Women's World Cup: Friday DFS Breakdown

Friday's three-game slate includes two massive favorites, with Italy coming in with -1000 odds to beat Jamaica (+2200 to win) and England -1115 to beat Argentina (+2400) on DraftKings Sportsbook. The opening match of the day is Japan (-137) v. Scotland (+410), one that doesn't figure to produce a ton of fantasy points, with the under 2.5 goals sitting at -143.

Kim Little and Caroline Weir split Scotland's two corners against England, and while Little isn't that cheap on DraftKings at $5,900, Weir is definitely interesting at $3,800 after scoring 7.25 fantasy points against a much better opponent in their opening match. Scotland may be underdogs, but they should be able to hang with Japan, who failed to score against Argentina despite the latter being one of the worst teams in the tournament. And not only does Weir have a role on set pieces, her +310 odds to score on FanDuel Sportsbook are the best on the team; then again, those odds aren't that good (Little is +390).

On the Japan side, Emi Nakajima took three of their five corners, helping her to 6.00 fantasy points because of one shot, two crosses, two tackles won and three interceptions in 74 minutes. That level of production really didn't pay off her $8,100 salary on DraftKings, and because they are favorites again, she is $100 more. If anything, fantasy players should consider defender Risa Shimizu ($6,000 on DraftKings) after her well-rounded stat line of five crosses, six tackles won, two fouls drawn and two interceptions against Argentina, though winning that many tackles again may be asking for too much. In a similar vein, Yui Hasegawa had two shots, including one on goal, three crosses and three interceptions, though for $7,600 on DraftKings you'll have to decide whether it's worth paying that much for peripheral points from the lowest favorite on the slate.

Italy pulled off one of the most surprising results of the first round of games by defeating Australia 2-1 thanks to a brace from Barbara Bonansea. After scoring 25.75 fantasy points in the first match, fantasy players will surely be looking her way because of that huge score, though only 1.75 came from actions other than her goals (one foul drawn and one cross). Then again, she's -135 to score on FanDuel Sportsbook, and she's playing for a giant favorite. Valentina Cernoia took two of Italy's three corners against Australia, and she ended that match with 12.75 fantasy points, including an assist, five crosses, three fouls drawn and two tackles won. She's not that cheap on DraftKings at $6,100, but, you know, huge favorite! Manuela Giugliano took the other corner, but it was also her only cross of the game, and $7,600 seems pretty high for a player who isn't racking up peripheral points and has +260 odds to score. Cristiana Girelli actually has the same goal odds as Bonansea, and while she's $1,100 more on DraftKings, she surely won't be as highly owned. Additionally, left-back Alia Guagni was pretty solid against Australia, scoring 7.25 fantasy points, including one shot, three crosses, three tackles won, two interceptions and one foul drawn. At $3,900, she could be popular as an outside back for a favored side.

If you don't believe in Italy's defense despite only giving up a penalty goal (technically it was saved and scored on the rebound) then Bunny Shaw has to get some attention. Then again, her play in Jamaica's 3-0 loss to Brazil also raised some eyebrows, as she put three of four shots on goal, created two chances, drew four fouls, won two tackles and sent in one cross for 13.25 fantasy points on DraftKings. At $4,900 on Friday, she's $1,100 more than the Brazil match, but it's still very cheap if you don't focus so much on their win odds. Attacking partner Trudi Carter wasn't bad either, with three shots, three crosses and two fouls drawn, and she's $600 cheaper for the Italy match. Marlo Carmen Sweatman took most of their corners, though she did little else in open play and probably won't get a plethora of opportunities against Italy anyway.

While Italy are huge favorites, they aren't as huge as England against Argentina, who also had a surprising result in their opening match, holding Japan without a goal despite fully being expected score at least one. Estefania Banini, also known as La Messi, was the star for Argentina, though it didn't result in a lot of fantasy points, finishing with 6.00 thanks to three fouls drawn, two tackles won and two interceptions. Even on his worst day, that's a line you'll never see from Messi (i.e. no shots or crosses).  Argentina didn't win a single corner against Japan, and it's unlikely that they'll get enough against England to worry about who takes set pieces for them. Defender Eliana Stabile was their most active wing player with three crosses (she also had three tackles won and five interceptions), but with England likely to dominate possession, it's tough to expect a lot out of any Argentina player.

And then we have England, who outplayed Scotland in their opener and is fully expected to win their group. Nikita Parris scored from the penalty spot en route to 20.25 fantasy points, and her -148 odds to score on DraftKings Sportsbook are the second-best on the slate, trailing only teammate Ellen White's -167. England are certainly expected to score, as the odds of more than 2.5 goals are -275, and it's not because Argentina are expected to find the back of the net. Defender Alex Greenwood took six of England's nine corners, while Beth Mead took the other three, with the latter finishing the match with nine crosses while failing to get multiple of any other stat, while Mead did the same thing but with six crosses. And we can't forget about Lucy Bronze, who finished with five crosses, two tackles won, three interceptions and a foul drawn. Bronze and Greenwood were both very strong together, and it wouldn't be surprising if DraftKings cash lineups had both of them despite costing $6,100 and $5,400, respectively. It probably means you're skipping Shimizu, though all three isn't out of the question. Stacking England is the most likely stack, with Jill Scott and Fran Kirby also in consideration because England should romp.