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Round 14 of MLS Fantasy Soccer: Manager was a low-scoring week overall. With several key players away on international duty and others not living up to expectations, it was a rough week for most fantasy managers looking to make up ground. The average score was a mere 37 points, and Chris Wondolowski was the most-captained player. Jack McInerney was the most vice-captained (1,056 people), but that move didn't help you out unless your captain found his way to the bench.
With a very light schedule and a quick turnaround, Round 15 is sure to bring even bigger problems to those who didn't plan ahead.Have you used you Wildcard yet?If not, now may be the time to do so. Only 211 players used their Wildcard last round, but I'm guessing that number would have been much higher had they not used it already.
Price values are shooting up rather quickly this round so start getting your transfers in order. MLS Fantasy Experts Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe will be back with another episode of "Starting Lineup" on Tuesday, so leave your questions in the comments section below or tweet them to @MLSFantasy today!
Round 14 Statistics
- Most Captained player: (Chris Wondolowski – 2,461 people)
- Average score: 37 points
- Transfers made: 16,328
- Wildcards played: 211
- # teams that scored 0 goals: 4
- # teams that scored 1 goals: 6
- # teams that scored 2+ goals: 8
- # clean sheets per round: 7, 2, 5, 6, 3, 3, 6, 6, 4, 7, 7, 4, 5, 4
- # goals scored per round: 24, 21, 17, 16, 22, 16, 14, 22, 27, 17, 41, 29, 27, 26
Dream Team formation: (5-2-3)
Top Player: Diego Fagundez – 15 points
Defenders (5)
It didn’t look like a promising week for defenders to start out, but the final four games ended in shutouts, turning a poor week into a decent week for several fantasy owners banking on clean sheets. Coincidentally, all five defenders to score nine points this week did it the same way; four points for the clean sheet, three defending bonus points and two points for minutes played.
New England’s José Gonçalves has been sensational this season. He’s played every single minute of every game and currently ranks third among defenders in total points. In 13 games, he’s scored less than five points only two times. What’s even more impressive is that he’s done it all without recording a goal or an assist.
Other notable defenders this week were Chicago Fire's Bakary Soumaré and Austin Berry. In the six games, Soumaré has started this season (for the Union and Fire combined), he's managed clean sheets in three of them. Is he someone worth adding to your roster? At $4.7m, it's definitely something you should consider.
Midfielders (2)
Only two midfielders made the cut this week. The rest of the crop scored nine points or less. Javier Morales was the leading midfielder this round with 14 points. Morales has now scored eight or more points in six of his last nine games. The 6.2 percent of fantasy owners with him on their squad have been reaping the rewards.
Kelyn Rowe (owned by 3.3 percent) was impossible to predict this round. The New England Revolution midfielder has not started a game since May 11 and has logged just 62 minutes total over the last three games. His goal and two assists this past weekend came as a substitute. Do not expect him to repeat this performance on a regular basis.
Forwards (3)
Four forwards hit double-digit tallies this week, but Federico Higuaín was the odd man out this week with 10. Blas Pérez and Atiba Harris are owned by a combined 1.3 percent of managers, while youngster Diego Fagundez is now up to roughly 8 percent. Perez and Harris each bagged braces in a thriller of a game, while Fagundez notched a goal, two assists and multiple bonus points in the Revolution’s 5-0 victory over the LA Galaxy. Fagundez ($6.1m) is on the rise; will you grab him while his price is still low?
Goalkeeper – Bobby Shuttleworth (9 points)
Since taking over the full time role in New England from veteran Matt Reis in Week 5, Shuttleworth has racked up six clean sheets and three straight over the last few weeks. Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando also scored nine points in Round 14, but for $1.0m less in price, Shuttleworth gives you way more bang for your buck. His matchup in Round 15 is quite favorable as well.
Congratulations to Daniel Clack (HALL of Fame) who finished Round 14 with 98 points. Daniel captained the point leader for the week, Fagundez. He also had teammate Rowe and Real Salt Lake's Morales, who notched double-digit tallies for him in the midfield. In all, Daniel got six goals and six assists from his team, but captaining Fagundez is what put him over the top this week.
Did your captain produce for your fantasy team in Round 14? Leave your comments below.
*Dream Team subject to change. All point totals are finalized Wednesday for Rounds ending on Sunday.
