MLS Fantasy Boss: It’s time to start prepping for double game week-heavy Rounds 13 and 14

Reid Connelly

TRANSFER DEADLINE: Wednesday, 8 pm ET

MLS Injury Report
MLS Disciplinary Report
BYES IN ROUND 11: None
UPCOMING DOUBLE GAME WEEKS: DC, ORL (Rd 11); SKC, NE (Rd 12)
Bonus Points: All aboard DC double game week train ahead of Week 11!
Fantasy Doctor: A word of caution on double game weeks, and exploring midfield bargains

Well, it finally happened. After 10 weeks, we finally have some Double Game Week teams with players who played well enough to earn a majority of the spots in the Dream Team!

Does this mean the DGW point drought is over? No, but it does reinforce the idea that it’s better to invest in weeks with more than two DGW teams. With that in mind, I think Round 11 would best be used to prep for Rounds 13 and 14, which will both feature six teams on a DGW. These are the players who show the most promise:

Goalkeepers

DGW Pick: If you’re planning on trading for a ‘keeper, then the only option I see is D.C.’s Bill Hamid ($6.4). His three DGWs provide him more chances for clean sheets than most of the other top ‘keeper options and D.C. will soon be fielding their first-choice backline again.
Dice Roll: If you’d rather take a gamble on a ‘keeper, then I have to go with Crew SC’s Steve Clark ($5.7). He’s not had a clean sheet in the past three weeks, but Columbus have a nice run of three winnable games before a DGW in Round 14.

Defenders

DGW Pick
: If you are looking for a D.C. defender, then
Bobby Boswell
($9.3) is your best investment. He’s pricey, but his CBI (clearances, blocks and interceptions) production is almost double teammate
Sean Franklin
’s and he’s much less likely to be rotated than fellow center backs
Kofi Opare
and the returning
Steve Birnbaum
. This makes him worth every million to me.

MLS Fantasy Boss: It’s time to start prepping for double game week-heavy Rounds 13 and 14 -

Old Money: If you are the kind of manager who like to hunt for clean sheets, then consider spending your money on Real Salt Lake’s Jamison Olave ($8.1). Not only is he cheaper than the aforementioned Boswell, but RSL are playing hapless Montreal and New York City FC in the next two rounds, both teams that have had problems finding the back of the net.

Bargain Bin: If you are planning to load up on expensive attacking players for the coming DGWs, defenders offer some of the best money saving options. My favorite is the Revolution’s London Woodberry ($4.9), who’s recently generated several promising scoring chances and earned an assist. He may get rotated during the DGW in Round 12, but I think he’s a lock to start for Round 11.

Midfielders

Comeback King: We all knew it would not take long for Portland’s Diego Valeri ($10.1) to find his old offensive form, but few would have guessed that it would have been this quick. Two away games aren't the best run-up to a DGW, but Houston and Toronto are vulnerable in defense. Look for Valeri to exploit their uneven backlines.

DGW Pick
: If you’re looking for consistency, D.C.’s
Chris Rolfe
(DC $8.9) has been the go-to guy for United’s offense. He’s earned two goals and one assist over his last four games, and I think it’s a safe bet he’ll earn more over the next four rounds, with or without injured forward
Fabian Espindola
.

Top Dawg: If you haven’t had Sporting KC’s Benny Feilhaber ($9.7) on your roster at any point this season, you should be kicking yourself. The highest scoring player in MLS Fantasy, Feilhaber has stepped up during Graham Zusi’s injury-plagued season and his bonus-point ability is second to none. If you want him for his Round 12 DGW, get him now. His price won’t stay under $10 million for much longer.

Forwards

On the Rise: After going six games without a goal, RSL’s Alvaro Saborio ($9.5) finally got his name back on the scoresheet last week. This is good news for anyone looking for a differential pick, because RSL have two of the least successful teams in MLS up next in Montreal and NYCFC, so he could be on tap for a few more goals.

Young Blood
: With
Robbie Keane
still sidelined by injury, LA are in desperate need of a way to score consistently.
Gyasi Zardes
($9.5) hasn’t filled the void very well so far this season, but did find his first goal since Round 2 last week. Might this be a sign of good things to come? We can’t be sure, but I do know that Orlando will offer him more chances to score this round.

DGW Pick: There are a lot of questions surrounding Fabian Espindola’s ($10.2) fitness after he missed D.C.’s last game due to a knee injury. Early reports list him as questionable, so he’s definitely not guaranteed to play in United’s games against Orlando on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Sunday. Your best bet is to wait for D.C.’s lineup before the Orlando game – if you’re a risk taker, grab him and keep your fingers crossed that he’ll be ready to exploit Philly like so many others before him.

Who are you depending on to get you through the next couple of Rounds? Share your thoughts in the comments below or stop by MLS Fantasy Boss to chat with other managers and check out the other fantasy resources and tips before you finalize your trades. Good Luck!

Reid Connelly -

@MLSFantasyBoss

MLS Cup MLS Cup Playoffs MLS Regular Season