Last week, most of us were hit pretty hard by the New York Red Bulls’ ability to shut down Sebastian Giovinco at Red Bull Arena. Gio has been scoring when and where he wants, but the Red Bulls found a way to limit him to three measly points, hot off the heels of his monstrous 28-point double-game week.
Giovinco isn’t most players, though. Most players score more at home. With four teams on a Double Game Week, the question is: How much will the home/road discrepancy affect managers looking to cash in on the sweet, sweet DGW goodness?
This week, I’ve dug in to the data for the top six players in form for all four DGW teams – Columbus Crew SC, New York City FC, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City. Let’s take a look at how players on those four clubs have fared in their last five home and away matches:
| Columbus Crew SC - Home/Away PPG | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | Price | Sel. | Form | Fix. | Home | Away |
| Kei Kamara | FWD | $ 9.6 | 31.4% | 7.0 | HH | 7.6 | 5.4 |
| Ethan Finlay | MID | $ 9.0 | 21.2% | 5.5 | HH | 9.2 | 4.6 |
| Federico Higuaín | FWD | $ 10.4 | 2.1% | 5.0 | HH | 5.6 | 4.0 |
| Tony Tchani | MID | $ 7.3 | 8.4% | 4.5 | HH | 3.8 | 4.8 |
| Justin Meram | MID | $ 7.7 | 1.5% | 4.3 | HH | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Steve Clark | GKP | $ 5.7 | 7.7% | 3.8 | HH | 4.8 | 3.8 |
Columbus Crew SC has the best fixtures this week, playing both NYCFC and Sporting KC at MAPFRE Stadium. The biggest beneficiary of Columbus’ home field advantage is Ethan Finlay. He’s scored at least six points in his last five home matches, including a 10-point performance against Toronto FC in Week 21. Kei Kamara, Federico Higuain and Steve Clark have all averaged at least one point per game better at home.
| New York City FC - Home/Away PPG | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | Price | Sel. | Form | Fix. | Home | Away |
| David Villa | FWD | $ 11.4 | 24.1% | 9.8 | AA | 9.8 | 7.2 |
| Thomas McNamara | MID | $ 7.1 | 2.5% | 8.0 | AA | 8.0 | 4.4 |
| Kwadwo Poku | MID | $ 6.9 | 1.3% | 8.0 | AA | 6.6 | 1.4 |
| Angelino | DEF | $ 5.0 | 3.1% | 4.3 | AA | 3.8 | 2.5 |
| Andrea Pirlo | MID | $ 10.1 | 1.1% | 3.8 | AA | 3.7 | 4.0 |
| Josh Saunders | GKP | $ 5.4 | 3.4% | 3.5 | AA | 2.6 | 5.2 |
It’s no surprise that New York City FC score more points on the small, makeshift Yankee Stadium pitch. Unfortunately for NYCFC, both of their games this week – at Columbus and at LA – are away. While David Villa seems to be scoring goals just about everywhere, he’s the only one on the squad that I’d count on to do so.
| San Jose Earthquakes - Home/Away PPG | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | Price | Sel. | Form | Fix. | Home | Away |
| Quincy Amarikwa | FWD | $ 7.0 | 9.5% | 5.3 | AA | 3.0 | 8.7 |
| David Bingham | GKP | $ 5.5 | 6.9% | 5.0 | AA | 6.0 | 4.8 |
| Shaun Francis | DEF | $ 5.3 | 1.6% | 4.5 | AA | 3.8 | 2.7 |
| Shea Salinas | MID | $ 8.4 | 0.6% | 4.5 | AA | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| Victor Bernardez | DEF | $ 7.3 | 1.3% | 3.8 | AA | 4.6 | 3.6 |
| Clarence Goodson | DEF | $ 8.2 | 0.7% | 3.5 | AA | 8.0 | 4.0 |
Speaking of two away games, the San Jose Earthquakes have to play in Kansas City and D.C. in a span of three days this week. That’s pretty rough, especially for a team from the West Coast. Oddly enough, the road fixtures suit Quincy Amarikwa just fine. All four of his goals for the Quakes have been away from Avaya Stadium.
| Sporting KC - Home/Away PPG | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | Price | Sel. | Form | Fix. | Home | Away |
| Benny Feilhaber | MID | $ 10.8 | 32.4% | 8.3 | HA | 8.8 | 6.2 |
| Soni Mustivar | MID | $ 6.2 | 1.6% | 5.3 | HA | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Kevin Ellis | DEF | $ 6.6 | 10.6% | 5.0 | HA | 6.4 | 7.3 |
| Krisztian Nemeth | FWD | $ 8.5 | 6.2% | 4.5 | HA | 5.0 | 3.8 |
| Paulo Nagamura | MID | $ 6.6 | 0.8% | 3.8 | HA | 4.3 | 1.5 |
| Dom Dwyer | FWD | $ 10.5 | 5.1% | 3.8 | HA | 4.8 | 3.3 |
Sporting KC are the only team this week to play both home and away. The good news for SKC is that the away match is at Columbus, as Sporting KC have won their last five MLS regular season encounters against Crew SC. Both Benny Feilhaber and Kevin Ellis have been consistent scorers, but MLS Fantasy owners should be careful with Ellis: He’s one yellow card away from a suspension, which could potentially cut his DGW in half.
Who are you picking up for the DGW? Do you need advice on who to captain? Let me know in the comments below!
