Fantasy cash cow watch: Emre Guler
A member of the Junior Kangaroos in 2018, Emre Guler has the size to make up for the exit of hulking props Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo – standing at 191cm and 110kg. And he's still only 20 years old.
Positives
He may be young but he's no longer a rookie, having played three games off the bench at the end of 2018. In those matches he averaged 25.3 Fantasy points and 29 minutes a game. If he continued to score at that rate but gets, say, 50 minutes, his Fantasy average would jump to 43.
"I want to be a starter every week, play every game," Guler said in November. The Raiders have already shown faith in him by re-signing him through to the 2021 season so it won't be a surprise if he is given a larger role at the club this season.
Negatives
Will he get the minutes? Boyd is a big loss but he was never a big-minute player anyway, playing 34 a game last season, while Paulo played 39.
Plus there's the arrival of England prop Ryan Sutton from Wigan on a two-year deal, who is likely to edge Guler for a starting spot.
To buy or not to buy?
The Canberra forward pack will have a different look to it with two new Englishmen joining Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead at the club, but there is still arguably room for a young gun like Guler to make his mark on the starting side.
He remains somewhat of a gamble – his minutes will be a mystery early on and so will his output; you can't always rely on a busy 30-minute player remaining just as industrious over 50 minutes or more.
Still, the potential is there for Guler to be one of Fantasy's breakout stars this season if things go to plan.
