MLSFB Player Roundup – Round 22

Round 21 was full of a lot of pleasant surprises. We had some teams break out of the poor form funk that they had been in, we saw more shutouts than many of us have come to expect, and we have finally seen some of the old reliable fantasy go-tos payoff. Combine all of this action with that great All Star Game last night and this past week has been noting to shake a finger at…. 😉

All kidding aside, it’s time for focus on Round 22. For those of you where were blessed with a consistent internet connection this week (unlike myself), you may have already made your trades. But for the rest of us who have been waiting to see how the market shifts, how injury reports change, and are waiting for that first starting lineup Tweet, it’s time to talk about who’s looking good.

Let’s break things down each position.

Keepers: For anyone who watched the All Star Game, you will easily understand this first pick. Nick Rimando ($6.1m @ 17.4%). He’s the top owned keeper for a reason so if have him play him. The cheapest keeper on my list this week is Stephan Frei ($5.0m @ 9.0%). Seattle is definitely missing having Chad Marshall on the back line, but I’m not convinced that Houston is ready to continue their rally while visiting Seattle. Getting into riskier territory, I like the chances of Jaime Panedo ($5.6m @ 3,8%). LA is getting back their first choice defense and they are not think kind of team that will allow San Jose to score 5 goals. Finally, Steve Clark ($5.4m @ 6.3%) jumped up on my radar. Defoe is out, Columbus has had a decent run over their last three games, and they have three home game in a row. He could be a good risk with the low number of shutouts we’re seen so far this season.

Defenders: Depending on your offensive makeup this week, you may be able to squeeze in a couple of the more expensive players into your back line. There are not a lot of players that I feel are worth doing this with, but with some of the budget defenders creeping into the $6m range, if you are trying to replace someone, you may not be saving as much as you once did. Premium players: Chris Schuler ($9.3m @ 1.0%) and Matt Hedges ($8.4m @ 5.0%) all have home games that are winnable and Drew Moor ($8.4m @ 32.6%) is still the top defensive scorer. Mid Range: Giancarlo Gonzalez ($7.4m @ 0.7%), Dan Gargan ($6.7m @ 12.3%), and DeAndra Yedlin ($7.3m @ 17.8%) have all returned after missing some play time and have been putting up decent numbers for the price range. Budget: Carlyle Mitchell ($6.2m @ 1.4%) and Nick Hagglund ($5.3m @ 10.1%) round out the bottom of my list, unless you’re willing to start looking at Chivas players.

Midfielders:

I’m just going to limit myself to 4 midfielders this week. We all know the big names and there is no reason to not be able to field a team with 4 solid big players.

Now it;s time to get into he bread and butter. After the last few weeks, and the All Star Game, I am forced to take back the earlier negative words i had to say about Landon Donovan ($10.9 @ 12.9%). He’s coming into a groove again and finding a nice bit of form. It shows that he is enjoying the game once again. Next is the Morales duo. I like both games this round. Pedo Morales ($9.0m @ 21.3%) has the toughest game, but he’s on the best form of the two. Javier Morales ($11.3m @ 14.9%) looks to be coming into some better form over the last three games, and RSL is on an upswing in form. They have no DGW any time soon, but he is one of the few players that can break into my roster as a SGW player. Finally, Clint Dempsey ($10.5 @ 17.55) rounds out my top 4 midfielders this week. I’m still just not ready to get behind the Houston defense.

Forwards:

I don’t see this point of the season as being the time to look for differential Forwards. This is going to be one of the positions where a correct captain pick can pay off big time for you. So stick with the big on form names at this point. LA has the easiest run on games for the next few weeks and with a DGW in his future, Robbie Keane  ($11.3M @ 18.0%) looks to be a must have soon, if not now. It also almost goes without saying the Bradley Wright-Phillips ($8.4m @ 29.4%) is already a must have. I find it hard to believe that his ownership is so low at this point in the season, but his consistency has been fantastic!

Rounding out my list this week are Federico Higuain ($10.2 @ 10.9%) and Joao Plata ($7.7m @ 19.4%). Both have good match ups this week, are coming off of some good games, and have some winnable games coming up. Plata also comes in at a price that is VERY budget friendly.

Did I miss any players that should be on this list? Please leave us a comment. 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 throughout the week. Good Luck!