Round 4 was a short week, but there was still a lot to talk about in the realm of MLS Fantasy. Is New England on an upswing, What happened to the Red Bulls, Should you still be investing in Portland? All are questions Reid, Jason, and Blayne go over with their special guest Phil. They also give you early insights into Round 5 so you can know if it’s going to be Goals, Goals, Goals, or a clean sheet snooze fest.
We’re only four weeks into the season, and several teams have already been hit by injuries to key players. Uncovering the exact extent of injury statuses for MLS Fantasy purposes is like trying to play Global Thermonuclear War – sometimes, the only winning move is not to play. What we can do, though, is take a look at who’s sustained injuries over the past couple rounds, and who may benefit from the holes left in their absence. One thing’s for sure, though: MLS Fantasy’s new rule to allow unlimited transfers every round is definitely in play this week, so use it to your advantage.
But first, be sure to check out MLSsoccer.com's injury report for all the latest news. After doing so, you will be ready to dive in to all the fantasy implications.
Goalkeepers
Brian Rowe ($5.5) was back in full practice for LA Galaxy on Monday. It remains to be seen whether he will take back the top spot from Clement Diop, who put in a solid performance in the Galaxy’s 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake. If Diop remains the starter, he could be a solid cheap option at $4.0.
Minnesota United FC lost both John Alvbage ($4.9) and Patrick McLain ($4.5) to injury, but with the Loons averaging over four goals conceded per game, I’m not touching Bobby Shuttleworth ($4.9) or anyone on their defense with a ten-foot pole.
Defenders
With Axel Sjoberg ($6.5) still out for a few weeks, the Colorado Rapids will need to rely on Jared Watts ($5.6) and Bobby Burling ($4.9) to hold down the center of defense for the time being. Watts has eight defensive bonus points through three matches, and will be needed even more with Sjoberg out. The Rapids don’t play in Round 5, but have a pretty good matchup against Sporting Kansas City in Round 6.
Jonathan Mensah ($5.5) had an MRI done on Monday after injuring his thigh against the Portland Timbers on Saturday night. If he can’t play this Saturday vs. Orlando City (4 pm ET; UniMás, Facebook Live in US | MLS LIVE in Canada), Alex Crognale ($4.7) could take his place and be a budget at center back.
Ashley Cole ($5.5) was also back to full training on Monday, which means Dave Romney ($5.1) could be relegated back to the bench to make way. The Galaxy have yet to keep a clean sheet in 2017, but are playing a Vancouver Whitecaps side on Saturday (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE in US | TSN1 in Canada) that has only scored in one of their first three MLS regular season matches.
Midfielders
Speaking of the Galaxy, Sebastian Lletget ($7.5) picked up a left ankle injury in the USMNT’s 6-0 win against Honduras last week. News has come out that he will miss several months, so Emmanuel Boateng, who’s listed as a forward in MLS Fantasy and only costs $6.4, could see an expanded role in LA’s attack for an extended period of time.
According to this report from Soccer Impact, both Ignacio Piatti ($10.2) and Patrice Bernier ($7.2) are questionable for the Montreal Impact’s match in Chicago this Saturday (3 pm ET; MLS LIVE in US | CTV, TVAS, TSN5 in Canada). I’m going to be steering clear of the Impact’s offense, since those two have accounted for over 65 percent of Montreal’s fantasy points in the midfield.
Marlon Hairston ($7.1) picked up a leg injury against Minnesota United in Week 3. He’s scored one goal and also picked up three key passes in the first three rounds, so his status will be something to watch after Colorado’s Round 5 bye.
Forwards
The biggest hit to a lot of fantasy manager’s squads in Round 2 was the leg contusion sustained to Toronto FC talisman Sebastian Giovinco ($11.9). Giovinco missed Round 3, but is expected to return for Toronto’s home matchup against Sporting KC. However, between his uncertain recovery and the short rest of USMNT stars Jozy Altidore ($9.8) and Michael Bradley ($9.1), a 0-0 draw in Toronto is definitely possible on Friday (7:30 pm ET; FS1 in US | TSN4 in Canada).
Despite Lletget’s injury, LA Galaxy have had plenty of reasons to be optimistic this week. In addition to the three points they picked up in Rio Tinto Stadium, they also now have both Gyasi Zardes ($9.0) and Giovani dos Santos ($9.9) training in full this week.
Both Josef Martinez ($9.4) and Romell Quioto ($8.6) have come in to MLS with guns blazing, scoring five and three goals for Atlanta United FC and the Houston Dynamo, respectively. Both players were injured in their first matches of international duty last week, with Martinez now out 4-6 weeks with a left quad injury while a shoulder injury has left Quioto as doubtful this weekend. Atlanta may have to shift midfielder Yamil Asad ($8.6) to a striker role, since Kenwyne Jones ($9.0) will be coming off international matches himself. Asad has already scored 24 points in three matches via a goal and two assists. Houston will likely start midfielder Andrew Wenger ($7.0) on the left side of the offense until Quioto is fit to start.
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