It's the first time this tournament we've actually had some time to assess our teams and make changes without having to navigate around games going on.
The two-day break between the round of 16 and the quarter-finals allows some breathing space, and perhaps a period where we can try and remember what life was like without football every single day.
It is a bonus for fantasy football players and, while number of games is reduced heavily, it makes planning much easier as we don't have to try and predict results quite as much.
There is also the balance of ensuring we have maximum number of players available, in that we don't want to commit so much to one nation only for them to be knocked out at this stage.
FOUR players to consider bringing in for the quarter-finals...@TomC_22 🗣️#SkyFF | @SkyFantasyFooty pic.twitter.com/UqjKis80bi
— Sporting Life Football & Infogol (@InfogolApp) December 8, 2022
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Who are the best players for the quarter-finals?
Every Gameround, there are three transfers available to use.
During the knockouts, the way to maximise this allocation is to use any remaining from a current round to bring players in ahead of the next set of fixtures.
So, if a player has seen their team eliminated, using a transfer to bring in someone else still in the tournament means we can make the most of the transfers policy.
Looking at the next four games, who are the main candidates to consider?
Enzo Fernandez
- Position: MID
- Nation: Argentina
- Fixture: Netherlands
- Price: £7.4m
Enzo Fernandez has huge potential for pass bonus tiers as Argentina take on the Netherlands.
The midfielder has returned 19 points this tournament, but he's only started in their last two games.
This quarter-final tie should see Argentina have the majority of the ball, with the Netherlands having just 42% possession against the USA.
It should be similar in this game, with Fernandez seeing a total of 178 accurate passes across his last two starts.
Bruno Fernandes
- Position: MID
- Nation: Portugal
- Fixture: Morocco
- Price: £10.1m
Portugal have every chance of reaching the final given their path, and Bruno Fernandes will play a key part.
His assist against Switzerland saw him move onto 29 points for the tournament, a very impressive return when we consider that he's only played three games.
With Cristiano Ronaldo's status with the team now unclear, Fernandes is a far safer option and one who can return points.
Richarlison
- Position: STR
- Nation: Brazil
- Fixture: Croatia
- Price: £8.9m
Brazil looked brilliant in their hammering of South Korea, and Richarlison returned 12 points with a goal, assist and shots tier bonus.
They remain the favourites to win the tournament, with a strong attack likely to cause big issues to any defence it faces.
A point on Richarlison here is that the top players on the game are looking to him for points - he's in 67.1% of the top-1000 teams.
Diogo Costa
- Position: GK
- Nation: Portugal
- Fixture: Morocco
- Price: £6.7m
While he hasn't been prolific in points scoring, Diogo Costa represents great value as a goalkeeper for a nation that could go far.
Portugal's contest with Morocco could well be low-scoring, meaning there is every chance we see a similar return to the Uruguay group game (11).
He's in a low percentage of teams, making him a solid differential option who may have a few games still.
What are the best captains for the quarter-finals?
We're now at the stage of the tournament where the games are split over just two days.
That makes both team planning and captaincy choices that bit easier, as we don't have to worry about ensuring we have someone available on all days.
It'll be rare that players don't have a captain on a day, so picking the right one is crucial and varies depending on situation.
Those at the top of leagues will be happier having the usual candidates, the big hitters, to ensure they match those around them for points return - while they almost have 'first choice' on the captains.
If you're chasing, now may be the time to try and find some alternatives, while also ensuring it's someone who will deliver rather than captaincy for captain's sake.
Based on the two days, who are the main figures to look at?
Friday:
- Neymar, Lionel Messi, Richarlison
Saturday:
- Bruno Fernandes, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham
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