Reid and Mike are joined by Dominic Hoffman from Burgundy Wave to breakdown Round 24 before diving into the massive Round 25 DGW. They cover the joy of having Piatti as a captain, console Dominic about the coaching change in Colorado, talk about the stress travel puts on Fantasy choices and try to decide what value Giovinco has. There’s a lot to cover before the early kickoff, so be sure to get comfy before you listen.
While any double-game week is special, it’s rare that MLS Fantasy managers are rewarded with a player who puts up record-breaking points. That’s exactly what we got in Round 24, which saw Ignacio Piatti become one of the best MLS Fantasy captains ever with a final score of 60 points.
His strong performance was the foundation of many high fantasy scores, none higher than Brendan Ism, manager of Kota Lama FC, who scored 161 points.
This week, we could finally break the 200 point mark as 14 teams are on a double-game week. With so many clubs playing twice, there are a ton of great fantasy options around the league – some of my favorites for Round 25 are below:
Goalkeepers
Double Home: Home games are great for ‘keeper numbers and three teams have a pair of home games this week. After some back and forth, my top pick has to be Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando ($6.2). He’s in good form after earning two clean sheets over his last three games, and RSL are hosting two of the worst road scoring teams in the league in San Jose and Colorado. With his experience, two clean sheets aren’t out of the question.
Storm Warning: If you really want to make a differential play, then consider Houston’s Tyler Deric ($5.3). The Dynamo’s defense has been good at home, so their best clean sheet chance will come against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday (9 pm ET; MLS LIVE). The bigger challenge will be FC Dallas on Wednesday (8 pm ET; UniMás, Facebook in US | MLS LIVE), but after two low scoring Texas Derbies this year, there’s a chance Deric could start the round with clean sheet bonus points.
Defenders
Double Up: If you like Real Salt Lake’s chance for a clean sheet, then consider doubling up with Chris Wingert ($4.0). He’s been RSL’s highest scoring defender of the season and could earn a lot of bonus points during the big Rocky Mountain Cup match against Colorado on Saturday (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Second Chance: The last time I recommended Columbus’ Lalas Abubakar ($4.5), he earned a red card. Yikes. Since he returned to the starting XI, however, he immediately continued generating big bonus points. I love that quality in a fantasy defender and with two home games this week against LA Galaxy on Wednesday (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE) and Dallas on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE), I like his chances for a double-digit week.
Midfielders
Welcome Back: After two weeks off, Atlanta’s players are back into the fantasy mix and Miguel Almiron ($10.0) should be in your sights. Even with two away games, Atlanta still has a great chance for goals as their opponents, D.C. United (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE) and Philadelphia (7 pm ET; MLS LIVE), have defenses that struggle at home. Atlanta also has Round 26 off so there is no reason not to expect 180 minutes out of their regulars.
Consistency: There are a lot of great midfielders this week, but if you want a midfielder who has consistency and a high floor, then Albert Rusnak ($9.7) is your guy. He’s only scored less than five points in one of his past seven games and is Real Salt Lake’s assist leader. When points come, Rusnak will be involved.
Forwards
Well Rested: After getting a break last week, Real Salt Lake’s Joao Plata ($9.6) should have plenty of gas in the tank for both games this round. He’s been in a bit of a scoring slump recently, but that could change as he starts the week on Wednesday against a San Jose (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE) team that’s allowed 26 goals over 12 away games. He’s also a bonus point-generating forward, is on PK duty, and takes the occasional free kick.
Coin Flip: If you’d rather go with a riskier Atlanta pick, then consider Josef Martinez ($9.6). When he’s on the field he’s dangerous, but there is still some question if he’s ready to come back from his recent injury. Fortunately, Atlanta plays the first game of the round so you’ll be able to get a look at the starting XI before evaluating your risk threshold.
WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 25?
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