This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Through the first half of the Round of 16 we haven't seen many surprises. Monday we get one of the biggest favorites of this round with Brazil taking on South Korea. It would be nice if that game was first, as Neymar's starting status is uncertain.
MATCHES (ET)
- 10:00 am: Japan vs. Croatia
- 2:00 pm: Brazil vs. South Korea
For detailed stats and odds, check out the
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FORWARDS
Richarlison, BRA vs. KOR ($9,700): Richarlison is right there with Neymar as far as goalscoring odds on this slate. He has major upside and the cash route is probably to stack Brazil. Even in tournaments you probably want multiple pieces. I see this game playing a bit more open than Croatia and Japan. Neymar ($10,500) is a top play if starting, even though I don't expect him to go 90 minutes. Raphinha ($9,500) is another option as a pivot or stacking option with one of the two mentioned before.
Andrej Kramaric, CRO vs. JPN ($7,800): Kramaric is likely to play more minutes than his teammate Marko Livaja ($7,300), which means at similar prices I have to lean to him. Kramaric has two goals in the tournament and Croatia are favorites against Japan. As mentioned before, I expect this one to play a bit slower so I wouldn't go overboard, but Kramaric and Luka Modric are both clearly in play.
The South Korea duo of Son Heung-Min ($8,700) and Cho Gue-Sung ($6,000) make for decent tournament pivots, but I'm not excited about the matchup as the biggest underdogs on the slate. Daizen Maeda ($4,600) is cheap for Japan, but he hasn't went over 62 minutes in either of his group stage appearances.
MIDFIELDERS
Vinicius Junior, BRA vs. KOR ($7,600): Junior has shown a great floor in this tournament and is at a fair price. He makes a great pairing with any of the Brazilian forwards. Lucas Paqueta ($5,000) is another Brazil midfielder who I have tournament interest in and I don't think we've seen his best DFS wise just yet. Fellow midfielder Casemiro ($5,300) is another GPP option.
Luka Modric, CRO vs. JPN ($7,100): Modric has been good in this tournament and is over most sets for Croatia in a matchup where they should dictate possession. If he gets involved in a goal in some form, he'll flash his upside that he hasn't shown in the World Cup. He is also on penalties for Croatia, which only increases his upside. Mateo Kovacic ($4,000) has been over some short corners, has shown a strong floor and sits at a cheap price. Ivan Perisic ($6,000) is a GPP stacking option or pivot from Modric as well.
I am not enthused to play any Japan pieces, but Daichi Kamada ($6,400) is right there with Maeda for the highest goal scoring odds on the team. He is also their likely set-piece taker even though I expect them to sit back and accept pressure a bit from Croatia and play on the counter, as they have done most of the tournament. They have only held 34 percent of possession through group stages.
DEFENDERS
Dani Alves, BRA vs. KOR ($5,500): Alves is a possibility to start in place of Alex Sandro. If in, he is one of the more attacking full-backs for Brazil and is a fair price tag to attach to this stack. If you are paying up at goalie, you can also play him with Alisson for a clean sheet stack. Eder Militao ($4,000) is another option, as he could start at right-back again and is fairly cheap.
Borna Sosa, CRO vs. JPN ($6,500): Sosa is a bit expensive, but he has gotten forward and shown a strong floor for Croatia playing from the back. Teammate Josip Juranovic ($5,100) can also be played and you could even pair the two with keeper Dominik Livakovic if you think this is a 1-0 or 2-0 Croatia win.
GOALKEEPER
Alisson, BRA vs. KOR ($5,900): Brazil have the highest clean sheet odds on the slate by 17 percent over Croatia. The only goal they gave up was with a rotated lineup in the last game of the group stage and I think they go right back to their stingy defense here. Dominik Livakovic ($5,200) isn't a bad pivot, especially in stacks with the full-backs or even center-backs. Kim Seung-gyu ($3,600) would be my preferred pay down option due to his save upside in this matchup and could give you the salary needed to jam in higher upside pieces.
