Euro 2016 continues with a full slate of games on Friday as Italy battles Sweden, the Czech Republic clash with Croatia and Span plays Turkey. Italy has set its sights on top spot in Group E following an impressive win over Belgium while Spain can move one step closer to placing atop Group F if they can improve to 2-0-0. We took the time to break down the games for fantasy purposes to create the perfect winning lineup and while it might come as a surprise we opted to narrow our focus to two games in particular. Here is a look at the optimal fantasy lineup for Friday’s DraftKings Euro fantasy competitions.
GK: David de Gea, Spain
Salary: $5,500
Spain had little problem with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in their opener. Now the Group F favorites will look to book their spot in the Round of 16 with a win over Turkey on Friday. Spain should control the pace and tempo of this contest and that should mean de Gea won’t need to do any more than he did versus the Czech Republic when he had three saves in a clean sheet victory.
D: Matteo Darmian, Italy
Salary: $5,000
The majority of time we don’t like to spend big at the defender position but Italy used Darmian in more of an attacking role in its opening win over Belgium and that is expected to be the case again on Friday. Darmian was all over the field in that clean sheet victory and should be a smart bet at a high price for his DraftKings position but a strong value play for his actual position.
D: Gerard Pique, Spain
Salary: $4,000
Pique is much more reasonably priced for his position at $4K and his tendency to push up and contribute on set pieces and corner kicks makes him that much more attractive of an option. It certainly helps that he scored a goal in the opener for Spain and he should be a strong pick again for Friday’s Euro fantasy competitions.
M: David Silva, Spain
Salary: $7,900
Silva is the most expensive midfielder on the board for Friday and reasonably so when you consider his potential to get on the score sheet. Silva was held without a point in the opener despite two shots and three fouls drawn and it won’t be a surprise if registers at least a point in this game.
M: Daniele De Rossi, Italy
Salary: $4,800
De Rossi is one of the most intriguing assets on the board for Friday in big part because of his low price tag. The veteran midfielder is a key figure for Italy and he should be a strong Euro fantasy value option for Friday’s contests at under $5K on DraftKings.
F: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden
Salary: $10,400
Ibrahimovic is the highest priced player on the board for Friday by a long shot and considering the circumstances we are happy to have him in our lineup. Ibrahimovic failed to score in a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland but he had four shots and four offsides. He will continue to get opportunities versus Italy and we will take a chance on him in Euro fantasy to break through with his first goal of the tournament on Friday.
F: Nolito, Spain
Salary: $8,200
Nolito had three shots but was also held without a point versus Czech Republic, which had something to do with the fact that he was called offside on three occasions. The young striker will be relied on to produce at some point for Spain and there is a good chance he gets on the board versus Turkey.
FLEX: Oscar Lewicki, Sweden
Salary: $4,000
With just over $4K left over to spend on our final FLEX position, it only makes sense to roll with a veteran midfielder that has some considerable upside in Lewicki. He played the full 90 minutes in the opener versus the Republic of Ireland and should feature heavily again versus Italy. He might not be Sweden’s best attacking option but he is the midfielder with the highest upside on the board out of the players we can still afford in this spot for Euro fantasy.
