2023 Round 13 DiffeRANCHals

Every week, I’m going to go over my suggestions from last week, and determine if they were a good or bad pick based on position and points. To describe in detail the ranking system here is the metric: bust = 4 or fewer points (or not starting/on the bench), average = 5-6 points, good = 7-8 points, great = 9+ points. Players not available for selection I am disregarding and not counting as a positive or negative in the article.

• Andrew Gutman – Bust (-2 points)
• Arnaud Souquet – Great (9 points)
• Connor Ronan – Good (8 points)
• Santiago Moreno – Average (6 points)
• Emiliano Rigoni – Bust (2 points)
• Taxiarchis Fountas – Bust (1 point)

Week 12 Final Results: 1 Great, 1 Good, 1 Average, 3 Bust

 

2023 Full Season Results: 10 Great, 8 Good, 10 Average, 30 Bust

Welcome to the first Double Game Week (DGW) diffeRANCHals article! For this article, I am going to be mentioning mostly floor players that are good alternatives to the DGW week. I am unsure if I am going to include this DGW in my rankings due to the floor factor of it. The forwards, however, will be ones to keep an eye on with their given matchups. With that being said, let’s get into the picks.

Donovan Pines, $8.6m (DCU Defender)

I can’t go a full year without picking my favorite defender at least once. Pines has been my go-to player for the last two years after he started to break out for DC United. This year he had to earn a starting spot after injury, but once he did, he hasn’t looked back. Pines has played every minute since week 6 and averages 3-4 bonus points per game. If you are doing your math with me, that means he has a floor of 5-6 points (without 2 goals against) and if the clean sheet comes through, he is looking at closer to 10-11 points. I will put an asterisk on his first matchup of the DGW, Philadelphia. DCU has not looked good against their cross-town rivals in the last few matchups, so this is a risky pick that I definitely would recommend benching if you do so.

Deandre Yedlin, $7.1m (MIA Defender)

Two in one week? This can’t be real! Yes, I am picking two of my favorite defenders in one week. And yes, I own a jersey for both of them. You normally would not think that a wingback is producing bonus points, I know I don’t. However, Yedlin has been averaging 2-3 bonus points per game with a high assist potential. Given that Inter Miami’s attack is starting to pick up over the last two games (and Yedlin assisting in each), I could see Yedlin contributing at least 1 more assist during these next two games: at Nashville or vs Orlando. 

Connor Ronan, $9.5m (COL Midfielder)

Look, he has worked more than once this year. Trust me when I say that Ronan is the real deal. He has a floor of about 5-6 points and is on set pieces. What more can you ask for? Apparently he might also be on PKs after this past week. With Colorado traveling to Atlanta, then hosting RSL for a Rocky Mountain Cup, this is a great matchup for Ronan! Also, since Ronan is higher priced than I would like to mention as a differential, I will include a third mid as an option as well. 

Timothy Tillman, $8.3m (LAFC Midfielder)

Tillman is at a nice mid-level price at just $8.3m. Since Kellyn Acosta left last week’s game with a hamstring injury, I can easily see Tillman getting 180 minutes this double game week. That being said, Tillman averages approximately 5 points per game, so expect a minimum of 10 points over two games from him with the potential to score a goal. The best part? LAFC has two home matches this week!

Pablo Ruiz, $7.9m (RSL Midfielder)

I promised you a third midfielder, so here it is. Pablo Ruiz is a solid 5-6 floor player, which over two games equates to 10-12 points. Not only is he a good floor, but he also is splitting set pieces for RSL. This means that Ruiz has a higher potential for an assist than most other floor players in the game. Ruiz has the benefit of playing one matchup at home and the other as a rivalry game just across the Rocky Mountains. If you remember the last time that RSL and Colorado met, I suggested a player on each team, and both did well. So here it is again!

Josef Martinez, $6.9m (MIA Forward)

I know what you are thinking: “Isn’t Josef a washed forward who doesn’t have anybody to pass him the ball?” Yes, I would agree with you most of the time. However, when Josef starts to score goals, it is hard to stop him from scoring more. Two weeks ago, Josef scored 2 goals. Last week, he scored another. I also would like to bring up that Josef is known as the “daddy” of the Lions. Josef has scored a total of 8 goals against Orlando in the 10 total games that he has played against them. Given that Miami and Orlando are also rivals, I can see him producing more than one goal against them. Ignore the game in Nashville 😀 

Ercan Kara, $8.2m (Orlando Forward)

Speaking of goal scorers, Orlando has not had many of them, scoring only 12 goals in their 11 total games thus far. The forward to keep an eye on for them in this DGW is Ercan Kara. He is just getting back into fitness, but has shown that he knows how to produce against both LA Galaxy and in Columbus. This week Orlando hosts NYCFC and then travels south to face their rivals in Miami. Kara is a big part of the Orlando attack and has some favorable matchups ahead of him. I will also give a quick shout out to their Superdraft signing and leading goal scorer of their club Duncan McGuire. I am not including him as a main option in the write-up due to limited minutes, but I could also see him scoring a goal or two.