Fantasy soccer can be a cruel, cruel game. With most fantasy managers likely staying away from Double Game Week players after being repeatedly stung earlier in the season, the DGW guys finally showed up in Round 10.
San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham and Real Salt Lake starlet Jordan Allen – both on DGWs – each posted 18 points to earn Top Player of the Round. Bingham stopped a Giles Barnes penalty kick in the round opener on Tuesday, leaving Barnes’ fantasy owners fuming early in the week. Houston would earn another penalty kick in their second game of the round, which Boniek Garcia took and converted on the rebound, adding further insult to injury for Barnes owners.
A case to target goalkeepers and defenders who play twice in one round was made in Round 10, with all four defender spots occupied by DGW players. Fantasy manager Mac McNube put up 132 points for the highest score of the round, thanks in-part to the attacking outburst from Clint Dempsey, Pedro Morales, Kei Kamara and Bradley Wright-Phillips– all of whom also appear on the Overall Dream Team.
With Round 10 in the books, and the Round 11 transfer window now open, let’s look at what to keep an eye on leading up to the Wednesday transfer deadline.
- The transfer deadline for Round 11 is Wednesday, May 13 at 8 pm ET.
- Review the MLS Injury Report and MLS Disciplinary Report as it is updated throughout the week.
DGW Watch: D.C. United and Orlando City SC play twice in Round 11. Study the upcoming schedule to plan ahead for the next few rounds. In Round 12, the New England Revolution and Sporting KC are on a DGW. Things should really get interesting in Rounds 13 and 14, which both see SIX teams playing twice. In what looks to be a fantasy manager’s dream, D.C. United have a DGW in Round 11, 13 and 14! Head coach Ben Olsen will certainly be forced to shuffle his roster to deal with the busy schedule, but I’ll be targeting D.C. players that I expect to log a lot of minutes over that stretch.
Here are a few players that I’ll be keeping an eye on over the next few weeks:
Brek Shea – Orlando City SC – Defender($7.8m) – The season-ending injury to Kevin Molino forced Orlando City to shift Shea back into his natural left-wing role over the weekend. I tend to target players who are listed as a defender but play higher up the field. When the stars align the fantasy points pile up, as we saw this week with RSL's Allen – who is listed as a defender but lined up as a midfielder and added two assists and two clean sheets (due to his substitution before the Fire's goal) for 18 points in Round 10. Shea will have ample opportunity to contribute in the attack, while also still being eligible to earn clean sheet and defensive bonus points.
Bill Hamid – D.C. United – Goalkeeper($6.4m) – With seven games coming up over the next four rounds, Hamid should be a reliable source of points at the goalkeeper position. Hamid ranks third overall in points per game for ‘keepers, and kicks off the busy stretch in Round 11 with a pair of favorable matchups against Orlando at home and at Philadelphia.
Chris Rolfe – D.C United – Midfielder($8.9m) – I’m all aboard the D.C. DGW train. Rolfe has been a consistent contributor to the United attack, putting up seven points in three-consecutive rounds prior to a quiet Round 10. He doesn’t always log 90 minutes, but I expect Rolfe to play a role in the majority of the upcoming games.
How are you planning to attack the busy upcoming schedule? Are you all-in on the D.C. United DGW run, too? Let us know in the comments below.
