These double game weeks can be tricky.
As we enter one of the densest segments of the MLS schedule, you’ll notice that the DGWs are coming fast and heavy. D.C. United and Orlando City kicked off this most recent DGW with a midweek game – kudos to those of you with the foresight to add Cyle Larin – and we’ve got a lot more on the way.
The New England Revolution and Sporting Kansas City play twice in Round 12, followed by six teams with DGWs in both Round 13 and Round 14. (It’s not too late to add D.C. United players, either – they’re the only team that plays twice in each of those rounds.)
The key to getting through DGWs is planning ahead. The transfer window for this round is already locked, but what can you do going forward to make sure you can take advantage of the glut of DGWs?
First: Educate yourself. Understand which teams have DGWs with this handy graphic from MLSFantasyBoss.com.
Second
: Save your wildcard. If you were going to play it, the best time would have been before this round to load up on D.C. United players. If you’ve still got yours, keep it in your pocket until after the unlimited transfers in Round 15.
Third: Play your hunches. Andrew Wiebe mentioned in Starting Lineup that he generally doesn’t take more than two players per team. But hey, sometimes you have to gamble. Personally, I added four D.C. players (Bill Hamid, Kofi Opare, Bobby Boswell, Perry Kitchen) and I plan to ride them out through Round 14.
So, with that being said, who should you target in the upcoming three weeks to make sure you get the maximum benefit from these DGWs?
Round 12 (New England, Sporting Kansas City DGWs): Depending on what your team looks like, there’s really only two people to target this week. First is Benny Feilhaber, who’s currently the top scorer in the entire game. Second is Charlie Davies, who comes in this weekend riding a nice four-game scoring streak. After that duo, the field drops off quite a bit. If at all possible, it might behoove you to keep one transfer in your pocket so you’ll have three for a really enticing Round 13.
Round 13 (Colorado, DC, Los Angeles, Portland, Real Salt Lake, Seattle DGWs): Keep it simple here. You want the best, most reliable players: Hamid, Jamison Olave, Omar Gonzalez, Diego Valeri, Clint Dempsey, and Obafemi Martins. Each of these players are worth taking a minus-4 hit – in fact, you might want to go minus-8 or even minus-12. All of these players average more than four points per game, including a prodigious 9.6 ppg from Dempsey. If they play twice – and you’d think they will – you’ll easily make your points back. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to have any of these players on your squad going into Round 14.
Round 14 (Chicago, Columbus, D.C., Montreal, Philadelphia, Vancouver): I personally like this DGW a lot less than the previous week, but there are still some gems. Kei Kamara stands out as a great value pick, as does either Ethan Finlay or Justin Meram in the midfield. Harry Shipp in Chicago is enticing and Vancouver has some high-priced talent in Kendall Waston and Pedro Morales, but it’s best just to wait and see who’s performing.
The DGW madness ends Round 15, with 10 teams taking the week off. But don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to hit the reset button on your team because there are an unlimited number of transfers available.
So that’s how I’d maximize this stretch of DGWs. As always, monitor the injuries and the disciplinary report before making any moves.
What are you planning on doing next week? Let us know in the comments below.
