A wild Independence Day weekend saw plenty of Round 18 fireworks. Tyrone Mearsgot the party started on Friday night with an absolute laser to lift the Seattle Sounders to a late 1-0 victory over D.C. United. The defender rewarded 16.7 percent of fantasy managers with 12 points to earn a spot on the Dream Team.
Manager Alejandro Becker led his team The 28/8s to 113 points for the highest score of the round. More than half of his points came from the fierce strike force of Robbie Keane, David Villa and Kei Kamara. The forward tandem combined for five goals and two assists for a combined 59 points (with Keane as captain) - squashing the average round score of 41 points!
Let’s take a look at some things to consider before finalizing your Round 19 transfers:
The transfer deadline for Round 19 is Friday, July 10 at 11:00 PM EDT.
Review the MLS Injury Report and MLS Disciplinary Report as they are updated throughout the week. Reach out to me on Twitter (@FantasySoccerFC) with any player-specific questions.
Gold Cup reminder: The CONCACAF Gold Cup kicks off this week, so be sure you don’t have any dead weight on your fantasy team. Comb over this list of the 44 MLS players that will be on international duty over the next several weeks.
Byes and DGWs: D.C. United and the LA Galaxy are both on a bye this round. The Columbus Crew SC and Chicago Fire face off twice in Round 20.
I’m targeting a few expansion-team players for Round 19:
Pedro Ribeiro
- Orlando City - Midfielder ($6.2m) -
With usual starting forward
Cyle Larin
away at the Gold Cup, Ribeiro has assumed the lone striker role in the Orlando City attack. The Brazilian
produced a fine assist over the weekend
and will be asked to shoulder even more of the attacking load with leading goalscorer
Kaká
suspended this weekend.
David Villa - New York City FC - Forward ($10.9m) - The FIFA World Cup winner has five goals and one assist over his last four games. Next up is a Toronto FC team that Villa lit up for a pair of goals just two weeks ago. The Spaniard is a fine swap for Keane, who scored a hat trick against Toronto FC on Saturday and is on a bye in Round 19.
Frank Lampard - New York City FC - Midfielder ($10.0m) - Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer is now available to transfer into your fantasy squad at what looks to be a steal. Frank Lampard could make his debut this weekend at Yankee Stadium, where NYCFC play three of their next four games. I’m predicting the England legend will have an immediate impact – buy now before his price rises.
Did your squad get in on the Round 18 fireworks? Will you be picking Lampard up immediately, or are you taking a wait-and-see approach with him? Let us know in the comments below.
