2024 Round 19 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 18 Final Results: 

Matt:

• Mo Farsi – Good (11 points)
• Christian Benteke – Average (9 points)

Brandon:

• Hector Herrera – Good (11 points)
• Kerwin Vargas – Good (10 points)

Ranch:

• Brayan Vera – Bust (1 point)
• Albert Rusnak – GREAT! (20 points)

 

2024 Full Season Results: 15 Great, 17 Good, 18 Average, 56 Busts

Matt Results: 4 Great, 5 Good, 8 Average, 20 Bust

Brandon Results: 6 Great, 5 Good, 6 Average, 18 Bust

Ranch Results: 5 Great, 7 Good, 4 Average, 18 Bust

Welcome back to week 19 of the diffeRANCHals article! Last week was a solid week around the table amidst the chaos, with a great Rusnak pick out of the rough to balance the one bust. It’s six more picks this week, as we hope to keep the good times rolling into a (very) busy July schedule!

 

Matt: Ranko Veselinovic, $7.9m (Defender – Vancouver)

Yes, Vancouver have conceded five goals in their last two games, including three to New England. However, there’s still a good amount to like about the Whitecaps this week as they welcome St Louis north of the border for the Canada Day long weekend. Joao Klauss didn’t travel because of a knee injury, while Sam Adeniran seems to be headed out the door, meaning St Louis will be looking to their depth this week for just their second goal in what would be their last five matches, having also already lost Celio Pompeu a couple weeks back. Veselinovic could also be a good hedge bet over usual centerback partner Tristan Blackmon ($6.9m), as the former sits amongst the top in the league with 5.61 clearances per 90.

Brandon: Dylan Nealis, $8.0m (Defender – NYRB)

NYRB appear to be a popular defensive option as they line up against DC this week, with goalkeeper Ryan Meara and fullback John Tolkin amongst the chalk options. Whether you’re looking for a third option to stack within that defense, or an alternative to Tolkin, the younger of the Nealis brothers might be your guy. Although you probably won’t be able to expect him picking up another assist as he did against Toronto, DNealis still offers a decent base of bonus points from key passes, whilst also keeping a cleaner discipline record. DNealis might also be a marginally safer option for minutes, what with Tolkin having been with the US’ Olympics tune-up squad during the last international break, though the jury’s also probably still out on that one.

Brandon: Hernan Lopez, $10.4m (Midfielder – San Jose)

Since arriving in NorCal back in April, Lopez has quietly but quickly settled into life with the Earthquakes, racking up three goals and two assists in his first nine games. Despite the fact that Lopez often ends up second fiddle to Cristian Espinoza, much like Erik Thommy (to follow below), this week could be a breakout week for Lopez. Aside from the potential dead cat bounce from parting ways with former head coach Luchi Gonzalez on Monday, their opponents this week, the LA Galaxy, have done a less than stellar job, to put it one way, at preventing chances through the middle – the same area in which Lopez operates. Putting two and two together, this match could definitely be high-scoring – and oh yeah, did we mention it’s a Cali Clasico derby day as well?

Ranch: Erik Thommy, $9.8m (Midfielder – SKC)

For my first pick of the week, I am looking at Erik Thommy, a player who has been mentioned quite often in the article this season. Why has he been mentioned so much? Well, because he is quietly scoring well even though he has not been targeted by most managers. This probably is due to the fact that Thommy typically isn’t as “boom” as most mids are capable of. However, this week I believe that Thommy has that boom potential. As SKC gets to host Austin on Saturday, Thommy should be the focal point of the attack. Austin has allowed multiple goals in 3 of their last 5 games, and the last time these two teams faced off, it was a 3-2 game. In that game, Thommy scored 9 points! I also would like to point out that Thommy’s home form is quite consistent: 8, 5, 10, 13, 4, 6. In all of those games, the only one that he scored goals in were the 10 and 13.

Matt: Felipe Mora, $9.0m (Forward – Portland)

This week, as it has been all season, is setting up to be another Cucho x Bouanga week. The third option, however, appears to be less clear, with the Timbers’ Jonathan Rodriguez a common option against a Minnesota side missing a long list of players, especially at the back, with the likes of Dayne St. Clair (int’l) and potentially Michael Boxall (ankle) unavailable. We’re however going with his teammate, Felipe Mora, instead, given his knack for scoring in times like these – as he’s done with his nine goals this season in what feels like every situation under the sun. The fact that Mora also comes in at a much easier budget hit than Rodriguez is also an added bonus as the Timbers look for a third straight win against the Loons, who have just one point in their last four.

Ranch: Petar Musa, $10.7m (Forward – Dallas)

As crazy as this pick may seem, due to the absences for Dallas, Musa still looks like a pretty good pick this week. The absences that I am referring to are Jesus Ferreira and Patrickson Delgado. Yes, these are very impactful absences. However, I believe that Musa can still perform with Illaramendi and Lletget behind him. On top of all of this, Dallas will be hosting a FC Cincinnati side that is missing their top 3 defenders, all of them being centerbacks. If I was a Cincinnati fan, I would be scared with that knowledge alone.