highlighting multiple players from one club, but I cannot stray from it here. De Bruyne will be one of the highest-owned midfielders if not the highest-owned midfielder on the slate. Despite Belgium being plus money to win the match outright, they are pretty heavy favorites in terms of raw skill and the midfield maestro paves the way for the Red Devils.
In the 1-0 win over Canada, De Bruyne had two shots, four created chances, five crosses, four corners, and one tackle won. It was evident that De Bruyne was frustrated with Batshuyai in the first match, but with Lukaku expected to return, De Bruyne will be ecstatic to have his favorite target back on the pitch.
Tajon Buchanan- DK $4.5K
Opponent - Croatia
After Croatia barely escaped a draw with Morocco, anything is up for grabs at this point. Canada gave Belgium a handful in their opening match of Group Play and they will look to do the same for Croatia. Buchanan was terrific in his World Cup debut, taking three shots, creating two chances, and crossing three times in 81 minutes. With expensive options elsewhere, we need to find a salary-saving option and Buchanan is our guy.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Modric (DK $7.7K), Kimmich (DK $7.5K)
DraftKings DFS Defenders
David Raum- DK $5.4K
Opponent - Spain
Germany has their back against the walls and everything to play for. Expect them to come out swinging and fast. Raum should be in the thick of things when they do it too with the wingback at the center of all action in the 2-1 loss to Japan. In that match, he had three created chances, eight crosses, three tackles, and two interceptions. With a fast-paced and youthful team, expect a similar stat line against Spain.
Richie Laryea- DK $4.4K
Opponent - Croatia
Aforementioned, Croatia is not the most sound club at the moment and Laryea was playing wingback in a 3-4-2-1 formation for Canada in their close loss to Belgium. This gave Laryea ample room to produce with two shots, four created chances, one cross, two tackles, and one block through 74 minutes. This is another ‘cheaper’ option to pay up elsewhere to fit in a Belgium stack to cover any ownership gaps on the slate.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Davies (DK $6.4K), Alba (DK $5.6K)
Thanks for reading The Kick-Off! Good luck in all of your contests today!
