SOCCER

FanDuel Women's World Cup Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 6/7/19

With France a commanding favorite over Korea Republic in Friday's opening match, Eugénie Le Sommer is in a money spot. Which other players should you zero in on for this single-match slate?

The World Cup is here, and FanDuel is offering daily fantasy contests. On most days, there will be a main slate featuring multiple games, but Friday's opening day has just one match, so FanDuel is offering a single-game contest with a five-person roster, including a captain spot, where a player's points are multiplied by 1.5.

FanDuel has altered its soccer format for the Women's World Cup for the multi-match offerings, and it's important to know how those changes impact things. The single-match slates, however, are the same format as usual.

Let's dig into the opening match between France and Korea Republic.

Forward/Midfield

Eugénie Le Sommer ($17)

France is the overwhelming favorite in the opener versus Korea Republic, with the hosts listed at -1000 to win, per FanDuel Sportsbook, which implies win odds of 90.9%. One of the pre-tourney favorites to lift the trophy, France should roll here, and you need lots of exposure to them, although they'll be immensely popular.

Le Sommer is going to be chalk and maybe the most popular captain pick, but she should be leading the line for France. In France's last competitive event, the SheBelieves Cup a year ago, Le Sommer was the top scorer as well as the assist leader, notching two goals and two assists over three matches versus top-shelf competition.

France has played 13 friendlies since the SheBelieves Cup, winning 12, with the lone setback coming in a 1-0 defeat to Germany. Not only should Les Bleues beat Korea Republic on Friday, they should do so in convincing fashion in front of their home supporters. On single-match slates, you need to roster goals, and Le Sommer has a great chance of netting a goal on Friday, with FanDuel Sportsbook giving her team-best +290 odds of accounting for the match's first tally.

Gaëtane Thiney ($15)

France is spoiled for choices up top. We'll have to see what lineup they opt for in this one, but Thiney has a great shot to start. In the aforementioned SheBelieves Cup last summer, she totaled a goal and an assist, starting in two of the three matches and coming on as a substitute in the other.

In 2019 friendlies in the lead-up to the World Cup, Thiney has logged the third-most minutes on the squad, though she didn't have a single goal involvement in that span. But in a match in which France should see a ton of the ball, she's in a great spot to make the net bulge, assuming she starts.

If you want to go with a stars-and-scrubs approach, you can roster Thiney and Le Sommer. If you crave a more balanced lineup, you'll have to choose one or the other, making Thiney a pivot away from Le Sommer.

Delphine Cascarino ($5), Valérie Gauvin ($7), Kadi Diani ($10)

Odds are that at least one of these three will start in a forward spot, and no matter who it is, they'll be a smashing value. If Gauvin or Cascarino start up top, they could push to be the highest-owned player on the slate.

Diani made a strong case for a starting gig over the course of the team's 2019 friendlies, scoring a team-leading six times in five appearances (four starts). Gauvin scored five goals in six appearances (five starts), and Cascarino -- a rising star -- netted two goals with two assists while starting all seven matches, typically as a winger.

A cheap starting attacker on a heavily-favored team is always going to be incredibly appealing, and whoever starts from this group -- all of them could make the starting XI -- will be a great target and a sneaky-good captain play. You can also roll the dice on Cascarino if she doesn't start as she has all the tools to be an impact sub. Goals from subs massively swing single-match slates, which we just saw last weekend in the men's Champions League Final.

Amandine Henry ($14)

Henry might be the best player in this tournament, and she'll certainly be a crucial figure for France in midfield. She can do it all. But despite her greatness, her position -- a deep-lying midfielder who doesn't get forward into the box very often -- caps her DFS upside.

For those familiar with the men's game, think Juve's Miralem Pjanić, unquestionably a world-class midfielder but not a great DFS player because he doesn't rack up many goals or assists. That's Henry.

This has played out in France's run-up to this tournament. In 410 minutes across five starts, Henry had no goals and a single assist -- and that's with France scoring an eye-popping 21 goals across their seven 2019 friendlies. Still, she's worth mentioning here as she may be a fairly popular play, especially for those not super familiar with the women's game, given her star status.

Don't get it twisted -- she can pop one into the top corner from outside the box, which she did in the 2015 World Cup, but she's a better real-life player than DFS asset.

Ji So-yun ($13)

Korea Republic are big underdogs and probably won't see much possession. With the masses likely loading up on France, not many people are going to want to drop $13 on Ji. But the forward, who plies her trade club-wise at Chelsea, is Korea Republic's top scorer, and if they score and you have that goal on your roster, it could shoot you up leaderboards.

Across three 2019 friendlies, Ji scored four goals in 197 minutes (two starts). At Chelsea, she has been in the PFA Team of the Year for each of the last four years and was named PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year in 2015. She'll likely be deployed in a classic number-10 role behind a central striker, and she'll handle a lot of the set pieces. Plus, she'll be tasked with some defensive duties, too, especially if fellow attacking midfielder Lee Min-a is in the starting XI.

Cho So-hyun ($6)

If you're building a lineup under the assumption of a France onslaught, Cho is a great player to target, and her salary gives you some much-needed cap relief. A do-it-all midfielder for Korea Republic, Cho should be awfully busy when France is in possession, giving her a nice floor via defensive actions. She has more than 100 caps and will be relied on to thwart France's attacks as well as start quick transitions when Korea Republic win the ball.

Defender

Amel Majri ($5)

Majri is usually deployed as a left-back, and she started four matches in France's 2019 friendly slate. With France likely to see a ton of the ball in this one, Majri should have the license to get forward early and often. That makes her a cheap stacking partner for any of the French forwards, and she also carries decent clean-sheet odds.

Lee Eun-mi ($10), Kim Hye-ri ($7), Jang Sel-gi ($4)

Admittedly, it's tough to get a feel for who Korea Republic will start along its backline. These three defenders all logged big minutes at the 2018 Asian Games, though Jang was the only one of these three to see extended run in 2019 friendlies.

Regardless, the starting defenders for Korea Republic will all be high-floor options as they should be under siege for much of this one. The clean-sheet bonus is an extreme long-shot, but they should rack up plenty of clearances, tackles and interceptions. If Jang starts, she'd be perfect for a stars-and-scrubs lineup.