Day 3 of the Euro 2016 tournament will take place on Sunday with a full slate of games beginning with Turkey taking on Croatia and followed by Poland and Northern Ireland, then Germany taking on Ukraine. We took the time to break down the rosters and create what we feel is the perfect lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings tournaments. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings Euro fantasy tournaments.
GK: Manuel Neuer, Germany
Salary: $5,200
The World champion Germany side will be substantial favorites in its tournament opener against Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine and we have no problem spending big to lock in Neuer. He is one of the world-class goalkeepers competing at this year’s event and a strong side in front of him should help him to produce a strong stat line. Germany has never had much trouble with Ukraine in international games. They have won twice and drawn twice. As for Ukraine, they appear to be a relatively weak unit as they had to beat Slovenia in the playoffs just to qualify for what is their second ever Euro tournament (Germany has qualified for 12 straight finals). This match could very well end up being a shutout, so that’s why we’ll pay the price for Neuer.
D: Michal Pazdan, Poland
Salary: $3,700
Poland are aiming for a first Euro win in their third tournament and this could be their best opportunity with Northern Ireland making its debut. Pazdan is a strong value option at just $3.7K so he slides in to our lineup perfectly at the defender position.
D: Benedikt Howedes, Germany
Salary: $3,500
Germany has yet to lose a competitive game to Ukraine with two wins and two draws and we don’t expect that trend to end on Sunday. Howedes is another strong value play in the Germany defense and a clean sheet bonus could help elevate his stock if they can shut the door on Ukraine. Although Germany has been slightly inconsistent since winning the World Cup, that’s mostly been on the offensive end. They should be fairly tidy in the back end against a Ukrainian team that won’t push forward too often (or has the weapons to succeed when they do).
M: Ivan Perisic, Croatia
Salary: $6,800
Croatia will be looking for revenge versus Turkey after they lost to them in penalties in the Euro 2008. Croatia did get a 3-0 win in the Euro 2012 but they won’t be satisfied as they try to open this tournament with a bang. Perisic is their leader in the midfield and should have plenty of opportunities to find the score sheet.
M: Toni Kroos, Germany
Salary: $6,700
Germany will have a wealth of weapons to rely on and it will be very interesting to see how each players time is managed. Kroos should see substantial minutes in the German midfield and we are relying on him to make an impact at the offensive end of the pitch.
F: Thomas Muller, Germany
Salary: $10,600
Muller is projected to lead the three-time winners up front so it’s no surprise that he is the second-most expensive striker option on the board behind only Robert Lewandowski. Muller should get his fair share of opportunities early on as the central striker in the Germany attack to start the game.
F: Mario Mandzukic, Croatia
Salary: $8,500
Mandzukic is the star up front for Croatia and we expect that if they do score he will be involved in some way. He won’t need many touches to find the back of the net and we are banking on that he will find a way to break through with at least a goal versus Turkey.
FLEX: Sami Khedira, Germany
Salary: $5,000
Germany is one of the deepest teams in the tournament and Khedira should see substantial minutes against Poland. The fact that he is available at exactly $5K allows us to use every remaining dollar we have left under the salary cap to lock him in as our FLEX play for Sunday’s slate. It’s hard to see Ukraine doing anything more than being conservative here, so Germany should have a lot of possession and a lot of offensive opportunities.
