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Are you new to MLS Fantasy? Have you seen other managers frequently use the word Switcheroo while talking about their teams? Do you wish someone would just spell it all out for you? Well then you have come to the right place.
The Switcheroo is an advanced MLS Fantasy team management tactic that takes advantage of both the auto and manual sub systems. The goal is to help managers get the most points from their team. Think of it as min-maxing if you’re familiar with RPGs.
I used the Switcheroo during the Opening Weekend Challenge (Round 1) and have complied a step by step guide using screenshots from my team. There’s also a video at the end of the article if that’s more your style.
The Setup
In order to execute a successful Stitcheroo 
you need 3 things. 1) A scrub player who plays at or near the end of
the round. 2) A player (Player A) who plays BEFORE the scrub player. 3) A player (Player B) who plays AFTER Player A but before the scrub player. In the picture, Levis is my scrub player, Jungwirth is my Player A, and Davies is my Player B.
The scrub player is placed in your starting XI. Then you setup your bench so that the #2 spot is Player A and the #3 spot is Player B. Then you wait. Quick not, the #1 bench spot is your backup keeper so don’t worry bout it.
The Decision
If Player A has a great game, then you’re finished! 
Simply wait for the round to end and Player A will auto-sub in from your #2 bench spot. However, if Player A has a “meh” game, you can activate your switcheroo by turning manager subs on.
This is why the above setup is key. Players are not locked into your starting XI until AFTER their team’s game starts. So until this happens, you are able to replace players with a manual sub (as long as their team’s game has also not started). This gives you the ability to add Player B to your team before Player A would normally auto-sub in.
Executing the Switcheroo
After manager subs are enabled, you select Player B from the #3 bench spot. Then your click on the player who you want to replace, your scrub. Finally you confirm your substitution.
The Final Result
Once you have made your changes, Player B is now in your 
starting XI, your scrub player in in your #3 bench spot, and Player A will NO LONGER auto-sub into your team from the #2 bench spot.
So how did my Switcheroo work? Jungwirth (Player A) had a 9 point game. Normally I would NOT have activated my Switcheroo because that’s a great score and I would have let my auto-sub take care of things. However, it was the OWC and I thought Davies (Player B) had a chance at a clean sheet and a goal so I went with a Switcheroo and he ended up with 8 points. /shrug
Important Notes
- ALWAYS pick a scrub player that plays for a team with one of the final games for the round (if not the very last game).
- You MUST get the order correct on your bench for the potential Auto-sub to work.
- Once you activate the manual sub, auto-subs DO NOT happen. So if you have a keeper or a #4 bench player who were going to auto-sub in, they will not.
- You can’t break formation rules, so the switcheroo WILL NOT WORK if it would leave you with 2 defneders or something silly like that.
Helpful Video
If you’re still a little confused by all of this, here’s a helpful video created by RollingCarey from the r/FantasyMLS subreddit community.
I understand and have used the switcheroo (allows switching between two players).
But what about this elusive DOUBLE SWITCHEROO?! (Which by its name implies that it allows for switching among three players, i.e. any two of the three could be selected). I can’t seem to understand how that would be possible.
You would have two scrubs in your 11 and three players on your bench.
The three players on the bench would need to be arranged in order of the their fixtures.
If the first sucked, then you would manual-sub in the last two. ?
If the first was great and you want him in, then you are already stuck. The first and second player will auto-sub in.
In either of the above situations the second bench player gets auto-subbed in, and therefore there’s no difference between having him on the bench or starting him (and thus you’re really just utilizing a single switcheroo).
I keep imagining in my mind some crazy situation involving using only two starting DEFs in your 11, so one sub used must be a defender, but I can’t imagine how that could be taken advantage of. Am I wrong? Help me out. I’m just trying to make playing this game as complicated as possible. Thanks.