World Cup Fantasy: Keeping faith in Brazil and backing Balogun, Mbappe and Olise on Matchday 2

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The opening round of World Cup matches has given fantasy managers plenty to think about.

Some pre-tournament favourites delivered, others disappointed, and a handful of under-the-radar assets emerged as genuine World Cup Fantasy options heading into Matchday 2. 

With plenty of opportunity to react and target fixtures, now is the perfect time to reassess where the best value and upside can be found ahead of the second round of group games, which gets underway at 5pm UK time (12pm ET) on Thursday.

USMNT stars catch the eye

Few teams made a bigger statement on Matchday 1 than the United States. Their attacking display in a 4-1 win against Paraguay was one of the standout performances of the tournament's opening round of matches.

They have another appealing fixture against Australia coming up on Matchday 2. While the Socceroos opened with a victory of their own, the Americans will head into that match in Seattle tomorrow (Friday) believing they can create plenty of chances once again. 

For fantasy managers, several USMNT assets stand out. Midfielder Christian Pulisic ($7.0m) is the headline pick, as the side's talisman who is likely on penalties and takes set pieces. He got an assist against Paraguay but had to be taken off at half-time with a minor calf injury, so keep an eye on fitness updates. 

Folarin Balogun ($6.0m) looks great value. The striker looked sharp on Matchday 1 with a finely-taken brace that helped earn him 15-points. He also picked up an extra point for three shots on target and the two-point scouting bonus. 

The most intriguing option, though, is Sergino Dest ($4.3m). Listed as a defender in the game, Dest was effectively operating as a winger against Paraguay and attacking high up the pitch. That positional advantage is extremely valuable in fantasy, offering clean sheet potential alongside attacking returns. 

Dest and Balogun both still sat under five per cent ownership at the time of writing, so will qualify for the scouting bonus of an extra two points. 

Sergino Dest, right, consistently popped up in attacking areas during the USMNT's opening match of the World Cup despite being listed as a defender in fantasy (Harry How/Getty Images)

Don't be put off by Brazil's shaky start

Brazil may not have lived up to expectations in their first group match, drawing 1-1 with Morocco, but context is important. 

Much of the credit should go to the Moroccans, who were one of the most impressive teams across all of Matchday 1. Organised defensively, energetic in midfield and dangerous on the counter-attack, they made life extremely difficult. 

Despite Brazil's underwhelming display, their Matchday 2 meeting with Haiti remains one of the standout fixtures of the group stage. 

The quality gap between these two sides is significant and Brazil will be expected to create numerous scoring opportunities against the Caribbean nation. In fantasy terms, this is not the week to abandon Carlo Ancelotti's attacking players because of one disappointing performance. Brazil are expected to score the most goals of Matchday 2, according to market odds.

Vinicius Junior ($10.0m) remains your best bet. Brazil's goal against Morocco came from a moment of brilliance by the Real Madrid forward and he's going to be one of the top captaincy options in this second phase of group action. He is nailed to start if fit and likely to play plenty of minutes in Philadelphia on Friday (the early hours of Saturday for UK readers). 

Raphinha ($8.2m) is another excellent option. He and Vinicius Jr were the only two Brazilian attackers to play the full 90 minutes against Morocco, which shows how much Ancelotti rates them. Raphinha is on the majority of set pieces, and also the side's likely penalty taker. 

While there may be temptation to look elsewhere, owning at least one Brazilian attacking player still feels like a sensible strategy, given their next fixture and the team's overall quality in forward areas. 

Ecuador could be Matchday 2's hidden gem 

Ecuador were unfortunate not to find the net and could easily have taken something from their 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast. They created opportunities throughout the match and were unlucky to come away empty-handed. 

The good news for fantasy managers is that they now face Curacao in what looks like one of the strongest fixtures of Matchday 2. 

Ecuador are heavy favourites to win in Kansas City on Saturday (early Sunday in the UK), score multiple times and keep a clean sheet — they are expected to score three-plus goals and are the favourites to keep a Matchday 2 clean sheet (68 per cent), according to market odds.

Enner Valencia ($5.9m) immediately catches the eye as their first-choice No 9 and penalty taker. The experienced forward, now 36, was unfortunate not to score against Ivory Coast, hitting the post and consistently looking like Ecuador's biggest threat.  

Given the fixture, Valencia looks like one of the best forward options for Matchday 2. He was also under one per cent owned at the time of writing and is extremely unlikely to breach the five per cent scouting-bonus threshold. 

Enner Valencia failed to find the net against Ivory Coast – but Ecuador play minnows Curacao next (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Piero Hincapie ($4.7m) and Joel Ordonez ($3.9m) stand out as excellent defensive targets. Both offer strong clean-sheet potential, are nailed to start if available and great value. Like Valencia, both sit below five per cent ownership, which means they qualify for the scouting bonus while also providing genuine upside. 

A word of warning, though: Ecuadorians should only really be considered if you are planning on wildcarding for Matchday 3, as they play Germany in their final group game. 

France and Mbappe off to a typically brilliant start

France got their World Cup campaign underway with a 3-1 victory against Senegal. 

That result puts them in a strong position heading into Matchday 2, where they face Iraq next Monday in what is another of the most attractive fixtures across this round of 24 matches.  

France entered the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy and now have an excellent opportunity to take control of Group I. 

Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m) scoring a superb brace in that win at MetLife Stadium wouldn't really have surprised most observers. The Real Madrid forward continues to be the focal point of almost every French attack, is on penalties and nailed to start, barring injury. With Iraq next up, he is almost an essential pick. 

Michael Olise ($9.5m) is another player who managers really should be prioritising to buy this week. The Bayern Munich winger was superb in the second half on Tuesday and provided the assist for Mbappe to score the game's first goal. He continues to offer an excellent combination of creativity and goal threat.  

While there are several routes into the French attack, Mbappe and Olise currently look like the standout fantasy picks. They both played the full 90 minutes against Senegal and are the two fantasy-relevant attackers who will likely play the most minutes for the French. 

Kane is a standout group-stage captain

England produced one of the most impressive attacking displays of Matchday 1, defeating Croatia 4-2 in what was widely considered their toughest fixture of the group stage.

While conceding twice will raise some defensive concerns, fantasy managers will be far more interested in what happened at the other end of the pitch.

Having already navigated their toughest opponent, England now face Ghana and Panama in their final two group matches. Both fixtures look significantly kinder on paper and should provide further opportunities for attacking returns.

Harry Kane ($10.5m) was undoubtedly the standout performer. The England captain scored twice and looked in excellent form from start to finish. More importantly, the underlying numbers were extremely encouraging.

Kane registered seven shots in total, with three on target, highlighting just how involved he was in England's attacking play.

The Bayern Munich forward remains England's best fantasy asset by some distance. He is on penalties, the focal point of the attack and when England score, there is a very strong chance Kane will be involved.

With two very favourable games next, he now enters the conversation as one of the best captaincy options for the group stage.