The Knockout Round has already had some thrilling finishes and upsets, and we’re just under halfway through the Round of 32. By the end of the day on Wednesday, three more tickets will be punched, and 10 teams will be through to the Round of 16. England and Congo DR get the action started at 12:00 p.m. ET before Belgium and Senegal face off at 4:00 p.m. ET. The game that will get the most attention, though, is the nightcap between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina. DraftKings is ready for another big day with a strong slate of DFS soccer contests as well. Let’s examine the six teams taking the pitch this Wednesday and highlight some strong World Cup DFS picks for your lineups
Now that we’ve reached the knockout stage, 30 minutes of extra time (plus stoppage) will follow regulation if the match is tied. There is no more “Golden Goal” format, with the full 30 minutes played, even if a team scores. A penalty kick shootout will follow if the match is still tied at the end of extra time. From the three games on Wednesday, England is the heaviest favorite with the US not far behind. Belgium is favored in the middle match, although that game is expected to be the closest contest, based on the current odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
This article was written before starting lineups were announced, so be sure to check back as lineups are announced and adjust your squad if necessary. With plenty of high-priced superstar options and some great value plays, it should be another great day of fantasy action at the World Cup, so let’s dive in and pick out my top World Cup DFS picks this Wednesday.
Make your DraftKings World Cup DFS picks here: WC $100K Chip Pass [$20K to 1st]
Forward
Stud
Folarin Balogun, United States, $8,300 — The U.S. offense is expected to get star Christian Pulisic ($9,000) back in place in the midfield, which should allow Balogun to be a great play as the team’s primary option up front. In the only game Pulisic and Balogun played together, Balogun racked up 32.9 FPTS with two goals on five shots (three on goal) and a cross.
He only managed 2.2 FPTS against Australia and picked up a costly yellow card. The team opted to sit him out of the third game of the Group Stage with their spot secure, since another yellow card would have resulted in a suspension.
With their offense back in place for the most part, Balogun should be ready to take advantage of his matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who allowed six goals in three games in Group Play, including four goals to the Swiss. If Team USA’s offense gets back to the way it looked early in the tournament, Balogun brings a very high ceiling as a top goal-scoring option.
Value
Kerim Alajbegovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, $5,000 — On the other side of the late game, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s offense could come from a young player on the rise, 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic. Team USA is expected to dominate possession, but Alajbegovic has flashed enough potential brilliance to end up a good fantasy play even against the flow of play.
Not only is he a key part of the team’s future plans, but he has also proven he can help right away. He only played 16 minutes off the bench in the opener, but he started against Switzerland and earned 6.8 FPTS on five crosses, two chances created and an interception. He was even more effective against Qatar in a match that was basically “win-and-advance.” He finished that game with 22.1 FPTS with one goal on two shots (one on goal), five more crosses and two chances created.
The youngster played for Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and is returning to Bayer Leverkusen for the upcoming Bundesliga season in Germany after the team included a buy-back clause in his move to Salzburg.
For this slate, Alajbegovic is a high-risk play since his team could not be in possession very much, but the dynamic playmaker brings plenty of upside as a potential value play at either midfield or forward with dual positional eligibility.
Midfielder
Stud
Jude Bellingham, England, $9,300 — Bellingham has been very productive out of the midfield for England in two of his three games in the tournament. The 23-year-old who stars for Real Madrid had 21.6 FPTS against Croatia and 33.1 FPTS against Panama, while he struggled with only 2.2 FPTS the the team’s draw against Ghana.
In the opener, Bellingham had a goal on three shots (two on goal), one cross, and one chance created. He only had one shot (none on goal), one cross and one chance created against Ghana, but rebounded with a huge game against Panama. He racked over 30 FPTS with one goal, one assist, two shots (one on goal), four chances created, two crosses, and four fouls drawn.
The Three Lions dominated in that matchup, and Bellingham will look to keep them rolling against Congo DR as the heaviest favorite on the slate. Bellingham has both scoring and creating responsibilities when England is rolling, and that gives him both a high floor and a high ceiling.
