We are in the knockout rounds of World Cup 2022 Fantasy Football, and Quarterfinals start in just a few days.
Without further ado, here are our Fantasy World Cup Matchday 5 Tips.
1. Tips for Matchday 5 – Quarterfinals – of FIFA World Cup Fantasy
Use your first four transfers before R16 ends
Once Matchday 4 finishes, you will likely lose any unused transfers (although rules are unclear if we can roll 0 or 1 transfer in the knockout stage).
So, make the first 3-4 changes before the end of Portugal vs. Switzerland match, then we should be awarded 5another 5 free transfers once Matchday 5 unlocks.
Save a few transfers for Semifinals
At the start of Matchday 5, we all are awarded 5 free transfers. But do not use them all before Matchday 5.
Save a few of them, as you can use them during Matchday (if some of your players are benched) or at the very end of Matchday 5 to get rid of eliminated players and partially prepare your fantasy team for Matchday 6.
Focus on teams that have a high chance of advancing to the semifinals, especially Brazil
Brazil has the best fixture of Matchday 5, so focus on their players. Alisson, Danilo, Neymar, and Richarlison are our top four picks (although you can have 5 players per nation).
You can double up on their attack (but sacrifice one of Mbappe/Messi), or double or triple up on their defense as they haves the highest clean sheet probability in Matchday 5.
From midfielders, we would go Casemiro over Paqueta due to his ability to collect points for tackles.
Portugal is another team with a solid fixture, Costa, Guerreiro, Fernandes, and perhaps even Ramos are all great picks for Quarterfinals.
Pick goalkeepers from both sides of the bracket
Goalkeepers of your fantasy World Cup team could be from both sides of the bracket – that way you make sure they do not end up playing against each other in the next round, which would mean that you cannot make goalkeeper subs.
If you still have your wildcard, use it now
If you have your wildcard left, this is the best time to use it now, due to the “Wildcard hack” possibility.
You can create one team for Matchday 5 (with unlimited transfers) at the start of Matchday 5, and before the end of Matchday 5 you will transfer out locked players and prepare your fantasy team for Matchday 6 with unlimited transfers again.
2. Fixtures to target in Matchday 5 of Fantasy World Cup
Let’s look at which fixtures should be good for points in the Quarterfinals:
- Brazil vs Croatia
- Morocco vs Portugal
3. Best players to pick in Matchday 5
We also looked at players from each position: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
We examine which players are best picks in each price bracket: budget enablers, midpriced picks, and premium options:
- Best goalkeepers to pick in World Cup Fantasy MD5
- Best defenders to pick in World Cup Fantasy MD5
- Best midfielders to pick in World Cup Fantasy MD5
- Best forwards to pick in World Cup Fantasy MD5
Top scout picks and differentials for Matchday 5
We also looked at the 5 best scout picks for QF and then at top differentials (under 5 % owned). You can check them in our articles:
- Best Scout Picks for Matchday 5
- Top Differentials for Matchday 5
4. Best captain for Fantasy World Cup Matchday 5
When we select a captain in fantasy football, it is all about the fixture. Basically, we try the pick the fixture that has the highest haul potential (or hattrick potential).
We think, that for Matchday 5, Brazil vs Croatia, and the Netherlands vs Argentina are best fixtures for captaincy. So currently, we think that Neymar is the best captain in Matchday 5.
Messi, will be our backup captain.
Do not forget we can change our captain only ONCE per matchday, after your first captain is locked.
Captaincy thresholds:
So, when to change the captain? What is the satisfying amount of points? With 5 points for goals and points for Key Passes and Tackles, we think that the magic number is 6 points.
So when your captain scores 6 points or more, you leave the armband on him. When he scores less, you switch the captaincy.
Switching captaincy is a common feature in UCL Fantasy as well, so you can find more interesting information about switching the captaincy in our article: When to change captain in UCL Fantasy?
All ideas mentioned in the article 100% apply to Fantasy World Cup as well.
5. Probabilities for Matchday 5
Would you like to look at the World Cup 2022 Fantasy Quarterfinals from a probabilistic point of view? Check the odds for Matchday 5:
- World Cup Clean Sheet Odds for Matchday 5
- World Cup Goalscoring Odds for Matchday 5
- Probabilities of progressing to Semifinals
Brazil and Portugal are top for clean sheet odds in QF. Focus on their defensive players.
6. Booster strategy for Quarterfinals
Do you still have your wildcard left?
Use it now, in Quarterfinals. Read more in our article: Should you use your wildcard in Quarterfinals?
You can also check our wildcard team selection here: Our Wildcard team for Matchday 5! (QF)
Power captain in Matchday 5?
Originally we thought, that the best round for power captain will be the final, but than we switched to MD3.
So if you have not used it already, you can save it for Matchday 7, where are just a few captaincy options.
Read more: Should you use Power Captain in Matchday 5?
What about 12th man?
If you have not used your 12th man already, you could, potentially, use it now in Matchday 5. For example, your 12th man could be Richarlison, Vinicius, Neymar, or another Brazil player that you couldn’t fit in.
With more teams getting eliminated in every round, the possibility you will catch a big haul with this booster is decreasing in every matchday, so use it as soon as possible, while we have at least few good fixtures.
So we are leaning towards using 12th man as soon as possible.
The range of players you can choose from for this booster is smaller every round in the knockout stage.
Read more: Still have your 12th Man booster? Use it in Matchday 5!
7. Team selection for Matchday 5 (Quarterfinals)
Captaincy sequence:
- Neymar – Messi
Team selection:
GK: Costa (5.0,), Alisson (6.0)
DEF: Dumfries (6.0), Guerreiro (5.0), Militao (5.0), Danilo (5.5), Acuna (4.5m),
MID: Ziyech (7.0), Klaassen (6.0), Fernandes (9.5), Saka (8), Rodrigo de Paul (5.0)
FWD: Neymar (C) (10.5), Messi (10.5), Mbappe (11.5)
8. Fantasy World Cup Tips
Find more tips, strategies and picks for Fantasy World Cup in these articles:
- Beginner? Read our guide: How to play World Cup Fantasy?
- Confused about the rules? Read the Official guidelines of the game or the Official FAQs
- Want to beat your mini-league rivals? This guide is for you: 10 essential tips for Fantasy World Cup Success
- Interested in improving your decision-making process when picking players to your fantasy team? Check out our World Cup Fantasy Journal, where we try to formulate some hypotheses and principles for making the best decision possible
- Who might start and who might be benched? Check our World Cup Predicted Lineups
FAQ
Who is the best captain in Fantasy World Cup Matchday 5?
We think Neymar is the best captain for the Matchday 5 of the Fantasy World Cup.
Which players should I pick for my team in Matchday 5?
These are players we consider to be almost essential picks for MD5: Neymar, Messi, Dumfries, Bruno Fernandes.
Thoughts on Mbappe to Neymar?
Feels very risky. But England defense is very solid, so it is going to be a tough game for Mbappe. I would try to find another way how to get Neymar in, and leave Mbappe to Neymar as the last option.
Neymar? Or Vinicius?
Neymar for sure. Higher goalscorig odds. Key man.
why you dont choose england player
Saka is currently in our lineup. But it could change before the deadline, still a lot of time for preparing our teams.
Whould i waste 1 transfer to swap vini for neymar
De Paul may not be playing. Are you making transfers?
Hi, Matej!
Do you know how the transfers work for players that are already out (if we want to do the transfer after the match day has started)?
I have Alba who I plan to sell to get Guerreiro ideally once I see the lineups. Is Alba considered locked player once the match day starts or not?