DiffeRANCHals: 2025 Round 8

 

 

 

 

Every week, we’ll go over our 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 did not play), average = 4-5 points, good = 6-8 points, great = 9+ points. Double gameweeks (DGWs) are scored as follows: bust = 6 or fewer points (or not starting/on the bench), average = 7-9 points, good = 10-12 points and great = 13+ points. Players not available for selection are disregarded and not counted as either a positive or a negative in the article.

Week 7 Results: 

Matt:

• Oleksandr Svatok – Great! (9 points)
• Alexey Miranchuk – DNP
• Chicho Arango – Great! (9 points)

Ranch:

• Chris McVey- Good (7 points)
• Pep Biel – Good (6 points)
• Alonso Martinez – Bust (1 points)

Matt Results: 2 Great, 3 Good, 5 Average, 8 Bust

Ranch Results: 2 Great, 8 Good, 4 Average, 6 Bust

2025 Full Season Results: 4 Great, 11 Good, 9 Average, 14 Busts (63%)

 

Apparently it took public shaming from Ranch for me to get my picks right. But let’s keep the good picks going! We are back with the Galaxy, Miami, LAFC and Vancouver playing in CCC, so some fun rotation might bring out a few good picks when lineups drop. But if you need some ideas before that, here are the best ones.  Let’s get into it!

Ranch: Oleksandr Svatok, $6.9m (Defender – Austin)

I am stealing Matt’s pick from last week and using this same logic. Austin has had a very strong defensive start to the season and they have given up the least in xG in the league so far, only having conceded 3 goals this season. Additionally, Austin gets to play against a Vancouver team who just played midweek in Mexico for CCC (and advanced!). With the tired legs and strong defense from Austin, I am hoping for a repeat of last week with Svatok.

Matt: Joel Waterman/Dante Sealy, $7.4m (Defender – Montreal)

My main pick here is Waterman, but since I always end up having a DNP on the week, my backup is Dante Sealy. Montreal finally have their big home opener this week and I am a full believer in the home field advantage for Montreal here–even if they have been subpar to start their season. Charlotte have also stalled after their strong start to the season, so I don’t hate targeting them. Especially if they are playing without Wilfried Zaha. Waterman is great for passing BPs, but if he doesn’t start Sealy is practically playing a full-on winger for Montreal and can get a ton of attacking BPs. Either way, they are a fun way to start the weekend.

Matt: Jonathan Bamba, $7.8m (Midfielder – Chicago)

Miami is obviously a very good team, but after that hard fought CCC win against LAFC and then a big flight to the windy city, I think Chicago has a strong case for a win here. Regardless of the outcome, I don’t see a tired and probably rotated Miami side stopping this fun Chicago attack, especially with Gutierrez back in the mix. Bamba will happily find a lot of freedom on that wing and with his pace alone he should burn that back line, creating space for himself as well as Cuypers and Co. I could see this game being a very high scoring affair.

Ranch: Lorenzo Insigne, $7.8m (Midfielder – Toronto)

Bernardeschi and Toronto have had a rough start to the season. There haven’t been a lot of inspirational moments in their play. However, ever since Lorenzo Insigne came back, Toronto has looked quite a bit better. The FMLS stats indicate that Insigne has been helping quite a bit as well. He has contributed 1 assist on top of 11 KP in his last 2 games. This week, Toronto gets to host a cross-conference team in Minnesota. This is a perfect time for Insigne to get his first goal of the season.

Ranch: Sam Surridge, $8.2m (Forward – Nashville)

Although Surridge has only 1 goal and 1 assist this season, don’t let that persuade you away from targeting Nashville attackers this round. Surridge in particular has hit his key pass bonus in all but 1 game and hit his shots bonus in 3 games this season. On top of that, Nashville is going to be hosting a cross-conference team in RSL, who have allowed 7 goals in their 3 away games this season. Surridge is consistently getting into dangerous positions on the field and I firmly believe this is his breakthrough game.

Matt: Chucky Lozano, $8.7m (Forward – San Diego)

Maybe this is me point chasing, but Chucky came back from injury absolutely flying against the Seattle Sounders last weekend. While playing a broken Seattle team at home is much easier than playing away in altitude, I do think San Diego will do a lot of damage to a Rapids team that has struggled at times to grab a hold of games. Because San Diego is so dominant on the ball, I see Chucky getting plenty of chances to get himself into dangerous positions, creating chances for himself and others around him.

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Contributors: 
Tyler Norman, @Ranchinator on Discord
Matt Nelson, @Tinkerman on Discord