DiffeRANCHals: 2026 DGW Week 9

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Welcome back to diffeRANCHals season 5! I can’t believe we already are at 5 consecutive seasons of doing an article about differentials. I wouldn’t have been able to continue for this long without the support of all of the readers along with the contributors who have stepped up to help out. This season is going to be a little bit different compared to previous season due to the divide among locations of where people are playing the fantasy MLS games. For this reason, Meg and I will be focusing on differentials with Kickbase while Matt is focusing on FUTD and xChandyo will be joining the team to write about Sofascore. We’re so excited for this season and hopefully all of you are too. Let’s get into it!

Ranch: Jefferson Diaz, $13.6m (Defender – Minnesota)

This may be a little bit of draft bias, going with this pick, but Jefferson Diaz has been very good in point production over the last few games. With a double this week, he is primed to score 100+ each game, resulting in a 200+ game! Keep your eyes on Minnesota as they start to show their strength and potential. 

Meg: Morrison Agyemang, $1.6m (Defender – Charlotte)

Last night I wasn’t completely upfront with some of my inexpensive players that I plan to start in some of my lineups, especially in the rush leagues. Agyemang has quietly and consistently scored above 100 points for the past 5 weeks. Now they are on the road for both games this game week, but the first game is against Orlando. This game could really go either way. I do think that Nashville will be a much more difficult game for them, but I think Agyemang could still score solid points, without a cleansheet, since 4 of those 5 games Charlotte did not hold opponents scoreless. 

Meg: Dylan Chambost, $19m (Midfielder – Columbus)

Columbus has started to look more alive in their attack in recent games. Chambost has been a constant play after play. Chambost takes set pieces which also gives him an edge but if you watch the Crew play, it is clear that he stays involved in everything, constantly moving and helping his teammates whenever he can. This week, Columbus is one of the few teams that have both matches at home, no travel time is very appealing in the upside of more minutes of action. 

Ranch: Carles Gil, $36.3m (Midfielder – New England)

This feels like a very weird pick to make for an article about differentials. After many seasons of being one of the best in fantasy, Carles Gil has had a bit of a quiet season so far. Even through this quiet season, he is still averaging 133 points per game with only 1 goal and 1 assist. If he can find a way to contribute to goals versus two weak defenses, he could explode this week in points!

Ranch: Tomas Chancalay, $1.6m (Forward – Minnesota)

Another Minnesota player this week for me. Chancalay has hit the ground running after opening his account 3 weeks ago. Over the last 3 games, Chancalay has averaged a score of 190 with 3 assists and a goal respectively. Those are impressive numbers. Will he be able to continue with this production? I am hoping so, but it could be difficult with an away game versus FC Dallas then hosting LAFC. 

Meg: Daniel Salloi, $17.6m /Josh Sargent, $27.6m (Forward –Toronto)

Another one of those teams that has a double home lineup, and favorable opponents at that, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Toronto has started to shift more into a refined attack and Salloi (and Sargent) have been a big part of it. This week, I really don’t think you could go wrong with either of these guys, but I think I like Salloi a little bit more, and he seems to be a bit more consistent, one caveat would be to add that Sargent has finally been with the team long enough to work with his teammates and this could be the week that he breaks out. 

Matt’s FUTD Differentials

Since this article is going to cover the next full week of games and FUTD split it up into two matchweeks, here are some players to target for midweek and Saturday.

Week Results: 7, DNP, 1

Midweek Games

Robert Voloder, $3.7m (Defender – NYRB)

This is all about targeting a DCU team that can’t score to save their lives. Voloder has a decent floor to build off of and if a CS comes his way, he could hit close to 10 points. If Voloder isn’t an option, grab whatever starting NYRB defender  you can find.

Kerwin Vargas, $4.5m (Midfielder – Charlotte)

I’m not sure if we can fully trust Vargas to start this game. If he starts, though, he’s a great way to get into that Charlotte attack against a miserable Orlando defense.  

Weekend:

Derrick Etienne Jr. $3.6m (Forward – Toronto)

With the number of forward slots in FUTD, Etienne could easily be snagged by now. But hosting a struggling Atlanta United is something you are going to want to target and Etienne is the most likely to be available.

Chandyo’s SofaScore Differentials

5 points out of Caliskan. 6 points from Chambost. Only 2 out of Thiago. This week with the DGW I really need a bounce back. 

Week Results: 5, 6, 2

Season Results: 3 Great, 5 Good, 4 Average, 8 Bust

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. 

Chandyo:  DEF – Morrison Ayemang (CLT) – $4.7M – Or A. Morrison is how he is listed in the game. He’s been pretty consistent with at least 6 points the last 3 matches. ORL doesn’t look great either. 

Chandyo: MID – Jose Cifuentes (TOR) – $5.5M – TOR gets PHI at home, Philly did look a bit better but they travel up to TOR for this one. Cifuentes showed some flashes the last couple of weeks now that hasn’t really translated to many fantasy points but I think that could change and I’m calling for at least an assist to Sargent this week. 

Chandyo:  FWD – Julian Hall (RBNY) – $5.0M – Taking one from the wife, Julian Hall has been one of her guys. The 18 year old has splashed onto the pitch this season. 1.5% ownership at the time of writing. Back home this week could see him bounce back after last week’s bad game from the whole team.