MLSFB Player Roundup – Round 2

Well that certainly was an exciting first week heaped with goals! I’m a little surprised to say it, but I think the Chivas vs Chicago game might have been my favorite of the opening round, but now that the dust has settled it time to start thinking about round 2. Here are the players I like.

Keepers:

Shutouts were rare in the opening round, but those keepers who earned them scored big! If you already have two solid keepers, I would just stick with the one with a home game and not waste a transfer. If you really want to make a trade: Tally Hall (14.2% @ $6.0m), Luis Robles (5.0% @ $6.0m), Zac MacMath (9.7% @ $5.0m), and Stefan Frei (6% @ $5.0m) are all great options. Of these four, I think Frei is actually my favorite choice and he makes a great differential choice.

Hot of the desk of MLS Fantasy Boss contributor Eternalbluforevergrn, his top tier keepers.

• Tier 1: Hall, McMath, Robles, Ricketts, Frei, Kronberg
• Tier 2: Ousted, Rimando, Busch

Defenders:

I have to be honest, I was a little letdown by some of my defenders. Houston and Seattle came through, but Dallas was a big failure for me. So, if you’re like me, you may be thinking of downgrading some defenders. Personally, I think that the best time to do this will be in a couple more weeks after most of the early bye weeks have passed. So here are a few guys to keep an eye on. Columbus has come out of the gate hot, but they have a bye this week, still keep an eye on Josh Williams and Michael Parkhurst. Both are under 6% ownership and could prove to be good differentials in the future.

As for this week, I think Seattle will have a much easier time against Toronto. I don’t think their DPs have had enough time together to really gel yet. Chad Marshall (4.3% @ $8.5m) is my favorite options here because he’s continued his great CBI production that he had last year. If you want to save some cash Dylan Remick (32.9% @ $4.1m) is an option, but he received mixed reviews from Sigi last week and most expect him to sit once Gonzalez is fit again. David Horst (10.9% @ $5.6m) a starting CB that is under $6m? Yes please and Houston’s defense will be a much stronger test for the weakened Montreal offense. With a CCL game and some defensive injuries, SKC may give some good option for cheap (temporary) defenders. Look for updates on the CCL game today and then keep an eye on Gardner, Ellis, and Opara. Otherwise, I’d wait until after the CCL games if you really want to invest in Collin.

Finally, if you’re looking for a differential, checkout Austin Berry (2.3% @ $8.0M) who racked up 19 CBIs in his game against Portland, Aaron Maund (2.8% @ $6.0m) is filling in for Schuler in the CB spot, and Futty Danso (0.5% @ $8.5m) who will replace Kah if he stays out with his injury.

Midfielders:

When it comes to midfielders, I want nothing to do with anyone that is not attacking, and there are several good option going into round 2. The top is Pedro Morales (5.9% @ $8.5m) who played under 30min and scored a goal and an assist. Vancouver is playing away at Chivas, but Morales will start and I like his chances. Clint Dempsey (7.2% @ $10.0m) is another player who did well in under 20min of play racking up an assist and an attacking bonus. Toronto should be an easier game that SKC was, and they are full or spirit after that big win. Finally, If you want to try to exploit the defensive woes of New England right now, Christian Maidana (1.4% @ $7.5m) is a great differential option. He’s a cheaper midfielder who is playing up top, lots of opportunity here to keep getting goals and assists.

If you’re looking to replace someone like Donovan, and have cash to throw around. You should have no problem finding another premium player to bring in. Take a look at Boniek and Davis from Houston, Valeri and W. Johnson from Portlans, Rosales from Chivas, or even Zusi if you want to run the risk he’ll play after the CCL game.

Forwards:

And finally we come to forwards. What can I say but, CONGRATS to Will Bruin (20.1% @ $8.2m). He really needed something to boost his spirits after a disappointing 2013 and a slow preseason. You can join the bandwagon and bring him in for the Montreal game, but just remember, Houston has a bye in round 3. If you want to stick with a player a little longer, I still like Obafemi Martins (10.7% @ $9.5m). Seattle had a lit of attacking problems in Round 1, but I think Oba’s chances will improve with the return of Dempsey. Jack McInerney (8.7% @ $8.5m) has a good chance to score against the afore mentioned injured New England defense. Gaston Fernandez (6.9% @ $8.0m) remains my top choice of Portland’s strikers especially if Chicago has a similar defensive performance as they did against Chivas. Finally Blas Perez (3.2% @ $9,0m) continued his preseason form against Montreal and is SKC has to rest some of their defenders, he could grab one in that game as well.

These are my picks, if you think there should be more names on this list, please leave a comment or come to r/FantasyMLS and comment on this post. You can also send a message to me on Twitter @MLSFantasyBoss, or join the Live Chat in the sidebar. Keep checking back for more updates through the week for other positions. Good Luck!