World Cup Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 6/28/18

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Thursday is the last day of group play. Group G is basically settled with Belgium and England playing for top dog in the group. However, Belgium may make up to 10 changes while England is rumored to make up to 6 changes themselves. Neither seems too worried about winning the group with progress secured. Meanwhile, Tunisia and Panama will also play in Group G action.

Group H is much more convoluted. Japan will play Poland while Senegal faces Colombia. Poland are eliminated, but the other teams all have a chance to advance and win the group. Japan and Senegal would both advance with a draw.

As always, it is imperative to check starting XIs when they become available.

Let's go through the four positions and look at some players to target at various price points.

Forwards to Target

Radamel Falcao ($11,000) -- Colombia are still facing an uphill battle, but they dismantled Poland and are coming in with great momentum. Falcao came to life in that match as he relishes his chance to play in the World Cup after an injury kept him out in 2014. He has a goal, is winning over four aerial duels per match and is getting fouled more than twice per match. Our projections give Colombia a big edge, and Falcao has the best odds to score of anyone in the match. Colombia can advance with a tie depending on the result of Japan and Poland, but they will approach the match with an attacking mindset trying to win.

Michy Batshuayi ($8,500) -- Batshuayi came on in the 68th minute for Belgium against Tunisia, and led all players in shots. He also has good odds to score with Romelu Lukaku being held out of training. The numberFire projections still have the match with England going over 2.5 goals despite neither team needing a win. Batshuayi showed he can be a valuable lone striker, scoring 7 goals in 10 appearances after his move to the Bundesliga this past season. There is some uncertainty with all the changes coming to both lineups, so there is likely to be some back and forth play. Batshuayi has proven he is a good finisher, so one bit of uncertainty by the England defense could be all that he needs.

Wahbi Khazri ($7,500) -- The nine goals that Panama allowed through two matches were the most of any team in the World Cup. Khazri and Tunisia will look to increase that number against a side that has been overmatched. As part of a three-man front line, Khazri has the best odds to score in this match. Our projections give Tunisia the slight edge with a high probability of scoring, and Khazri is the only non-defender to score for his nation.

Midfielders to Target

Takashi Inui ($6,500) -- It would be hard to dismiss an argument that Inui has been Japan’s best player of the tournament. He has been a menace down the left side, contributing a goal, an assist, and 2.5 shots per game. He was given man of the match honors against Senegal. Inui also hit the crossbar with a lovely curling effort in the second half. He blamed himself for one of Senegal’s goals, so he will be focused given what is at stake for his team.

Adnan Januzaj ($5,000) -- Januzaj is a wild card. With so many regular starters for Belgium likely to get a rest, Januzaj is in line to step up to take free kicks. Despite his relatively unsettled career, he has always been a threat on set pieces. He had a good year at Real Sociedad and was named man of the match 4 times despite only starting 18 games. While he will not fill his shoes, Januzaj will be expected to do the work of Kevin De Bruyne, who crushed Januzaj in practice. That means Januzaj will be a distributor and an important part of the offense.

Defenders to Target

Yuto Nagatomo ($5,000) -- The Japan left back has been very active this World Cup. The Galatasaray man has one assist, but minds his defensive positioning well. He is averaging 7.5 defensive actions per match through the first two games. His defensive productions levels are up from his time in the Super Lig while his offensive production remains the same. He can get forward against the right side of the Poland lineup that has been unproductive. Poland have also allowed at least two goals in their last three matches.

Yerry Mina ($5,000) -- Mina is Colombia’s highest-rated defender after one game, in which he scored a pivotal goal. He will be under pressure from a fast Senegal squad that has scored at least two goals in their last six matches. He recorded seven defensive actions in the last match as well, despite Colombia having 55% of the possession. His over six-foot frame should be able to challenge M’Baye Niang in the air and neutralize crosses into the box.

Gary Cahill ($4,000) -- Cahill is a budget option in the England three-man back line. Kyle Walker is likely to get the entire match off since he has a yellow card already in the group stage. Cahill will stay home given the speed of the Belgium side. He did average close to seven defensive actions across all competitions this year. However, he will come forward on set pieces as well for the off chance of a goal. Cahill has a high ceiling, so the cost savings are worth a play.

Keepers to Target

Eiji Kawashima ($5,000) -- Poland have nothing to lose after they were eliminated by Colombia. They will likely throw whatever they can at Japan, but Kawashima has been solid. He has seven saves so far, which is good for eighth in the World Cup. Only 6 of Poland's 19 shots have been on target. That is only one more than the number of shots they've had blocked. Poland still have Robert Lewandowski, who will get his shots, even if there is limited space, giving Kawashima a chance to rack up save points.

Aymen Mathlouthi ($3,500) -- Farouk Ben Mustapha has been ruled out of the match, but Tunisia still have a good matchup without their top choice keeper. They have a better chance at a win and shutout than Japan, according to our projections. Panama have only manufactured 14 shots with only 4 being on target. It may be his first match, but with Panama struggling to generate much, along with the low cost, Mathlouthi is worth a look.

Douglas Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Douglas Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. 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.