When it comes to midweek games, perhaps we should expect the unexpected. Stocking up on the underdogs is a great strategy of late – especially for those of you who find yourselves trying to chase the league leaders.
One week after San Jose surprised the league with a 5-0 midweek blowout of Sporting KC, two last-place teams broke through with a pair of wins in an exciting Wednesday night slate.
What does that mean for fantasy managers?
Basically, it’s a great opportunity to make up differential points on your opponents.
The idea behind differential points is simple. By this point in the season, most managers have settled on a lot of the same players (Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco, Matt Miazga, and so on). So if most fantasy teams have the similar rosters, it stands to reason that you’ll score about the same number of points as the other teams if you deploy the same players.
Sure, there will be small differences in scores based on who you start and who you captain. But often the best way to make ground against these teams is to go totally against the grain and pick less popular players.
It’s a risky strategy, but it’s also the only way you’re going to make serious ground in your classic leagues. And with the league’s parity coming to the fore in recent midweek matches, maybe you can use the league’s unpredictability to your advantage.
Igboananike leads Fire to victory
You’ll see a lot of Fire red on the midweek Dream Team. Five Chicago players lead the way, including double-digit performances from three attackers. David Accam ($8.9m, 0.6 percent ownership) looked dangerous all night on the way to six (!) bonus points. Michael Stephens ($6.1m, 0.4 percent) added two assists from the midfield, while Kennedy Igboananike ($7.6m, 0.9 percent) led all players with twelve points.
Igboananike now has four goals and an assist in his last three games and could be one to watch down the stretch as the Fire finally start to turn the corner offensively.
On the other side of the ball, Sacha Kljestan ($9.9m, 7.4 percent) appears to have taken penalty kick duties away from Bradley Wright-Phillips ($11.1m, 19.5 percent). Kljestan tallied from the spot in the 10th minute and added an assist en route to a strong 11-point night, while BWP was held to two points.
Spot-starter Ronald Zubar ($7.6m, 0.3 percent) came through with a goal and a handful of bonus points; we’ll see if he can hold off Damien Perrinelle ($7.0m, 2.8 percent) with the latter ready to return after a two-match suspension.
Rapids starts show life against Houston
Vicente Sanchez ($6.7m, 1.0 percent) and Kevin Doyle ($7.4m, 0.2 percent) as the last-place Rapids made some ground against the Western Conference. Dillon Serna ($6.8m, 1.2 percent), who assisted once last night, could be a player to watch in midfield as someone who’s sparked two victories since entering the starting XI.
For the Dynamo, it was a forgettable fantasy night. However, the player I’d keep an eye on from a fantasy perspective is Brad Davis ($10.3m, 1.6 percent). His play has improved of late – he’s scored one goal and added an assist in the past two matches.
And finally, for those of you who started other Dynamo players, don’t panic just yet. Houston has a great chance to bounce back at home against a Vancouver Whitecaps team that played its starters Wednesday night in the Canadian Championship.
As many of you know, next week comes with unlimited transfers. If you want to make some ground on other managers in your league, consider picking players from less celebrated teams for your squad. It’s risky, but it might also lead to a huge payoff.
How did the midweek matches pan out for you? Were you brave enough to buck the conventional wisdom and select Fire players over the Red Bulls? Are you just happy you’ll get to press the reset button next week? Let us know in the comments below.
