Round 3 Differentials

Every week, I’m going to go over my suggestions from last week, and determine if they were a good or bad pick based on position and points. To describe in detail the ranking system here is the metric: bust = 3 or fewer points (or not starting), average = 4-5 points, good = 6-8 points, great = 9+ points. 

• Brandon Bye/DeJuan Jones – Good (7 points and 9 points
• Nick Lima – Bust (2 points)
• Christian Ortiz – Bust (2 points)
• Yaw Yeboah – Bust (2 points)
• Jahkeele Markshall-Rutty – Bust (3 points)
• Kellyn Acosta – Bust (3 points)
• Talles Magno – Bust (3 points)

Week 2 Final Results: 1 Good & 6 Busts

Full Season Results: 1 Great, 3 Goods, 1 Average, 12 Busts

 

Okay, everyone deserves an off-week. Especially when it comes to differentials. On paper, a lot of these guys seemed to be good picks. Yehboah’s counterpart, Etienne Jr., got 6 points, and Lima’s counterpart, Kolmanic, got 7 points. So the idea was right, but the choice itself was wrong. I’m going to try to be a bit more conservative with this week’s picks, choosing more floor-type guys and good clean-sheet chance guys compared to a diamond-in-the-rough. Keep in mind that there are still four CCL teams that have played midweek: Seattle, NYCFC, New England, and Montreal. So let’s get into it! 

Daniel Steres, $7m or Tim Parker $7m (Houston Defense)

I’ve talked about Houston defense in the past, and I stand by my week 1 take on them. They are a strong defense now that they have Steve Clark in net. Tim Parker and Daniel Steres showed that they love to pass the ball around the backfield through these first two games. A team that you can do that against is Vancouver, who does not pressure the ball as much as a team like Sporting Kansas City last week.

Tristan Blackmon, $6.5 (Vancouver Defense)

On the other side of the field in the Houston game is Tristan Blackmon. A player from Vancouver isn’t always expected to produce a lot of points. However, Tristan Blackmon has been able to produce 7 bonus points through his two games of the season. The bonus points are nice, but clean sheets are nicer. Blackmon gets to play against a Houston team that has 0 Goals For on the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if this matchup ends up in yet another 0-0 draw for Vancouver (and Houston).

Pablo Ruiz, $6.7m (RSL Mid)

The good news with Ruiz is that he already has established a floor for himself through the first two games of the season. He scored 5 points in week 1 and 9 points in week 2. Through those two games, 9 of the total 14 points came solely from bonus points. Can he reproduce on the road versus a tired New England team? Time will tell. The bright side for this all is that Ruiz is on all of RSL’s set pieces. So he does have assist potential. However, RSL is also without Damir Kreilach for this weekend’s fixture due to injury. This pick feels safe based on the bonus points he has produced in the past, but beware with being on the road, against a strong team, and missing a key player.

Omir Fernandez, $7m (NYRB Mid)*

The chalk this week is going to be Lewis (Captain) Morgan and Frankie Amaya. Both are very good options this week, and if you can afford one or both of them, definitely take them! However, if you want to gamble a little bit, Omir is your guy. This is a differential that I am going to put an asterisk on because I truly do not trust Omir Fernandez. He could still provide the 1 assist each week that he has done for the first 2 weeks, especially in the Red Bulls’ first home match of the year! (Seriously, though, take Frankie Amaya. He’s the set piece guy and has been generating bonus points)

Jack Price, $8.6m (Colorado Mid)

This is a difficult player to handle, but I have a gut feeling this week. Jack Price is the regular set piece taker for Colorado. They don’t have CCL this week, as they were knocked out last week, and they get to play against a SKC team that hasn’t quite looked like themselves yet this year. Price currently only has 7 points to his name over 2 games, and is on a -0.5 price drop. He is an extremely risky player to pick because of this value drop and not looking like himself. However, if you want to try to focus on the positives, Jack Price has been a consistent bonus point producer over the last 2-3 years in the fantasy game. He just needs to connect on one of these corner kicks, resulting in a goal and he is worth the pickup.

Miguel Berry, $7.8m or Gyasi Zardes, $8m (Columbus Forwards)

Yes, I am going to double-dip on this one. I feel like I deserve to because I’m honestly not sure who is going to be starting for Columbus. I am not going to try to predict which of these two is actually going to be the one to score an assist or goal versus Toronto this weekend, but it has to be one of them! Not only is Columbus at home for this fixture, but Toronto is missing their DP center back Carlos Salcedo due to a suspension. Toronto is already a weak team, and without a key defensive piece, that provides opportunities to get on the scoresheet. Whichever one starts deserves at least a bench spot, as they are forwards that can also be a bust.

Brian Rodriguez, $8.6 or Kwadwo Opoku, $5.2 (LAFC Forward)

Carlos Vela subbed out at halftime last week with a “precautionary injury.” Should that injury still be present when LAFC plays Miami on Saturday morning, Opoku is most likely to get the start over Vela. Now, I am not a big fan of having a boom/bust forward, but Opoku at a $5.2 price and LAFC having an early game is good enough reason for me to throw him on my bench and hope that he scores a goal. They are playing against a Miami team that just let 5 goals in to Austin FC. There are some key notes here, however, in that LAFC is missing 3 regular starters: Vela, Palacios, and Escobar. All of them were subbed off injured last week, and not likely to see the field this weekend. I would prefer Brian Rodriguez, as he seems to be more involved in the attack and likely to get an assist. However, his price tag may turn people away from him. Take these attackers at your own risk, but place them on your bench if you want one of them.