FanDuel World Cup Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 6/18/18

After a four-year wait, the World Cup is back, and FanDuel is offering daily fantasy contests for the entirety of the tournament. For those who played DFS during the Premier League season, FanDuel has made some changes to their scoring system, so make sure you're up to date on how the new settings impact things.

Monday's main slate features only two of the three Monday matches as the day's first match -- a clash between Sweden and Korea -- is likely to be on a single-game slate. The two most intriguing matches -- at least for fantasy purposes -- happen later in the day and are both on FanDuel's main slate. Belgium are a two-goal favorite over Panama while England are a one-goal favorite. The Belgium-Panama match boasts the largest over/under on the slate (3 goals) while the Englad/Tunisa match has a 2.5-goal over/under.

Our game projections have Belgium scoring 2.62 goals while England and Sweden are projected to score just over 1.5 goals. According to the Vegas odds -- and our projections -- the other three squads on the slate will be fortunate to find the back of the net.

This article will preview fantasy players from FanDuel's main slate. Let's go through the four positions and look at some players to target at various price points.

Forwards to Target

Romelu Lukaku ($11,000) and Dries Mertens ($9,000) -- According to our models, Belgium have the field's second-best odds (96.22%) of advancing to the knockout stage and will face Panama, who have the worst odds (5.25%) of advancing. Lukaku will man the middle of the pitch with Mertens and Eden Hazard likely outside. Lukaku tallied 16 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League this season for Manchester United while Mertens recorded 18 goals and 6 assists for Napoli. If there is one surefire bet on the slate, it is likely for the Red Devils to find the back of the net. The problem, however, for DFS players is figuring out which Belgium player those goals will come from. Lukaku and Mertens should be a safe bet in all formats as they should be able to pepper the net with shots and both have the upside of scoring.

Harry Kane ($12,000) -- Despite having a number of goal scores, England’s goal-scoring upside is with Kane. Finishing second in the Premier League golden boot race with 30 goals, Kane is has the second-highest odds to find the back of the net (-135). Our projections have the Three Lions scoring 1.53 goals, and Kane should have plenty of opportunities for shots at goal. As the last match on the slate, DFS players could use late swap to leverage what will likely be a high-owned Kane and pivot onto Raheem Sterling ($9,500) -- +125 to score.

Midfielders to Target

Eden Hazard ($10,500) and Kevin de Bruyne ($10,000) -- As mentioned with Lukaku and Mertens, Belgium have the highest projected total on the slate, according to our projections, and Hazard de Bruyne will be a key piece in their attack. De Bruyne should take a large majority of the set pieces for the Red Devils, and both his and Hazard's skill in open-play gives both midfielders great upside with chances created and assists. Hazard does offer higher goal upside as he scored 12 Premier League goals this season compared to de Bruyne's eight, but de Bruyne should offer a higher floor with his involvement in set-pieces.

Defenders to Target

Kieran Trippier ($6,500) -- Like de Bruyne, Trippier should take a majority of the set pieces for a favored squad who will look to get three points out of their opening match. Trippier is not much of a goal scorer as he failed to find the net in back-to-back Premier League seasons, but his ability in open-play as well as his skill from set pieces makes him a safe option in all formats, although his upside for large-field tournaments may be limited due to his lack of scoring. Trippier is listed as a defender, which could give him clean sheet equity although he could line up in more of an attacking role for the Three Lions.

Dedryck Boyata ($4,000) -- In what could offer DFS players some salary relief at defender, Boyata could be in line for the start as Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are both game-time decisions. If neither can go, Boyata could slot in the center of the back three for a Belgium squad that is a two-goal favorite over Panama. Though his upside with defensive actions is limited, Boyata should be in line for the clean-sheet bonus.

Fidel Escobar ($5,500) and Roman Torres ($5,000) -- As the two central backs on the largest underdog on the slate -- and possibly the worst team in the tournament -- Torres and Escobar should see plenty of opportunities to rack up defensive actions against a Belgium squad that should constantly be on the attack. With tree squads on the slate all projected to score less than one goal, DFS players will need to look for defenders who could offer upside in either the attack or by making defensive actions and both Torres and Escobar should see a heavy amount of pressure.

Goalies to Target

Thibaut Courtois ($5,500) -- In what should be his easiest match of the tournament, Courtois is the keeper for the largest favorite on the slate. Panama has an implied team total of just 0.5 goals while our model has them scoring 0.42 goals. Courtois picked up 15 clean sheets this season for Chelsea, and anything less against Panama should be a disappointment. Unlikely to face many save opportunities, if any, Courtois is almost a lock for the clean sheet and win bonuses, although they come at high price.

Jordan Pickford ($5,500) -- In a slate that features three clubs that are projected to score less than one goal -- according to both our models and Vegas odds -- the best bet at the keeper position may be to lock in the goalies who should gain the win and clean sheet bonuses. Pickford has a better chance to make a save than Courtois does, which could mean more points for the English keeper who kept 10 clean sheets this season with Everton.

Ben Fisher is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Ben Fisher also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Gvsubrickwall . While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.