2024 Round 17 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 = 3 or fewer points (or not starting/on the bench), average = 4-5 points, good = 6-8 points, great = 9+ points. Players not available for selection I am disregarding and not counting as a positive or negative in the article.

DGW Scoring: Bust = 6 or fewer, Average = 7-9, Good = 10-12, Great = 13+

Week 15 Final Results: 

Matt:

• Robin Lod – Average (8 points)
• Jonathan Rodriguez – Great (16 points)

Brandon:

• Noah Eile – Good (12 points)
• Jeong Sang-Bin – Bust (5 point)

Ranch:

• Adilson Malanda – Bust (4 points)
• Gabriel Pec – Good (10 points)

2024 Full Season Results: 13 Great, 13 Good, 17 Average, 51 Busts

Matt Results: 4 Great, 3 Good, 7 Average, 19 Bust

Brandon Results: 5 Great, 3 Good, 6 Average, 17 Bust

Ranch Results: 4 Great, 7 Good, 4 Average, 15 Bust

 

Welcome back to week 17 of the diffeRANCHals article! After taking last week off due to the shortened schedule, the trio is back with another look at differentials for this week. Should you pick some of these guys? Of course! Otherwise we might stop making these articles. Just kidding, we probably will keep writing even if nobody reads these. If you do actually read the intro, ping Ranchinator saying “Nathan is a goat” just so that I can see how many read. Let’s get into it!

Ranch: Ranko Veselinovic OR Tristan Blackmon, $8.8m or $7.4m (Defender – Vancouver)

With the uncertainty of the Whitecaps’ defensive rotations, I am going to include both players, but with a focus on Ranko Veselinovic. So if both of them play, Ranko is the player who I will be scoring. Although Vancouver has not had a clean sheet in 7 games, I do see this game against New England as a chance at breaking that streak. Sitting in last place in the East, the Revs have only scored 12 goals in 13 games, and even having a home game is not that much of an advantage for this broken team. Vancouver, on the other hand, has allowed the 3rd least amount of goals this season at 19. When they meet, I want a defender who gets bonus points, which targets one of Veselinovic or Blackmon. I favor Ranko for this set piece threat as well. (I honestly would pick Ryan Raposo here if I didn’t think he was going to rotate).

Matt: Sigurd Rosted, $5.1m (Defender – Toronto)

While Chicago might be undefeated in their last 3 games, their underlying stats show that they are still the same team that struggles to score goals, with an xG of .9, 1, and 1 in those last three games. Toronto hasn’t been the defensive powerhouse they (surprisingly) were at the beginning of the season, but I do think they have a good shout at keeping Chicago out. Rosted provides a cheap way into a decent CS chance in the early games weekend, especially if you are backing off Charlotte now that Benteke is deemed ‘fully fit’.

Brandon: Asier Illarramendi, $8.9m (Midfielder – Dallas)

Leading off the midfielders, it’s Dallas’ Spanish midfield general, Asier Illarramendi, getting the nod here. Atop a solid bed of ‘floor’ scores when he plays the full 90’, Ilarramendi’s put up some solid ceiling points with a goal and two assists in his last four games. Add to that equation, Dallas playing host this week to a St Louis side that has yet to recapture the magical form that took them atop the West in their first season.

Brandon: Mateusz Bogusz, $11.2m (Midfielder – LAFC)

Despite their coast-to-coast travel this weekend to arrive in Orlando, false 9/attacking 10 option in Bogusz is my second pick this week. Not only is the 22-year-old in blazing form with three goals and two assists in his last five, but he’s even racked up substantial bonus points on top of the side keeping five straight clean sheets. Although the away match won’t necessarily do LAFC any favors, their opponents might, considering Orlando will be without David Brekalo for the Euros and down Pedro Gallese to Copa América duty, likely meaning a makeshift back line tonight at Inter & Co Stadium.

Matt: Mikael Uhre, $8.2m (Forward – Philadelphia)

Philly is missing some big pieces this weekend, but Miami is also missing any resemblance of defense… so it’s even? But Uhre should really be stepping up as a big player in that Philly attack who should still be able to score against this Miami team who is averaging 1.51 xGA per away game. With the pieces that are missing from the Union, Uhre should be heavily involved in whatever they do going forward.

Ranch: Kevin Kelsy, $9.0m (Forward – Cincinnati)

The 19 year old Venezuelan prodigy is my second pick for this week. Kelsy has been quietly very consistent for Cincinnati, scoring 3 goals in just 327 minutes played. On top of that, Kelsy has hit his key passes bonus point in his last 3 games, even when one of them was only 31 minutes. Should Kelsy start on Saturday, I firmly believe that he will light up the field with Lucho Acosta by his side and maybe an unnatural disaster will come to San Jose. I predict 2 goals and 1 assist.