KFC’s MLS Fantasy Captain picks – Week 9

Last week we made a late captain change that….well, it did not work out so well. Still, we stand by the decision because it’s not possible to predict an injury and the numbers were good behind the reasoning. Several of the popular picks have good games this week, so will the lure of a differential captain be enough to move you away from some of the most popular picks?

Keep reading for our picks and then let us know what you think in our poll.

Options

Thierry Henry
Henry has scored twice in his last three games, which is a marked improvement from the start of the year. Normally, this would make a player tempting, but we think the injury to Dax McCarty will be a blow to the New York team. You still have players like Barklage or Steele who can provide service, but McCarty has been a unifying and reliable force for New York. Toronto have also been quite frustrating when playing at home.

Jack McInerney
J Mac has been a very popular transfer pick this week and very big point getter for the past 3 weeks. Like most forwards, he gets few Crosses, Key Passes, or Defensive points, so he has to score…and he has been. Philly is playing at New England this week, and with a key injury in their backline, J Mac may be able to exploit that add to his goal total.

Graham Zusi
Mr. Go-to captain. Had good numbers against New York, but we all saw when happens when he gets shut down like against LA. We don’t think Portland has that ability, so we expect Zusi to return good numbers in this game.

Brad Davis
Houston at home against Colorado looks like a dream game for Davis. Unfortunately, he’s injured and listed as Questionable. Picking him as your captain for this week would be a risk.

Aurélien Collin
If you want to throw your captain’s armband on a defender this week, Collin is a good option. His bonus point generating ability is fantastic. Some are listing him as a goal threat now, but we think that’s a bit premature. If SKC stay solid against Portland, he could generate some big points.

Chris Wondolowski
Why does anyone still have Wondo? OK, so maybe that’s a bit harsh, but he has been outperformed or equaled by many forwards with lower costs. This week, you may have an OK chance for him to score against Chivas, but then they play Montreal. Fortunately, if you are truly in for the long haul, San Jose has a very nice set of game in week 11. Not our favorite option.

Claudio Bieler
Bieler has been in a bit of a slump recently, but Portland will give him a good chance to find his form again. A lot of his opportunities will depend on the service he gets, which could be coming from Zusi so you’ll need to balance that against potential bonus points if you own both players.

Top 3

Graham Zusi
We got burnt by not capping him last week, and we hope he does not disappoint this time. He’s really just to consistent to ignore.
Jack McInerney
In form, promising fixture, and a lack of injuries make McInerney as easy number two pick for the next few weeks.
Aurélien Collin
Kansas City, Dallas, and Houston are all Defensive powerhouses that have good games this week. Any of their big defenders are an option, but we think Collon’s bonus point generating ability makes his stand out.

Runner-up

Oduro/Higuain
No mention of these guys above makes them a nice little differential pick. Both have been on and off but D.C. has pretty much been OFF for the last several games. Could be a good time for one of these Columbus players to shine.

So who do you think is a must have? Vote now and let everyone know.

These are our picks, if you think there should be more names on this list, please leave a comment or come to r/FantasyMLS and comment on the post. You can also leave a message on our Facebook page or you can find us on Twitter @FantasyMLSTips. Keep checking back for more updates through the week for other positions. Good Luck!