I tried to think of a nice way to ease into this article but there is really no need to sugarcoat it – Round 18 was rough and it’s left many managers frustrated. If you’re like me, then you have been looking forward to the chance to re-work your team with the free wild card that everyone has in Round 19.
Below, I’ve provided a list of the top players who should be on your mind as you make your transfers. I also know that not everyone has the same budget, so I’ve tried to provide an expanded player selection to help everyone fit the budget they are working with.
How did I decide on these names? The main statistic I looked at was points generated per 90 minutes played published in a recent post at MLSFantasyBoss.com. I like this stat because, unlike points per game, because it helps to normalize the performance of players who do have as many minutes due to injuries or call-ups. Additionally, I always try to look at schedule over the next four to five rounds and current team/player form.
Goalkeepers
While many people may like to save money by just using a single 'keeper, the number of remaining bye rounds in this season makes it difficult to find a reliable player. This makes me favor a budget 'keeper rotation and Brian Rowe ($5.0) tops my list of candidates thanks to his recent run of clean sheets. As for his partner, if you want to go with the cheapest option, then Jake Gleeson ($4.7) is you man. If you have a little extra cash lying around, consider Tyler Deric ($5.2). Like Rowe, he’s also been on a clean sheet run, has nine home games left, and will be playing during the Round 32 bye week.
Defenders
Now that we’ve all had time to build our budgets a little, most managers should have a few extra million and upgrading to a premium defender could be a good use for some of that money. Walker Zimmerman ($6.6), Rodrigo Ramos ($6.2), and Axel Sjoberg ($6.1) all stand out due to their balance of price to point generation. If you still want to stay the with the budget strategy, then R.J. Allen ($5.3), Justen Glad ($4.8), Jonathan Campbell ($5.1), and Daniel Steres ($5.4) remain the go-to options. Of course, if you’re rolling in cash, you could always splurge on Drew Moor ($7.7) to take advantage of his 10 remaining home games.
Midfielders
This is the position where we start see some exciting options to move away from the standard cookie-cutter team, but you’ll still need a proven foundation and few are better than Mauro Diaz ($11.3), Ignacio Piatti ($11.1), and, when healthy, Diego Valeri ($11.0). If you’d like to add point generating consistency to your team, then Osvaldo Alonso ($9.2), Micheal Azira ($5.5), Jimmy Medranda ($6.4), Steven Gerrard ($10.4), and Kevin Molino ($8.4) have all been reliable for strong regular numbers. Finally, if you want to take some risks with players on rising form, then consider Roland Alberg ($8.6), Frank Lampard ($10.5), Pedro Morales ($10.9), and Benny Feilhaber ($11.3).
What? No Sacha Kljestan? No, this is not a typo. Sacha is pretty pricy at $12.0 million and many of the above players actually have better PP90 numbers. He’s still quality though, but with cheaper players like Felipe ($8.8) nipping at his heels with points, you may have better options for that money.
Forwards
Thanks to several of this year’s point generating changes, forwards have been earning more points and sticking with two or three man formation continues to be the best choice for your team. The go-to forwards remain the same Sebastian Giovinco ($13.0), David Villa ($12.1), Robbie Keane ($11.7), and Didier Drogba ($12.1), but you would quickly break your bank if you tried to have all of these players. Fortunately, many budget friendly options such as Ola Kamara ($8.6), Juan Manuel Martinez ($9.0), Cyle Larin ($9.4), and Shkelzen Gashi ($9.3) are also earning numbers at or over six points per game
These are the players who I think you should target with your Round 19 wildcard, who are you considering? Post your thoughts in the comments below and if you are interested in more charts and tips, check out the latest posts over at MLS Fantasy Boss and advice from the other MLS Fantasy Experts.
