Week 1 Fantasy Review Pt 2

Every week I bring my own take on each game and the notable fantasy standouts you should be keeping an eye going into the next week.

• Standouts: Those who out did better than their peers
• Value: Those who punched above their weight class in terms of price and who I expect to have potential moving forward
• Fluke: There’s not always a fluke, but if you see a $4.8 defender with 12 points, that’s a good sign they’re a fluke. I’ll make sense of those types of performances and let you know if you should expect more from them or if they’re a one-hit wonder.
• Dud: This is obvious. Someone you expected a lot from and got little. If you spend $11.0 on Josef Martinez and he scores 3 points, you’re going to be upset. I’ll tell you if you should’ve seen this coming and whether or not it’s a trend.

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Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 3 Minnesota United FC

One Sentence:

• MNUFC: MNUFC might just be the real deal this year, if their centerpieces stay healthy.
• Vancouver: The Whitecaps have been dubbed an expansion team, and despite that looked like they had ideas that might come to fruition as the chemistry builds

Fantasy Standouts:

• Elite Performer: Darwin Quintero ($11.5) – 18 points: Quintero was all over the place for MNUFC, scoring 1 goal, 2 assists, 6 key passes, and 2 big chances created. Meaning in an ideal world, Quintero should’ve had closer to 25 points.
• Value: Doneil Henry ($5.0) – 11 points: Henry got 5 points without his goal as well as absorbing -2 for 3 goals conceded. Bonus Points are replicable and really raise this players floor.
• Honorable Mention: Romario Ibarra ($8.5): Ibarra is the pure benefactor of Darwin Quintero’s presence. If you like Quintero to run ragged on the San Jose defense, then considering snagging Ibarra to pair with him.
• Fluke: Fredy Montero ($8.8) – 3 points: Montero is itching to get involved and has tons of dynamic players around him to combine with the like Reyna, Bangoura and Hwang.
• Dud: Lass Bangoura ($7.1) – 1 point: Bangoura had an error that led to 1 goal for MNUFC and did virtually nothing to create for the Whitecaps.

 

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – 1 Chicago Fire

One Sentence:

• LA Galaxy: Ibrahomivc will score goals no matter what team he’s on; if LA were better Ibrahimovic would score more.
• Chicago Fire: The ideas were there, but the final product was lacking; Nikolic needs to be in the Starting XI

Fantasy Standouts:

• Elite Performers: Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($11.2) – 8 points, Przemyslaw Frankowski ($8.2) – 6 points
  • In a game that lacked quality finishing, Zlatan made no mistake when he put away the game-winner. He would’ve liked more, but his main man Alessandrini went down early leaving LA in a bit of a pinch until Alvarez came on.
  • Frankowski is really only on here so I could see if I could spell his name…No, really though Frankowski is what the Fire have been lacking since they lost Accam. His speed was clear and his ability to get in behind with Mihailovic’s ability to find him meant a stressed LA Galaxy backline on the verge of collapse for most of the game. They just lacked clinical finishing.
• Value: Dordje Mihailovic ($7.7) – 2 points: If you watched the game, there was a lot to like and his poitns hould increase with Nikolic starts up top.
• Dud: Romain Alessadrini ($10.1) – 1: Hamstring injuries don’t heal quick and are easily re-injured if not given proper time to heal. I hope he’s back soon.

 

Seattle Sounders 4 – 1 FC Cincinnati

One Sentence:

• Seattle: Flawless, but what happens if the Sounders are actually in a playoff position come halfway through the season??
• FCC: Cincinnati can be happy with the best first goal for any franchise in MLS history.

Fantasy Standouts:

• Elite Perfomer: Nicolas Lodeiro ($11.5) – 14 points: Lodeiro was the heart of Seattle’s attack and was for the first time in a long time surrounded with a full strength Seattle side.
• Value: Victor Rodriguez ($8.5) – 14 points: Victor Rodriguez was arguably the most dynamic player on the field and combined well with the team earning as many points as his teammate Lodeiro who costs $3.0 more.
• Value: Jordan Morris ($8.5) – 12 points: Jordan Morris proved he had his scoring boots still despite talk about him being more of a provider. His pace was dangerous throughout and hopefully we’ll see him provide going forward as well.
• Dud: None

 

San Jose Earthquakes 1 – 2 Montreal Impact

One Sentence:

• San Jose: That was fun and San Jose’s keeper is worth $4.0.
• Montreal: Piatti and Taider are good at soccer and getting results.

Fantasy Standouts

• Elite Performer: Taider ($11.0) – 12 points: At only 0.82% ownership, no one was able to really prosper off his phenomenal game, but Taider was good and pairs well with Piatti.
• Value: Diallo ($6.0) – 9 points, Victor Cabrera ($4.8) – 5 points
  • The main reason these guys are on here is their ability to generate bonus points. Both were heavily involved defensively meaning they didn’t need to get a clean sheet or score goals to still manage 5 or 6 points. Those are the kind of low floor players you want on your team, especially in defense.
• Duds: Urutti ($9.2) – 3 points: Most forwards are goal dependent and often drop 2 or 3 point games. Urutti is expensive for a forward that doesn’t do much to create for his team.

 

DC United 2 – 0 Atlanta United

One Sentence:

• DC United: They’ve got the sauce, so let Wayne Rooney get drunk in public if that’s how he likes to spend his offseason.
• Atlanta United: A disappointing performance, but nothing to get hung up on, yet…

Fantasy Standouts:

• Elite Performer: Lucho Acosta ($11.0) – 15 points: He was the best player on the field and absolutely involved in everything.
• Value: Paul Arriola ($9.0) – 12 points: Arriola created two big chances that should’ve been finished and still chipped in on defense with 8 ball recoveries.
• Dud: Josef Martinez ($10.6) – 2 points: There was a good chunk of the community, that felt the risk of rotation and heavy legs for Atlanta due to their participation in CCL would cause a dip in form, and we were right.

Los Angeles FC 2 – 1 Sporting Kansas City

One Sentence:

• LAFC: LAFC got the job done and should’ve had more, there’s a reason they’re MLS Cup favorites.
• Sporting Kansas City: Why did you not rotate for your CCL matchup this week?

Fantasy Standouts:

• Elite Performer: Diego Rossi ($9.7) – 7 points: This score might not seem like much for an “Elite” fantasy player, but the reality is not every week is going to be as full of this many goals and Diego Rossi’s performance leads me to believe he’s not just goal dangerous, but also liable for creating chances when he gets in behind and then cuts inside.
• Value: Lee Nguyen ($8.1) – 5 points: Lee Nguyen is a great player to put in to your lineup if you’re looking for a high floor player who always has the potential for more. He was taking free kicks for LAFC when he was on the field and managed 3 bonus points via the chances he created and his combination with his teammates.
• Fluke: Carlos Vela ($10.8) – 4 points: I’m not ready to call Vela a dud this week, because he still showed his quality on the ball getting 4 points without either a goal or assist and realistically should’ve had one of each, but may have been plagued by preseason form.
• Dud: Christian Ramirez ($7.1) – 1 point: Christian is someone I almost plugged into my starting lineup because of his nose for goal and his price tag. I’m still tempted to consider him for my lineup, but with Diomande coming on and scoring that screamer of a game-winning goal, I’m not sure if Bradley is able to keep him on the bench much longer.

 

If you enjoyed these takes or are irked by any of my assessment, get @ me on twitter (@tbartels12) and we can hash it out like men (or women), over the internet, behind screens, with close to no consequence or bodily harm. Alternatively, if there’s something you want me to explore more or do more of, give me a shout on Twitter or in the comments below and we’ll see what we can do!