On this week's MLS Fantasy Insider podcast, Reid Connelly invites MLSsoccer.com's Ben Baer on the show to discuss the changes to MLS Fantasy for this season and the reasons behind them. Then Jason, Mike, and Andrew preview how the new game changes will affect your decisions this year in MLS Fantasy!
If you’ve been following MLS Fantasy, by now you’ve heard the big news: In the 2017 season, every manager will have unlimited transfers before each round.
No more hoarding your wildcard. No more planning for byes weeks in advance. No more strategizing around international breaks and double game weeks.
This season, you get to put your best team forward, each and every week.
What does it mean?
There’s no question that this marks a big departure from previous version of the MLS Fantasy game. In the past, astute managers would plan their moves out weeks in advance, hoping to field a strong team during an international break or stock up on players with upcoming double-game weeks.
Now that this sort of advanced planning is no longer necessary, how can you take advantage of the rules to outperform your fellow managers? Here are a few suggestions.
Play your hunches
In MLS it is common for team's to have many ups and downs throughout the course of the season. A successful MLS Fantasy manager will know how to ride these streaks.
LA’s defense is hitting its stride and playing at home? Grab Brian Rowe, Jelle Van Damme and Daniel Steres and go for the shutout. Seattle’s offense is firing on all cylinders? Add Jordan Morris, Nicolas Lodeiro and Clint Dempsey and watch the points roll in.
Stocking up on certain team’s can be risky – but it can also pay off with big fantasy totals. It’s up to you how many eggs you want to put in each fantasy basket.
Experiment with formations
Now that defenders and goalkeepers get five points per shutout, those positions will get a boost in production. Does that mean you should deploy four or even five defenders on a given week?
It’s too soon to tell, but last year’s numbers show that defenders could be the among the best players in terms of value. If that’s true, it might behoove you to get four to five star-level defenders, then spend the rest of the money on high-impact midfielders and forwards.
The question many managers will be asking themselves is this: If I have $6.5 million to spend on my last starter, should I spend that on a mid-level midfielder or a star defender like Walker Zimmerman?
It may take a few weeks to get a solid answer to that question. Even with the changes, midfielders and forwards should lead the league in points per game. They certainly did last year, with the best forward (Sebastian Giovinco, 9.1 points per game) and midfielder (Lodeiro, 8.3 ppg) outpacing the best defender (Zimmerman, 5.6 ppg) and goalkeeper (Rowe, 5.4 ppg).
Complementing your attackers with a strong stable of value-focused defenders will still be a winning strategy in 2017. How many defenders you want to start, though, is up to you.
Limit your bench
For me, I don’t think there’s any reason to go into a week with more than one viable substitute on your bench. Since roster changes are unlimited, you should be able to pick 11 players that will be starting for their respective teams. Should a player get knocked out of the lineup by illness or injury, that one sub on your bench will be sufficient to have you covered.
Since there are multiple $4 million players at each position, you will be able to fill out your roster inexpensively while spending the maximum amount on your starters.
Those are my tips. What will you be doing differently in 2017? Let us know in the comments section below.
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