DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Central Coast Mariners v. Melbourne City FC Showdown Preview

Well, if Russian Premier League and Turkish Super Lig wasn't obscure enough for you, it's time to head down under for some Australian A-League action, with DraftKings kicking off their offering with Friday's Central Coast Mariners v. Melbourne City FC showdown. The visitors, who are owned by the same group that controls Manchester City in the Premier League and New York City FC in Major League Soccer, currently sit second in table and are -182 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Meanwhile, Central Coast Mariners are dead last in the 11-team league, losing 16 of 21 matches with a minus-27 goal differential thanks to a league-high 47 goals allowed. Melbourne City are the second-highest scoring team in the league, and given the matchup, it's unsurprising that the odds are -195 for more than 2.5 goals, though it's +135 for over 3.5. Having allowed multiple goals in six of their last seven games, Central Coast Mariners come in on a nine-match losing streak, one short of the club record.

With Melbourne City strongly favored despite playing away, it won't be surprising to see many fantasy players using four of five guys from the team with the expectation that they dominate the match. Initial consideration for their players will start with Craig Noone ($9,800), who is responsible for a majority of their set pieces, leading them in crosses and fouls drawn while sitting second in shots and tackles won. His excellent floor will likely make him the highest-owned player in cash games, and likely the highest-played captain, and he certainly won't be overlooked in GPPs. Frankly, it's a bit of a wonder why he's not more expensive.

The upside play from Melbourne City is Jamie Maclaren ($10,400), who has the highest anytime goal scorer odds in the match and leads the league in goals + assists with 19 (his 15 goals are the second-most in the league). Additionally, two of his last three goals have come from the penalty spot, including just last week in a draw with Western Sydney. Pairing Noone and Maclaren is certainly possible given they aren't overly expensive individually, and there are decent cheaper options if you consider each player's realistic floors versus what you might miss out on with Noone or Maclaren.

Joining Noone and Maclaren in the attack is likely to be Markel Susaeta ($10,600), who some might remember from his long career with Athletic Club in La Liga. Susaeta's price is definitely puzzling because while he has a decent floor, he has just one goal and zero assists in 13 matches this season (eight starts). His fantasy points generally come from crosses and fouls drawn, and he could theoretically be a GPP pivot from one of Maclaren or Noone, but it just seems like a silly use of salary in cash games. Instead, Adrian Luna ($7,800), who is expected back in the lineup after serving a one-match yellow card ban, has been a much more active shot-taker, and he sent in 10 crosses in his last three starts. From a floor perspective, he definitely makes more sense than Florin Berenguer ($8,400), who should start on the left wing, even if the latter has two goals and one assist in his last five games. Simply put: Luna shoots more, sends in more crosses, draws more fouls and wins more tackles. If anything, their prices should be reversed. And under normal circumstances, I don't think you'd consider defensive midfielder Joshua Brillante ($4,800) much, but he could be a decent salary saver for tournaments because Melbourne City should control this match and maybe he can move forward. That being said, he's taken two shots in his last five games.

Scott Jamieson ($6,800) and Nathaniel Atkinson ($4,400) could start at left-back and right-back, respectively, with the former the more well-rounded fantasy scorer even if the latter is coming off a great game when he created four chances, sent in seven crosses, won five tackles and put his only shot on target en route to 16.7 fantasy points without a goal or assist. Given the relatively small floor difference between the two, it seems more prudent to just pay for the cheaper one and use the extra salary to help in other spots.

As mentioned, Central Coast Mariners have really struggled this season, but that doesn't mean they are completely void of fantasy value. Milan Duric ($9,200) is their most expensive player, which isn't overly surprising since he leads them in goals, shots and shots on goal, not to mention he seems to be on penalties. Strangely, Matt Simon ($6,600) is actually three-for-three on penalties this season, but two came in one game and all three happened after he came off the bench. However, a lot of Duric's fantasy success came earlier in the season, and he's started just two of the last five games (he was in for both of the last two, though he played 64 and 82 minutes, respectively). The importance of Duric is that he appears likely to take set pieces for the side, which could be beneficial in this match because Melbourne City have conceded a league-high 14 set piece goals this season, while Central Coast Mariners have scored more than half of their goals from set pieces. 

If you don't want to spend so much for potentially your lone CCM player, Jack Clisby ($5,800) is second on the team in crosses, and he's actually first among expected starters because Tommy Oar ($7,200) is likely to be out because of some kind of chronic injury. Clisby has had some big crossing games from his left-back position, including 16 against Adelaide and 17 against Sydney FC, games when he also had two shots and at least two interceptions in each. A full match from Duric may be worth $9,200 in a vacuum, but again, you're using quite a bit of salary for a player whose floor may not be significantly higher than Clisby, who saves more than $3,000. CCM have also played with three in the back a few times recently, which has pushed Clisby into a wing-back role, though it's understandable that he may not be able to attack a ton against Melbourne City. Lewis Miller ($5,400) is expected to start on the right side, though he's not nearly the attacker that Clisby is, so saving the $400 doesn't seem all that worthwhile.

Jordan Murray ($5,600) is theoretically the upside play for CCM since he could lead the line, and while he has taken multiple shots in seven consecutive starts, he's also only started two of the last four, ceding front-line duties to Chris Harold ($7,600), who has taken multiple shots in five consecutive starts, including at least three four times in that span. Unfortunately, neither player crosses much, draws many fouls nor does much defensive work, so you're really playing them for a goal and, as a reminder, CCM are +440 to win. 

Given Melbourne City are such solid favorites, goalkeeper Tom Glover ($7,400) could be a consideration for those confident enough that he posts a clean sheet in their probable win. The difficulty is that he's unlikely to make many saves, and if he does concede, which is something he's done in six of his last seven, then there's really not much floor or ceiling. And while CCM goalkeeper Mark Birighitti ($4,600) provides some solid salary savings, we can't ignore that they have been really poor, as evidenced by the fact that he's scored fewer than one fantasy point in three of his last four.