We’ve reached the quarterfinals, and things have happened! Not only has the non-European representation in the quarterfinals tripled from 2019, all former World Cup and Olympic champions have been eliminated. Enough ink has already been spilled (both football/soccer-related and otherwise) on the early exits of several of these teams, so I’ll just skip right to the fantasy aspects of Round 4 and the upcoming quarterfinals. Here are my thoughts on the Round of 16!
Do we need to pump the brakes on England?
Last week, I figured that England had appeared to find their footing in the third group stage match vs. China, and indeed may have the most fantasy upside for the knockout stages. However, I think we may need to adjust. With Lauren James out for the rest of the tournament, and England scraping through on penalties after failing to find the back of the net against Nigeria, it doesn’t appear that there are many reliable MF and FW options for fantasy value in the quarterfinals. With the amount of attacking talent available elsewhere in this round, it may be better to spend your money elsewhere.
That being said, I’m still all in on the Lionesses’ back line. Colombia has the lowest tournament xG of any team in the quarterfinals, and the trip of Bronze, Bright, and Greenwood should all be ideal options for this round. If this match does go to a shootout, Mary Earps could return huge fantasy value as well.
Which QF team has the most upside?
Japan still looks very dangerous on the attack, and the Maltidas seems to be peaking at the right time, but I’ll go with Spain. La Roja have the highest xG (by far) of any team in the World Cup. Spain has three of the top six fantasy players, and they’re all midfielders. If you’re planning on spending a lot at forward for the quarterfinals (Le Sommer, Foord, Roord, etc.), you may want to save some money for one or two of Bonmati, Hermoso, or Abelleira. The Dutch are in what I would describe as the second tier of defensive performance so far in this World Cup with 2.7 xGA, so there should be some opportunity for Spain to find the back of the net.
Where can we find value on Colombia?
It’s been a little difficult to predict fantasy value, especially goalscoring, from Colombia so far. However, considering the QF matchup against England, there may be significant value to be found in the Colombia defense. Specifically, consider Daniela Arias and Jorelyn Carabali – both who cost only $350k (which is very affordable considering the increase in budget in this round). Both are in double digit defensive points through four matches, and if Colombia is able to keep the sheet clean against England, they could be the two highest-value DFs in the quarterfinal round.
What are your thoughts on the quarterfinals? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!