LA Galaxy 2022 Preview

Previous Year Recap

Last season the Los Angeles Galaxy were a playoff team until they weren’t, missing out on a playoff spot due to goal difference on the final day of the season. The team grew Chicharito dependent and struggled when he was off the field due to injury. When he was on the field, Chicharito had one of the highest goals per 90 minutes ratio in the league and proved to be a great fantasy option. Rayan Raveloson, who was brought in the middle of the season, also impressed and surprisingly showed that he could be fantasy viable.

Fantasy Players to Watch

Keepers

Last season Jonathan Bond earned the starting spot and left no doubt that he is the clear-cut starter to open this season. The poor Galaxy backline provides him with plenty of opportunities to make saves. Last season Bond had 121 saves, good for the third most in the league. Once again Bond should expect to be kept busy in net.

Defenders

Defensively the LA Galaxy was a mess, only giving up 2 fewer goals than the two teams tied with the worst defensive record, FC Dallas and Austin FC, in all of the western conference. With no big signing brought in to address this issue, a significant defensive improvement does not appear to be imminent. Derrick Williams and Séga Coulibaly, both now in their second seasons in MLS, will have to make a considerable improvement if they are to become fantasy relevant. Julián Araujo remains the Galaxy’s top fantasy defender. Araujo’s impressive performances have seen him make his way into the Mexican national team. He will be looking to improve on the 6 assists he picked up last season as he is a crucial piece of the Galaxy attack.

Midfielders

It finally looks like Efraín Álvarez is being given the keys to the Galaxy car. The highly-rated 19-year-old has long been touted as a potential game-changer and has shown sparks of brilliance. However, he must demonstrate that he can consistently perform if he’s going to keep veteran playmaker Victor Vázquez out of the starting lineup and become fantasy relevant. Even at age 35, Vázquez showed last season that he isn’t ready to sit on the bench, starting 21 out of 28 games he played and recording 3 goals and 6 assists.

Arriving in May, Rayan Raveloson got off to a hot start last season and recorded 5 goals. Raveloson will still be expected to contribute offensively this season, but don’t expect him to take a huge leap. He may ultimately prove to be an option that provides fantasy players with a decent floor.

Samuel Grandsir could also have fantasy value if he can find his way into the starting lineup.

Forwards

After only scoring 2 goals in his debut season, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández rediscovered his goal-scoring form in 2021. Scoring 17 goals in only 21 games, Chicharito had one of the best goals per 90 minutes in the league. If Chicharito can stay healthy and the new signings gel well together, it isn’t crazy to expect him to challenge for the golden boot this upcoming season.

Douglas Costa is the latest big name to arrive to Carson. It is undeniable that Costa has the talent to be one of the very best players in this league; however, it is far from a certainty that he will be. Costa is coming off a poor season, only registering 3 goals and 2 assists for Gremio in the Brazilian Serie A. The Galaxy will be hoping that this past season was a fluke and that Costa will look more like the player who started for Bayern Munich or Juventus. Costa has not seen the field this preseason and isn’t projected to be a starter for the first game of the season.

Although not as big of a household name as the other two, Kévin Cabral also holds fantasy value this upcoming season. Last season Cabral often put himself in dangerous attacking positions only to be let down by his lack of end product. If his end product improves, he should easily outdo what he did last season, 5 goals and 2 assists, and challenge for double-digit goals. However, if his end product does not improve, he may quickly find himself on the Galaxy bench.

Fantasy Expectations

This year’s LA Galaxy might appeal to those who like to gamble. There are tons of boom or bust picks on this team that can easily give you a good haul of points or a dreaded 2. Anyone hunting clean sheets is better off looking elsewhere. Jonathan Bond’s $6m price point makes him a poor option to start the season as other starting keepers are priced lower. His price point and a bad backline make him someone to stay away from. Other than Araujo, no defender carries a ton of fantasy value at the start of this season. Araujo’s quality going forward makes him an appealing option as he often finds himself crossing the ball into the box. His $6.5m price point may make him too expensive for some to start the season, but he does have the talent to justify it. Even at 35 years old, if Victor Vázquez can make his way into the starting lineup, he might be a decent value at the price point of $5m. At $7.5m, Efraín Álvarez is, in my opinion, overpriced for an unproven creative player who only has 3 goals and 8 assists in 4 years as a professional. The Galaxy forward options are easily the most appealing. Douglas Costa and Kévin Cabral might be two interesting differentials to start the season, as both appear to be huge boom or bust gambles. Chicharito has the ability to score against anyone in the league and is definitely someone to consider each and every week. It must be said that he also is pretty goal-dependent and can let fantasy players down if he does not score.

Potential Starting XI