Value
Nicolas Jackson, Senegal, $5,700 — Jackson has bounced around the top leagues in Europe over the last few seasons and spent last year on load from Chelsea to Bayern Munich. He appeared in 34 games for Munich and totaled 11 goals across all compeitions after 30 goalis in 81 games in two seasons with Chelsea.
The 25-year-old started the first two games of the Group Stage and came off the bench against Iraq. He finished with 3.2 FPTS against France, but he was just seconds from a goal since he put the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed since he was barely offside. Against Norway, Jackson had 11.3 FPTS due mostly to dishing out an assist to Ismaila Sarr ($7,000) while also contributing three shots (one on goal).
He didn’t start against Iraq but played 33 minutes as a sub, earning 6.1 FPTS with three shots (two on goal) and a tackle won.
If he’s back in the starting lineup against Belgium, he will be in a key role up front for the Lions of Teranga, and even in a tough matchup against Belgium has has the potential to deliver nice value at either forward or midfielder.
Defender
Stud
Maxim De Cuyper, Belgium, $5,200 — De Cuyper was a huge part of Belgium’s offense in the last two games since joining the starting lineup. The 25-year-old actually had -0.9 FPTS in his first game of the tournament off the bench, but then he posted two big games after joining the starting XI.
In the frustrating draw against Iran, De Cuyper was one of the few bright spots, posting 16.1 FPTS on five shots (four on target), three crosses and a clean sheet. He had two more shots (one on target) against New Zealand and added three chances created and there crosses for 10.7 FPTS.
The left back presses forward on teh wing and plays a big role in the team’s attack, so he is a solid play at just over $5,000 with a high ceiling for a defender.
Value
Alex Freeman, United States, $4,200 — Freeman had a huge goal against Australia and has been one of the big breakout stars for Team USA this World Cup. He played 90 minutes against Paraguay and Australia, earning 10.5 and 19.2 FPTS before coming off the bench with just 2.1 FPTS against Turkiye.
Freeman had an assist in the win over Paraguay and a goal against Australia, showing he presses forward enough to offer key contributions in the offense to go with his solid defense. If the USA can keep Bosnia and Herzegovina off the board on Wednesday night, Freeman will get the nice clean sheet bonus in addition to his offensive production, which gives him both a high floor and a nice ceiling.
Goalkeeper
Stud
Matt Freese, United States, $5,600 — Freese gave way to Matt Turner ($5,500) for the final game of the Group Stage, and Turner and the makeshift defense struggled against Türkiye, allowing three goals while Turner had -5.6 DraftKings points. Freese and the more cohesive starting defense was much more effective in the first two games of the tournament. He had 3.2 FPTS against Paraguay with one goal allowed and no saves in the 4-1 win.
He wasn’t tested much but did step up when needed against Australia, putting up 15.2 FPTS with a clean sheet in the win with a pair of saves. Since the US is a solid favorite and has a good chance to keep Bosnia and Herzegovina in check on Wednesday, Freese is a solid pick to build around as long as he returns as expected.
Value
Mory Diaw, Senegal, $4,400 — After Germany and the Netherlands went out in the Round of 32, could Belgium be the next European squad to fall? Senegal is definitely no slouch, and they’ll look to Diaw to keep the Belgian attack in check on Wednesday in the middle match.
Diaw came on in relief of starter Edouard Mendy ($4,300) midway through the second game of the Group Stage after Mendy suffered a knee injury. Diaw wasn’t asked to make any saves in Senegal’s close, 3-2 loss to Norway, so he only had 1.2 FPTS. He looked solid in his limited work against Iraq, racking up 12.4 FPTS on a save, a win and a clean sheet.
He’ll likely have a much bigger workload against the Belgium offense that has very strong pieces but struggled to put it together until their most recent match against an overwhelmed New Zealand sqaud. Diaw plays his club soccer for Le Havre AC in Ligue 1, so he should be familiar with this level of play and will look to help his squad pull off another upset on Wednesday. He’s a higher risk than Freese or Jordan Pickford ($5,800), but he’s a boom-or-bust swing for the fences that does come with potential upside.
