KFC’s Fantasy MLS Captain Picks – Game Week 1

UPDATE: 2/27 4:00PM – Mauro Rosales Added

Well, we’re 3 days from kickoff. I hope that everyone is getting close to finalizing their teams, and that our resources have helped. If you are still trying to find some players, take a moment to look over our past “Players to Watch” articles: Keepers, Defenders, Midfielders, and Forwards.

If you have your team, it’s time to start thinking about Captains and Vice Captains. With no information to look at for this season, the field is pretty wide open. So I’ll take a look at some of the big point generators from last year and games they will be playing.

Options

•  Robbie Keane
  LA is starting this season down a couple of big names. Beckham and Donovan were key elements to the LA offense, but I think they have found replacements that will still be able to give Keane the service he needs to score goals. They are playing Chicago, which is not the easiest opener, but they are at home and will definitely want to show their fans that they are hungry to make it back to the Cup.

• Kenny Cooper
  FC Dallas has mad a good effort to improve it’s team for the 2013 season. They have retained several key players and others have recovered from injury. Cooper is going to be looked at as one of the main attackers for Dallas. He scored the 3rd most goals last year while playing for New York and should have one of the easier games for week 1. I think he has a good chance to start the year off right.

• Federico Higuaín
  Higuaín has already performed well in Columbus’ preseason games with 2 goals (PKs) and 3 assists. An opener against Chivas gives him a good opportunity to carry that good form over to the regular season. The only worry I have is how good is the new Chivas? This will be a good game to find out.

• Chris Wondolowski
  Not much to say here. Won the Golden Boot last year and has now become a designated player. San Jose will definitely want that $600,000 to pay off for them. They are playing at home against Real Salt Lake and some of their starters are not at 100%. But, you can never assume Wondo will not score.

• Thierry Henry
  Henry finished the 2012 season with 15 goals and 12 assists, that more assists than any other forward by almost double! It’s obvious by this performance, and his history, he knows how to make goals happen. New York is playing away at Portland for it opener, and I think Henry will be able to get on the score sheet, especially with players like Cahill and Juninho supporting him. Portland has made a lot of changes since 2012, so this will be a good game to see what they are made of as well.

• Mauro Rosales
  After some discussion on r/FantasyMLS, it would be poor form to not add Rosales to this list. Seattle are playing Montreal at home and Montreal has one of the worst away records in the entire league last year. Rosales had 11 assists and 3 goals last year. This game offers a good chance to get more. Credit to Crolla for pointing this out. He also runs a fantasy MLS blog that you should check out if you have not already.

Top 3

• Robbie Keane
  I was going to have Wondo as my number 1, but with some injuries to a few key players, I think the Real Salt Lake game might not present the best opportunity for him. I think Keane has a better chance against Chicago.

• Chris Wondolowski
  Even with the injuries, you just can’t write him off. He could still hit the ground running this season but I’m not confident for a number 1 pick.

• Thierry Henry
  My only concern is how much have Portland changed? But a difficult game for Henry is still a game where he can score, and if Portland are still trying to get things together, it could be an excellent chance for him.

Runner-up

• Kenny Cooper
  I’m not sure if the changes Colorado have made will be enough to improve their defense at the start of the season and I just think the first couple of games are nice for Dallas and will give Cooper a good chance to score.

Those are my picks. How do you think is the best choice for captain?

And as always, please take some time to visit our Facebook page (might as well like it if do). Also, stop by r/FantasyMLS. It’s a great place to go if you want some advice on your team.