Heartbreak, that’s the best way to describe Round 9. Heartbreak for home fans who saw away teams come away with unexpected wins, for the hopefuls who had their team record a disappointing draw and for all the Fantasy managers who invested in Atlanta attackers.
One person who avoided that heartbreak? Ric King, manager of IHSEATTLE, who led all managers with 118 points! Congrats!
For everyone else, don’t worry! You’ll soon forget all your pain as you focus on setting your teams early for the first big double game week (DGW) of the season. Rotations are always a risk, but there are still a lot of great options available. Below is my list of some of the top players for Round 10:
Goalkeepers
The DGW Options: There is little reason to not have a double game week keeper for Round 10, especially with a couple of solid options on the board. Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia ($5.8) has shown he can earn clean sheets on the road and at home, and has the easiest DGW schedule with a home game against New York on Wednesday (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE) and a trip to Minnesota on Sunday (1:30 pm ET | FS1 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
If you don’t like Melia, Orlando’s Joe Bendik ($5.2) is a solid second option as the cheapest guaranteed starting ‘keeper on a DGW. Orlando does arguably have the most difficult DGW schedule this week, but the way the Lions are playing, you can’t rule out big points for Bendik on Wednesday at Toronto (7:30 pm ET | TSN1/3/4/5 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US) and on Saturday at Houston (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE).
Defenders
All-In: If you want to go all-in with a DGW defense, Sporting Kansas City is your best option. Not only do they boast the best goals against record in the league, but, unlike New York and Orlando, one of their two games this week is at home. Toronto also play one home match and one away contest this week, but, with another DGW looming for TFC in Round 11, Greg Vanney could make some serious rotations on Wednesday and Saturday. With SKC's second match of the week on Sunday, there's a smaller chance Peter Vermes will rotate SKC as much as TFC.
Defensive Machine: San Jose’s Florian Jungwirth ($5.9) came up huge in Round 9, scoring a goal in the Quakes’ shutout win at Minnesota en route to becoming the week’s top scorer. He won’t find the back of the net every week, but his bonus points are consistent – that’ll be important when San Jose host an in-form Timbers team on Saturday (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE).
Midfielders
Consistent Points: With the potential for rotations very real for many big name offensive DGW players, this could be a round to consider going with a defensive midfield option. Toronto’s Michael Bradley ($9.0) is one of the best. Even with only one assist this season, Bradley is still averaging 5.5 points per game and has recorded less than six points in just three of his eight appearances.
SGW Option: If you’re looking for a competitive SGW player, start with Nicolas Lodeiro ($11.5). This pick is about more than a 2016 MLS Cup rematch, or Toronto’s likely rotations on Saturday at CenturyLink Field (3:00 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes in the US, CTV, TSN2 in Canada). It’s about return on investment. Lodeiro has scored or earned an assist in six of Seattle’s eight games. That kind of production makes him worth every million.
Forwards
Big Money Buy: Some probably expected TFC’s Sebastian Giovinco ($12.3) to be one of the most transferred in players for this round, but he’s not even in the top-10. Maybe managers feel burnt after the Atomic Ant didn’t score last week, but we can always count on Giovinco getting chances. It’s hard to imagine that some of those will not result in goals with two games on tap this round.
DGW Value: If you’re looking for a quality striker at a discount price, consider SKC’s Dom Dwyer ($8.9). After an early season slump, he’s found some footing with three goals and an assist in his last four games. Dwyer also has a history of going all 180 minutes on Sporting’s DGWs – you won’t find that kind of quality in most sub-$9m players.
WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 10?
FOR MORE Fantasy advice, be sure to check out the articles and charts posted at MLSFantasyBoss.com.
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