DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Goztepe v. Rizespor Showdown Preview

Well, here we are playing a Turkish Super Lig showdown. Somehow the league is still going on despite bars, restaurants and other public places being closed to the public, but the soccer show goes on! Tuesday's matchup gives us eighth-place Goztepe as -120 home favorites (DraftKings Sportsbook) against 16th-place Rizespor, who are winless in their last eight in all competitions, a run that includes six losses. Goztepe actually haven't been a whole lot better, winning just two of their last eight, but the away team is +320 to win and +240 to draw. It's also not expected to be a high-scoring match, with the over 2.5 goals sitting at +100 versus -130 for under 2.5.

We get a bit of a break in this one because Serdar Gurler ($12,800), the most expensive player on the slate, is out with a calf injury, which not only takes out their best fantasy scorer but also their primary set-piece taker. Instead, left-back Berkan Emir ($8,200) will continue to get a share of corners, and it doesn't hurt that he's also their most prolific crosser, sending in 7.4 per 90 minutes in 21 Super Lig appearances this season. We also saw Andre Castro ($6,200) take a few corners last match, though he finished that one with three crosses versus 11 for Emir, who also created two chances. 

Emir looks like a decent option for captain, though we can't forget about (how could we?!) Zlatko Tripic ($5,000) if he starts because he's also been taking some set pieces when he's on. Tripic isn't a regular starter, but he could get in the lineup because Gurler is out. He's only played 121 minutes in three appearances this season, but he managed 13 crosses, three shots assisted and two shots in 60 minutes in the match Gurler was hurt in, so there's definitely some fun attacking upside. Before we get too excited, Tripic started Goztepe's last match and was subbed at half-time, so using him as a captain isn't without risk. A player who is likely to be a bit more reliable is Soner Aydogu (8,400), a holding midfielder who has also taken some sets relatively recently. Despite playing deeper, Aydogu is fourth on the team in shots and second in chances created, trailing only Gurler in the latter category this season. We also shouldn't ignore right-back Lamine Gassama ($6,400), who is the third-highest crosser among expected starters for Goztepe, and he leads the team in fouls drawn.

In terms of upside, Kamil Wilczek ($5,200) is expected to lead the line and has the highest anytime goal scorer odds in the game. DraftKings wasn't showing anytime goal scorer odds when I was writing this up, but FanDuel has him at +600, which ... isn't high. If he doesn't start, Cameron Jerome ($6,600) is a possibility, and he's right behind at +650. Wilczek leads the team with 2.7 shots per 90 minutes, including 0.9 on target, this season, with Jerome close behind at 2.2. One last guy who might get some attention is Halil Akbunar ($10,800), who is expected to start on the right wing. His +700 odds to score aren't that good, but he averages 3.4 crosses, 1.7 shots and 1.1 fouls drawn per 90 minutes, and he's unlikely to be pretty highly owned because why would you spend five figures for those stats?

The other side of the match can't be ignored (literally, DraftKings won't let us), but heavy consideration should be given to Fernando Boldrin ($11,800), who takes a majority of Rizespor's set pieces and leads them shots, chances created, crosses and fouls drawn. Given how much he contributes, and the fact that there are plenty of good values on the Goztepe side, Boldrin could be the highest-owned player in cash games and GPPs. Even his $17,700 captain salary isn't likely to turn many away, especially since this match isn't expected to have a lot of goals in it (oh, he co-leads them in goals and assists, too).

Rizespor will also be missing starting right-back Mykola Morozyuk ($7,000) due to a red-card ban, which could open up a starting spot for Orhan Ovacikli ($3,800). Additionally, defensive midfielder Ismael Diomande ($3,400) is also suspended, and he is expected to be replaced by Amedej Vetrih ($3,000). There's some potential attacking upside for Ovacikli, though it's been pretty limited this season, and Vetrih is unlikely to do a whole lot in terms of ceiling. Finally, winger Aminu Umar ($9,600) has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, which could give a start to Braian Samudio ($9,400), whose +1100 odds to score are the fourth-highest on the team. Instead, if you're looking for that elusive Rizespor goal, striker Milan Skoda ($7,600) has the best odds at +800 after scoring four goals in his last eight starts.

With Morozyuk out, left-back Dario Melnjak ($5,800) is their next-highest crosser, and his salary is certainly friendly enough to fit in if you don't go with a 5:1 split in favor of Goztepe, which doesn't seem necessary anyway. The volume of crossing isn't that good beyond Boldrin and Melnjak, though if he starts then Ogulcan Caglayan ($9,200) is theoretically an option because he shoots a decent amount and is third on the team in chances created. But that price seems a bit nuts, so the consideration won't go too deep.

The odd thing about this matchup is that Goztepe have actually been shut out in three straight games while Rizespor continue to find the back of the net. With that kind of weirdness, playing either goalkeeper, Beto ($9,000) or Gokhan Akkan ($4,400), seems pretty unnecessary, especially at Beto's price. Then again, it's goalkeeper, so we could always see one of them go off and ruin everything.