Reid and Mike are joined by Dominic Hoffman from Burgundy Wave to breakdown Round 24 before diving into the massive Round 25 DGW. They cover the joy of having Piatti as a captain, console Dominic about the coaching change in Colorado, talk about the stress travel puts on Fantasy choices and try to decide what value Giovinco has. There’s a lot to cover before the early kickoff, so be sure to get comfy before you listen.
If you are one of the clever 12 percent of players that made sure to have both Ignacio Piatti ($11.6) and Blerim Dzemaili ($9.2) on your MLS Fantasy teams last round, you’re probably already aware of how double-game weeks can pay off, since those two players accounted for 44 points alone (not including the captain bonus!) in their two matches for Round 24. In Round 25, we have a whopping 14 teams playing two matches each, which means there are a plethora of DGW players to choose from to fill out your entire 11-player squad and maximize the double-game potential.
Today, I’m going to focus in on the top scorers that are playing in a DGW this round, based on single game-week performances (minimum seven matches with 60 minutes or six points), and how their single-game stats compare to their double-game rounds.
Goalkeepers
Player |
SGW GP |
SGW PPG |
DGW GP |
DGW PPG |
AVG. MIN PER DGW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bono (TOR) |
16 |
5.81 |
3 |
5.33 |
120 |
Blake (PHI) |
15 |
5.73 |
3 |
4.33 |
60 |
Rimando (RSL) |
15 |
5.07 |
3 |
7.33 |
120 |
Frei (SEA) |
17 |
4.82 |
4 |
9.25 |
158 |
Hamid (DC) |
16 |
4.75 |
3 |
7.00 |
120 |
Howard (COL) |
12 |
4.67 |
2 |
6.50 |
180 |
Gonzalez (DAL) |
17 |
4.59 |
1 |
8.00 |
90 |
Alex Bono ($5.5) has the best average of the double-game week goalkeepers, but it’s worth noting that he only played the full 180 minutes in one out of three double-game weeks that have been available to him. Real Salt Lake have two home matches against teams that have been struggling to score, and Nick Rimando’s ($6.2) average of 7.33 points in the two DGWs he was able to participate in looks like a pretty solid point for Round 25.
Defenders
Player |
SGW GP |
SGW PPG |
DGW GP |
DGW PPG |
AVG. MIN PER DGW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morrow (TOR) |
16 |
7.38 |
3 |
5.00 |
90 |
Crognale (CLB) |
7 |
7.00 |
3 |
4.00 |
128 |
Moor (TOR) |
14 |
6.50 |
3 |
.67 |
30 |
Mavinga (TOR) |
10 |
6.20 |
3 |
6.67 |
133 |
Jungwirth (SJ) |
16 |
6.19 |
3 |
11.00 |
180 |
Valentin (POR) |
9 |
6.11 |
2 |
2.50 |
90 |
Marshall (SEA) |
12 |
6.08 |
4 |
9.50 |
158 |
Jones (SEA) |
17 |
5.82 |
4 |
12.25 |
125 |
Elliott (PHI) |
14 |
5.79 |
3 |
9.00 |
180 |
Hagglund (TOR) |
7 |
5.71 |
3 |
8.33 |
141 |
Gonzalez Pirez (ATL) |
19 |
5.68 |
1 |
11.00 |
180 |
Waston (VAN) |
16 |
5.63 |
1 |
0.00 |
0 |
Onyewu (PHI) |
13 |
5.54 |
3 |
8.33 |
150 |
Glad (RSL) |
8 |
5.50 |
3 |
2.00 |
60 |
Toronto FC defenders lead the way, but that’s because Sporting KC only play one match this week. I like spending the extra money to play Justin Morrow ($7.0) or Drew Moor ($6.5) this week since their first game is at home against the Philadelphia Union (8 pm ET; MLS LIVE in US | TSN in Canada), but Toronto regularly rotate defenders in midweek games, so consider them a calculated risk. With both Florian Jungwirth ($6.0) and Nick Lima ($4.1) questionable to play this week, I’m sticking with my Real Salt Lake pick for defense, so Justen Glad ($5.9) could be a sneaky play this week. The Seattle Sounders’ numbers look great for their double-game weeks, but with matches away at Vancouver (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE in US | TSN in Canada) and at home against the Portland Timbers (9:30 pm ET; FS1, FOX Deportes in US | MLS LIVE in Canada), I just don’t see a clean sheet happening this round for them.
Midfielders
Player |
SGW GP |
SGW PPG |
DGW GP |
DGW PPG |
AVG. MIN PER DGW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valeri (POR) |
20 |
8.35 |
2 |
9.50 |
173 |
Alessandrini (LA) |
16 |
8.06 |
2 |
14.50 |
140 |
Lodeiro (SEA) |
17 |
7.53 |
4 |
8.50 |
157 |
Almiron (ATL) |
18 |
7.17 |
1 |
15.00 |
180 |
Vazquez (TOR) |
17 |
6.76 |
3 |
10.00 |
120 |
Higuain (CLB) |
14 |
6.57 |
3 |
11.67 |
112 |
Godoy (SJ) |
14 |
6.43 |
3 |
6.33 |
120 |
Rusnak (RSL) |
15 |
6.33 |
3 |
13.67 |
169 |
Thompson (SJ) |
8 |
6.25 |
3 |
4.67 |
80 |
Alonso (SEA) |
13 |
6.08 |
4 |
9.50 |
113 |
Diego Valeri ($11.3) is a no-brainer, and it looks like Nicolas Lodeiro ($11.7) has started to find his 2016 form. Miguel Almiron ($10.0) played 180 minutes and scored 15 points in his last DGW, so I will be looking for him to top that performance against D.C. United (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE) and the Philadelphia Union this week.
Forwards
Player |
SGW GP |
SGW PPG |
DGW GP |
DGW PPG |
AVG. MIN PER DGW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giovinco (TOR) |
15 |
7.87 |
3 |
8.33 |
87 |
Dempsey (SEA) |
16 |
7.50 |
4 |
2.50 |
51 |
Quioto (HOU) |
7 |
7.29 |
3 |
.67 |
35 |
Urruti (DAL) |
20 |
6.85 |
1 |
2.00 |
90 |
Sapong (PHI) |
18 |
6.22 |
3 |
11.67 |
150 |
Manotas (HOU) |
14 |
6.14 |
3 |
9.00 |
157 |
Montero (VAN) |
18 |
6.00 |
1 |
5.00 |
155 |
Villalba (ATL) |
20 |
5.80 |
1 |
4.00 |
137 |
Sebastian Giovinco ($13.2) and Clint Dempsey ($10.1), whose double-game week minutes are lower due mostly to injury or international duties, have both averaged more than nine points in their last four matches, and look like strong candidates to add to that this week. If Hector Villalba ($9.9) starts both matches, he would be a strong (but pricey) choice to round out the front three.
Who are you counting on for this double-game week? Are you picking up any single-game week players, like David Villa or the Sporting KC defense? Let me know in the comments below!
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