DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Fenerbahce v. Kayserispor Showdown Preview

Fenerbahce are traditionally a power in the Super Lig, but they come in a disappointing sixth, going winless in their last six in all competitions. However, they are still solid -335 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbooks for Friday's match against Kayserispor, the last place team in the table despite winning three of their last five league games. Goals are expected, as the odds are currently -240 for more than 2.5 goals and +110 for more than 3.5 (-137 for under). There are also a number of injuries and suspensions that will likely open up some value plays, so we may not have to shell out a ton of salaries to roster players in good situations for the home side.

The set-piece situation for Fenerbahce is a bit fluid, partially due to rotating roles and partially due to those injuries and suspensions. Deniz Turuc ($9,400), who returned from a red-card ban last week, leads the team in crosses and usually takes corners when he is on, though it's possible that he starts at left-back Friday instead of his usual attacking midfield spot. That doesn't mean you can't own and/or captain him, but it becomes more of a floor play for cash games than upside for GPPs. Complicating things further, Turuc wasn't even a consistent starter before the red card, so we can't be shocked if he's not in Friday. Otherwise, Mehmet Ekici ($6,800) and Tolga Cigerci ($6,200) have taken some sets recently, though that was when Turuc was suspended. And, to make it even cloudier, Emre Belozoglu ($8,000) actually leads the team in corners taken, but he only started two of the last seven games and saw Turuc take four of the team's five corners in last weekend's 1-0 loss to Konyaspor, and that was after coming on at halftime for Ekici. Emre is a defensive midfielder as it is, so his upside is fairly limited.

Ignoring set pieces, Garry Mendes Rodrigues ($10,000) is a solid attacking winger, though he's certainly not a high-volume crosser. He does take a decent number of shots, and has been putting them on target recently, and he drew multiple fouls in each of the past three games. A player of that type theoretically should be a consideration for cash games, but a five-figure price probably takes him out of that discussion for many.

With Max Kruse ($12,800) ruled out with a knee injury, Vedat Muriqi ($10,600) will be the main option up front. Muriqi already leads the team with 13 goals (Kruse is second with seven), and he's converted both of his penalty attempts this season (Kruse hit on all three of his). Unsurprisingly, Muriqi also leads the team in shots and shots on goal, and he's second in fouls drawn, so while he's not much of a crosser, his floor is decent and he has the highest anytime goal scorer odds (-137) in the game. Given some available values, there are likely to be plenty of Turuc/Muriqi lineups, likely with the former more captained in cash games and the latter in GPPs. 

We might also get a start for Miha Zajc ($8,800), but we disappointingly don't get much of a discount for a player who went 12 consecutive matches with zero minutes off the bench before he scored as a sub in 24 minutes against Antalyaspor two games ago and then 59 minutes off the bench against Denizlispor before he got a full 90-minute start against Konyaspor last week. He took three shots in each game, which apparently was enough to make him the sixth-highest priced player on the slate. He doesn't have a role on set pieces, but if you're worried about potentially choosing the wrong dead-ball taker, Zajc is theoretically a pivot away from guys like Muriqi or Ekici, though the latter's cheaper price probably keeps him as the better option. Ekici's price also puts him ahead of right-back Mauricio Isla ($6,400), who some might remember from his time at Udinese , Juventus, QPR or Marseille, and while Isla is second on the team in crosses, he sent in more than five just twice this season, and he really doesn't contribute much more. If you're looking for cheap crosses, Nabil Dirar ($5,000) could provide that, though there are indications he's not going to play.

Kayserispor were already struggling this season, and they go into this game without Pedro Henrique ($6,000), their leading goal scorer and second-highest shot-taker, and right-back Miguel Lopes ($5,800), who leads them in crosses, tackles won and interceptions. Their absences will surely put more of the attacking workload on the shoulders of Bernard Mensah ($9,600), who is appropriately priced as their most-expensive player and the fourth-highest in the game. Mensah is the team-leader in crosses if we skip Lopes (he's only six behind anyway), he leads them in fouls drawn if he ignore Henrique (he's five behind), and he leads them in shots and shots on goal. After making the score-sheet in four of his last seven games, Mensah is definitely a possibility because of how much he does, with the obvious hesitation that you're spending a decent amount of salary on a player for a team that's +700 to win. On the plus side, there are some values on the Kayserispor side because of the plethora of injuries and suspensions who could help make Mensah more affordable, but the negative is that you're now looking at multiple players from a team expected to get blasted.

Zoran Kvrzic ($3,200) should start again at right-back in place of Lopes, and he's been a decent contributor for his price, scoring at least 4.8 fantasy points in three straight games. If you really want to pile on the Fenerbahce attackers, Kvrzic theoretically is a really cheap way to get a lone Kayserispor player in, though you have to wonder how much attacking work he'll get. Another player expected to come into the lineup for a more expensive regular starter is Mario Situm ($4,600), who could start for Henrique. Situm started his first four games for Kayserispor after joining for Dinamo Zagreb in January, but he's managed just one start in the past five games. He has a decent floor when he gets the minutes because of shots, crosses, fouls drawn and tackles won, though similarly to Kvrzic, you have to wonder how many attacking opportunities he'll get in this one.

If Mensah is too expensive, and you want some real potential production, Muris Mesanovic ($6,600) could be the guy after scoring two goals on nine shots (two on goal) and picking up an assist in his last three games. Mesanovic was playing as a right winger while Hasan Huseyin Acar ($5,800) was out injured, but he moved to center forward last week in Acar's return. Acar himself could be a decent play for his floor because he sends in a decent number of crosses, draws a few fouls and takes a few shots, and his lower salary versus Mesanovic is certainly helpful. Both players started last week, which moved Artem Kravets ($7,000) to the bench, and while Kravets could return to the starting XI, his fantasy production is dependent on shots and goals, neither of which should be plentiful Friday. If floor is really what your'e after, Emre Tasdemir ($5,200) is solid from his left-back position, creating at least two chances in five straight games, two of which included double-digit crosses. It certainly looks good in a vacuum, but as a huge away underdog Friday, it seems like his expected production can't be significantly higher than Kvrzic, who costs $3,000 less.

If you are banking on Fenerbahce domination, including a clean sheet, goalkeeper Harun Tekin ($7,600) is theoretically an option as he starts for the injured Altay Bayindir. However, Tekin's save upside doesn't seem like it'll be that high given that Fenerbahce are expected to dominate possession, a situation that could help the upside of Silviu Lung ($4,000), who made 11 saves in his last two games. It's a bit risky on a one-game slate, and the volatility probably isn't ideal for cash games, but 10 points for a $7,600 player probably isn't bad.