DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Gangwon v. FC Seoul Showdown Preview

Now that I have an extensive career of writing about the K League that dates back all the way to five hours ago, breaking down the Gangwon v. FC Seoul match should be a piece of cake.

Juuust kidding. I am as much in the dark as I was earlier today, but that doesn't mean we have nothing to discuss for DraftKings' second showdown slate on Sunday. FC Seoul finished third in the K League 1 table last season and propelled them into the AFC Champions League, which they have already participated in this year. That gives them a bit of a leg up on Gangwon, last season's sixth-place team that finished six points behind FC Seoul. Then again, that Champions League match was back in February, so maybe we throw that bit away. FC Seoul are +138 away favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Gangwon +160 to win. Unlike the first match of the day, this one is expected to have some goals, with DK Sportsbook posting -124 odds for over 2.5 goals versus +100 for the under, and both teams are expected to participate thanks to the -129 odds for both to score versus -103 for them not to.

The most expensive player in the match is understandably the best, with Gangwon's Lee Yeong-Jae ($11,800) posting game logs that look like vintage Gylfi Sigurdsson. Shots, crosses, chances created, fouls drawn, goals, assists, they're all here with double-digit fantasy points in nearly every match. There's no questioning his viability in terms of production, but can you build a viable lineup if you spend $17,700 of your $50,000 salary cap if you captain him? In a word: sure.

It all depends on whether the game ends up being high scoring and whether he can get on the scoresheet. His +490 odds to score don't produce a ton of confidence, even with four goals in the final nine games of last season. If goals are the ... goal (sorry), teammate Kim Ji-Hyeon ($11,200) is expected to lead the line, and his +180 odds to score are the highest on the team and second-highest in the match overall. Kim's floor is almost fully dependent on shots, and given he's the second-most expensive player, he's going to have to find the back of the net based on his salary. Pairing Lee and Kim means you're really hoping everything goes through them, as you're left with less than $5,300 per remaining position if you captain Lee and and $5,350 if you go with Kim in the 1.5x multiplier spot.

Things get much more complicated from there, as projected lineups are pretty difficult to find and Gangwon had significant roster turnover since last season. Oh, and Kim Ji-Hyeon hasn't played a K League match since September because of a serious knee injury, though he still led the team with 10 goals. And their manager, Kim Byung-soo, has been very secretive about their preseason training and matches, so not only are we sitting in a pitch-black room, we're also wearing a blindfold. Fun! What we do know is that Gangwon wants to play with lots of possession, and if they are able to do so then that should limit the number of fantasy-point-earning opportunities for FC Seoul, at least in terms of attacking output. 

Grabbing some tidbits from the K League United match preview by Paul Neat, Kim Seung-Dae ($6,400) is expected to make his team debut after finishing fifth in key passes last season. Then again, it wasn't a plethora of key passes, as we can see in his game log, and at the very least we might be better off focusing on their U22 player, Seo Min-woo ($3,000), who could start on the left midfield wing, according to the projected lineups found on FMNation.net. Otherwise, we have a cheap right-back in Chae Gwang-Hoon ($3,600) who is likely to be more reliable. Unfortunately, left-back Kan Ji-Hun is classified as a forward and priced like one at $7,600, making it very tough to justify paying for him. If the the lineups are still frustrating you, here's the data I found from their most recent friendly:

You're welcome.

Moving to FC Seoul, we have a number of new signings, including some who didn't play in their Champions League match back in February, which makes figuring out their starting XI a bit tough as well. We will obviously know the lineup before lock for the showdown slate, though those playing the classic two-gamer could be in a pickle, and it's still not ideal going in with only a few known starters. To provide some additional background, here's a part from Paul Neat's preseason preview:

Attacking midfielder Lee Myung-joo departed for Al Wahda in the UAE and former captain, 'the King of Sangam' Ha Dae-sung, retired due to injury and so Han Chan-hee was brought in from Jeonnam Dragons as well as Han Seung-gyu who arrived on loan from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to add further competition in central midfield. Elsewhere, versatile wing-back Kim Jin-ya arrived on a four-year deal from Incheon United to offer competition to the likes of Ko Kwang-min, Go Yo-han, and Yoon Jong-gyu in the wing-back areas.

Elsewhere, Adriano has returned to the club, arriving on a free transfer after departing Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last term. The 32 year-old will add some much needed fire power and take the pressure of Park Chu-young, especially Aleksandar Pešić's 18-month loan deal not be extended beyond the summer.

Adriano is a name some may remember, or one they'll mix up with other players by the same name, but he has a solid track record in South Korea for a number of different teams. His spot in the starting XI isn't guaranteed, but a forward for a home side that costs only $4,600 will surely have fantasy players looking his way. That being said, Aleskandar Pesic ($7,800) seems more likely to start, and he has a shot, cross and fouls-drawn floor that is decent enough at his price, especially considering that Park Chu-Young ($10,000) is the only player on the team with better anytime goal scorer odds (Pesic is actually tied with Adriano). And speaking of Park, his salary is very high, but he also has arguably the highest floor on the team thanks to his shots and crosses, so he's probably the first person to look at if you're searching for guaranteed point from an FC Seoul player. In fact, he could easily be the highest-owned player on the slate because of his production and the fact that FC Seoul are favored.

There are cheaper potential starters for FC Seoul, namely Ko Kwang-Min ($3,400), who could start on the left wing. The reasons for rostering Ko are pretty simple: he's a cheap winger on a favored side. That's it. He doesn't shoot much and only draws a limited number of fouls, but he crosses some and could certainly get lucky at his price. Otherwise, you're potentially paying $6,600 for Ko Yo-Han on the other wing, with the extra $3,200 in salary giving you a floor that's maybe two to four fantasy points higher and maybe a touch more upside. He doesn't play as wide, but it might be more beneficial to pay $4,400 for Ikromjon Alibaev because he's more likely to take shots than Ju Se-Jong, who is curiously priced $2,800 higher.

Given the expected goals on both sides, I'd probably stay away from the goalkeepers in cash games, but they theoretically make sense in tournaments if only because they'll be low owned and no one would be overly shocked if each team's first game of the season ended scoreless. But let's be honest, there's no fun in that.