2023 Round 4 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.

Full 2022 Season Results: 22 Great, 25 Goods, 25 Average, 65 Busts

• DeJuan Jones – Bust (1 point)
• Bryan Oviedo – Average (6 points)
• Cole Bassett – Bust (2 points)
• Eryk Williamson – Good (8 points)
• Daniel Salloi – Average (5 points)
• Darren Yapi – Bust (2 points)

 

Week 3 Final Results: 4 Great, 5 Good, 3 Average, 8 Bust

Hello and welcome to week four of the 2023 diffeRANCHals! Last week was rough with only one good pick. I hope to get back on track with some positive results in week four. 

Reminder: The same five teams in CCL played another midweek game. The CCL teams are Vancouver, LAFC, Austin, Orlando, and Philly. 

Almost all of this week’s picks are playing home games, and I have some off-the-wall players for you this time, so let’s get into it!

 

Nouhou, $7.0m (Seattle Defender)

Cue the train whistle! Nouhou enters with a new-hou contract extension through 2026. Therefore, the train has been refueled and it’s going to be rolling for quite a while. Anyway, enough with the train references. The Sounders host LAFC in the first game of the week. LAFC has looked really good in MLS play, but rumor has it that Carlos Vela will not be attending this match because he refuses to play on turf. If this is true, LAFC will be missing their team captain. (BTW, I admit Nouhou is a “homer” pick, so don’t bash me on it.) NOUHOU CHOO CHOO! (sorry I couldn’t help it)

Nkosi Tafari, $6.2m (Dallas Defender)

Dallas has had some really questionable center back rotations happening this year. The most consistent player, however, has been Tafari. Not only is Tafari sound defensively, but he also tends to be pushed up for set pieces. With SKC loving to shoot the ball, Dallas will likely either get out of this game with 3 goals against or 0 against and Tafari has a bunch of bonus points. Either way, not too much risk for just $6.2m.

Frankie Amaya, $7.0m (RBNY Midfielder)

This is my floor player for the week. Amaya looks to be a relatively safe play for 5-6 points with the potential to score much more! He also splits corner kicks occasionally with Tolkin, but most of his production comes from open play. As a bonus, Amaya has been known to score a golazo once in a while, and maybe Saturday will be the day for one (or two)!

Eryk Williamson, $7.4m (Portland Midfielder)

If it works once, why not try it again? Evander will be out this week, and all signs point towards Atlanta demolishing Portland. I believe the one player who will be overlooked is Williamson. He is on all set pieces and seems to be the best attacking option for Portland when Evander is absent. Should Atlanta happen to blunder a goal or two, Eryk will likely be involved.

Franco Fragapane, $7.1m (Minnesota Forward)

Call this my “fun” pick to tease friends in the Discord chat. I’m more inclined to believe that Minnesota will be better defensively than offensively this week. Should Minnesota do anything attack-wise, however, Franco should be involved in some capacity. That said, of all my picks this week, this is my least favorite. Proceed with caution.

Ercan Kara, $7.4m or Duncan McGuire $6.0m (Orlando Forward)

I am not completely sure who will be the starting forward this weekend for Orlando. They just played a CCL match on Tuesday, where Ercan Kara scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal! However, during league play last week, McGuire was the hero when he scored the Lions’ only goal in a 1-1 draw. I hope that McGuire is the starter, since he is cheaper than Kara and likely to rise in value should he perform well. We all know how amazing Orlando is with SuperDraft picks, so McGuire seems like the go-to guy, right? RIGHT??