TRANSFER DEADLINE: Wednesday, 10 pm ET
Last week I highlighted how well double game week ("DGW", for short) players performed in 2014. I'm going to take a look at the opposite side of the coin this week, taking a look at how opponents of DGW teams fared.
Here are the results:
| DGW Opponents by Position | ||
| Position | Min/Game | Pts/Game |
| Goalkeepers | 90 | 4.64 |
| Defenders | 90 | 4.20 |
| Midfielders | 85 | 4.71 |
| Forwards | 83 | 4.72 |
Based on these numbers, opposing players with 60-plus minutes against a DGW team didn’t experience a huge advantage, which is a bit of a surprise. You would expect opposing teams to make a shortened rest period and the increased wear-and-tear of mid-week travel count for more, but on average, most players posted moderate scores.
| Top 6 DGW Opponents by Team | ||
| Team | Matches | Pts/Game |
| Real Salt Lake | 5 | 5.73 |
| FC Dallas | 4 | 5.71 |
| New England Revolution | 3 | 5.54 |
| Seattle Sounders | 2 | 5.05 |
| Colorado Rapids | 2 | 5.05 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | 5.00 |
If you break it down team by team, however, you can see that New England players took advantage of their three matches against DGW opponents, scoring a healthy 5.54 per match on average. New England hosts Columbus Crew SC just three days after the Crew have to play 2070 miles away in Vancouver. That's definitely something to consider this week as you’re making your transfers – New England also have a DGW coming up down the road in Round 12.
- MONDAY MORNING CENTER BACK:Weekend in review, plus how to prep for upcoming double game weeks
Although most players averaged in the 4-5 point range, some players had some exceptional individual efforts against DGW teams. The Morales duo (Pedro and Javier) posted 20-plus point days, one of which I was unfortunate enough to witness at BBVA. All of the 16 players who scored a dozen or more points were midfielders and forwards, and six of the hauls were against Chivas USA (RIP):
| Top Individual Round Scores for DGW Opponents | |||
| Player | Position | Points | Result |
| Javier Morales - RSL | MID | 26 | HOU(A); 5-2 |
| Pedro Morales - VAN | MID | 22 | POR(A); 4-3 |
| Sebastien Le Toux - PHI | MID | 17 | SJ(H); 4-2 |
| Diego Valeri - POR | MID | 17 | SJ(H); 3-0 |
| Cristian Maidana - PHI | MID | 15 | CHV(A); 3-0 |
| Blas Perez - DAL | FWD | 14 | VAN(H); 2-1 |
| Andrew Wenger - PHI | FWD | 14 | SJ(H); 4-2 |
| Brad Evans - SEA | MID | 14 | CHV(A); 4-2 |
| Andy Rose - SEA | MID | 14 | CHV(A); 4-2 |
| Khari Stephenson - SJ | MID | 14 | HOU(H); 3-0 |
| Diego Fagundez - NE | MID | 13 | SEA(H); 5-0 |
| Obafemi Martins - SEA | FWD | 13 | CHV(A); 4-2 |
| Justin Meram - CLB | FWD | 12 | CHV(H); 3-0 |
| Teal Bunbury - NE | FWD | 12 | SEA(H); 5-0 |
| Conor Casey - PHI | FWD | 12 | CHV(A); 3-0 |
| Fanendo Adi - POR | FWD | 12 | RSL(A); 3-1 |
What does that mean? Load up on creative attackers if you're looking to best against the DGW, but don't expect a massive advantage over your other single-week players.
