Bonus Points: Which New England and NYCFC players should you be picking up?

In Round 15, many fantasy owners were shocked and dismayed by the sheer volume of rotation deployed by coaches in order to keep players fresh during this time of MLS schedule congestion.

Sacha Kljestan and Bradley-Wright Phillips both sat on the bench for 60-plus minutes against Real Salt Lake last Wednesday. As for RSL… they only made 10 changes to their starting lineup on the weekend. We laughed, we cried… some of us even tried to appeal to the teams’ Twitter accounts, and even got a response:

Considering what happened, I wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to write off double-game weeks and steer clear of the DGW teams this week: New York City FC and New England Revolution.

The biggest problem is this: some double-game week players score big. Roland Alberg (PHI, $8.4) put up a gigantic 28-point performance, and at least eight other DGW players hit double-digits in Round 15. The difficulty is in figuring out who is going to be the guy that explodes for two or three goals. The best compromise is to make sure to at least pick up the two or three players that have the highest potential for big DGW rounds, and hope that it pays off, or at least is a net positive compared to the single-game choices.

Before we take a look at the numbers for the two teams that are playing twice this round, bear one thing in mind: both NYCFC and New England Revolution are not playing in Round 18, so you should plan accordingly; be ready to drop them in the next two rounds.

Let’s take a look at the goalkeepers and defenders for the DGW:

The points averages are based on the last five significant matches for each player (at least 60 minutes played OR five points scored, minimum three matches), and the play time is the average number of minutes played for the team’s last five matches. Defensive Bonus Points (DBP) and Attacking Bonus Points (ABP) are estimated scores based on the number of positive actions taken in previous matches (key passes, crosses, clearances, etc.).

Ronald Matarrita has the highest average, thanks to a goal and a clean sheet last week, but is a fairly high risk for rotation, as he’s only started in four of the last seven matches. RJ Allen and Andrew Farrell are my two picks for this week. Allen gets forward on the NYCFC attack, so there’s a chance for attacking points or even a goal or assist. Farrell is an expensive buy, especially considering the Revolution have only kept one clean sheet in their last 10 matches, but he’s been the most consistent defender if you’re really looking for New England defensive coverage. The alternative would be to take a gamble on Chris Tierney, who has come off of a hamstring injury with some lackluster numbers, but could be due for an assist or set-piece goal.

The goalkeepers really aren’t worth picking up this round – especially given New England’s shift from Bobby Shuttleworth to Brad Knighton. There’s no guarantee that either will start both matches this week. Josh Saunders kept a clean sheet in Round 15, but prior to that, he’s averaged just over two points per match.

Now, on to the attacking players:

I mentioned Lee Nguyen in my article last month, and he should be on everyone’s shopping list this round. He doesn’t come cheap at $11.8, but he hasn’t scored less than four points since his absence in round four (a double-game week), and has hit double figures in four of his last seven matches.

David Villa ($12.0) is the other alternative for my captain choice this week, since NYCFC is at home for their rematch with the New York Red Bulls (12 pm ET; ESPN), and then doesn’t have to travel far to visit the aforementioned weak defense in New England. Aside from those two, the options are pretty limited, unless you want to pay $10.3 for Andrea Pirlo’s six points-per-game average, or take a gamble on someone like Jack Harrison ($5.6) or Kelyn Rowe ($9.4). Most of the other players are definite rotation risks.

Don’t forget: you’ll need to figure out how to play without these guys soon, since they have a bye in Round 18.

Have you given up on the DGW? Let me know in the comments below, and as always, good luck this week!