MLSFB Player Roundup – Round 3

I’ve been trying to come up with an intro about round 2 and it’s just escaping me. There were a few good games, but almost everything ended in a draw. Some were exciting like SJvRSL and others not so much, yeah I’m looking at you CHVvVAN. But in the end, I think only one phrase can sum up Round 2 for many managers, nut punch.

Keepers:

There is only one sure keeper bet for Round 3 and that is that Tally Hall will not get scored on. Ha ha, sorry. I heard that joke in Live Chat and wanted to share it.

Anyway, there are 4 keepers who make my list this week. Starting at home, I like Eric Kronberg (6.5% @ $5.0m) and Steve Clark (2.7% @ $5.0m). Kronberg and SKC do have a mid week CCL game, but so does SJ. I’m hoping that both of these teams will field B team attackers but A team defenders, giving the edge to SKC. Clark is coming off of a bye week after an impressive opening round. Philly will be more challenging than DC was, but I expected them to play better against NE so Columbus has a good chance.

As for the away keepers, it’s Donovan Ricketts (16.4% @ $6.0m) and Luis Robles (4.8% @ $6.0m). We’ve all heard about the controversial PK call against Olave by now (which personally I agree with), but that was the only goal Colorado was able to create, Portland should be at least as challenging and I like their changes to come away with their first clean sheet. As for Robles, just copy and past my reasoning for Ricketts. Goal off of PK, not impressive attacking play, clean sheet looks good.

Defenders:

If you visit the MLS Fantasy stats pages, you may have notices that there are a few good value defenders starting to pop up. Several players have seen two games with CBIs in the mid to high teens +. If you are new to this game I’ll forgive you for not salivating right now. The bonus is that a few of these guys have decent match ups this round as well.

In no particular order: Matt Hedges (4.3% @ $8.5m) was almost traded off my team last week, but boy am I glad I did not do that. CBI machine, goal threat, and this Round he’s facing Chivas. I have to say that they have been doing well so far, but I think that even Dallas’ weakened defense will be able to hold tough against them. Norberto Paparatto (3.0% @ $8.0m) has been called slow by some and blamed for causing some goals by others. But all I care about is that the dude knows how to rack in CBIs. He’s earned 7 bonus points from CBIs in just two games, that’s buts. He’s an excellent replacement if you are wanting a little downgrade from an $8.5m defender. Andrew Farrell (4.4% @ $6.9m) looks to be replacing the MIA Goncalves and he’s doing it quite well. Even with the loss to PHI, he still earned 5 points, thanks to 3 bonus points from CBIs. Rounding out my top 4 is Armando (1.8% @ $6.5m). Sure New York has not earned a clean sheet yet, and yes they are going to be playing a lot of away games. But I think they are easier away games and Armando has earned 5 bonus points from his last two matched. I believe he’s now the top partner with Olave in the center and has a fantastic price.

I’ve also got a little secret for everyone who did not watch the last round of CCL games. Victor Bernardz 2.4% @ $8.5m) recieved a 2nd yellow and is not eligible to play. This means the defender who racked up 2 goals and 18 points in the last round, will be at 100% for the game against SKC. It might not be enough to stop a goal from going in, but I think he’ll be an excellent choice going forward.

Midfielders:

A few of last season’s go to midfielders seem to be struggling right now. No need to panic though, the season is still young and form can always be found. Even though I don’t think Chivas will win, Mauro Rosales (19.8% @ $7.8m) is still a player that is worth looking at. He’s been earning a lot of attacking bonus points and the Dallas defense should not be so difficult that he can’t continue to earn crosses, key passes, or even an assist in round 3. On the other side, there is Mauro Diaz (7.3% @ $7.6m). In his first game against Montreal, Diaz earned 1 point from key passes and almost another from crosses. I believe that the SKC defense gave him problems, but expect to see a return to his first game form against Chivas. Definitely one of the better mid range midfielder picks. A definite differential pick is Shea Salinas (3.7% @ $7.5m). He played very well last week and looks like he could be an attacking bonus point machine. But, there is always that CCL game to consider.

Picking midfielders was very tough this week, so here are just some thoughts I had about the others. Fagundez is the best option for NE, but they have been struggling out of the gate. Bradley is a great option from Toronto, but I think there are cheaper players that have been getting similar numbers. Beckerman and Donovan are in for a tough game, I don’t doubt that each could get points, but RSV v LA is always a tough game.

Forwards:

There are only 2 forwards that I really like for this round. Fedrico Higuian (13.8% @ $10.5m) is always a bonus point threat. I expect the CLB vs PHI game to be rough, so there could be plenty of opportunities for set plays. I know it may seem like following the points, but I like Jermaine Defoe (21.2% @$10.6m) for round 3. He had an excellent debut game last week and I don’t think the DC defense is going to be very challenging. If he can cary some of that form over, I think he’ll payoff again.

Like with midfielders, here are m concerns about other top forwards: Seattle is struggling right now, I still don’t think RSL v LA will be an easy game so Keane an Plata are risky picks, SKC and SJ are coming off of midweek games, and as for Fernandez and Henry well, I don’ really have many negatives to say for this. They have some good games and I could not fault someone for going with them, but I like Higain and Defoe more.

These are my picks, if you think there should be more names on this list, please leave a comment or come to r/FantasyMLS and comment on this post. You can also send a message to me on Twitter @MLSFantasyBoss, or join the Live Chat in the sidebar. Keep checking back for more updates through the week for other positions. Good Luck!