Reid and Mike are joined by Tim who is back from his recent trip to Aruba and ready to review the first DGW of the season and all the fantasy winners from Round 7. After Mike treats everyone to a welcomed short injury list the guys answer a couple of Reddit questions and discuss the best way to deal with the rising costs of defenders and keepers. They wrap everything up with with a game-by-game review of the upcoming Round 8 and reveal which teams are worth picking up 4 players from. Oh and Tim gets a little slap happy with his 3-0 predictions.
Our first 2018 MLS Fantasy double-game week has come and gone and it demonstrated exactly why they are so important.
Managers without New York City FC players had a hard time finishing high last round, especially if you did not captain Maxi Moralez, who netted 23 points over his two games. This week we’re back to business as usual, and there are several games that have the potential for a Fantasy point bonanza.
Below is a list of some of the players who I think will give you a shot to give you a triple-digit score.
Teams on a Bye: D.C. United
Double-Game Week Teams: None
Goalkeepers
Premium ‘Keeper: With only 19 shots on goal and seven goals scored, the Chicago Fire’s offense is in the bottom third in the overall league stats. If you want to capitalize on this lack of form, then grab the New York Red Bulls’ Luis Robles ($7.0). He’s only allowed one goal over three home games and has a good shot for his third clean sheet this round (Saturday, 3:30 pm ET; Univision, Twitter — Full TV & streaming info).
Keeperoo Option: If you’re looking for the best ‘keeper pairing to maximize your clean sheet chances, my favorites are Tim Melia ($5.8) and Chris Seitz ($5.6). The Vancouver Whitecaps attack has suffered without Kei Kamara, so Sporting Kansas City may be able to earn a valuable home clean sheet on Friday (9 pm ET; TSN2 — Full TV & streaming info). But if that falls through, then transfer in Seitz for Houston’s home game against what will likely be Toronto FC’s B team, given Wednesday’s Concacaf Champions League final second leg at Chivas de Guadalajara.
Defenders
Kemar Lawrence | USA Today Sports Images
Value Option: If you’re looking for a value defender to help stretch your budget, then start with Kemar Lawrence ($4.8m). With the Red Bulls eliminated in CCL, his focus will be on the Fire and he'll be looking to get an assist in back-to-back weeks.
Shot Stopper: The Philadelphia Union (Saturday, 8 pm ET; TV & streaming info) have been great at generating shots this season, but not so great so great at putting them in the back of the net. Both of these qualities should make FC Dallas’ Matt Hedges ($7.0) a tempting option this week. As a center back, he’ll be in the perfect position to stop the shots that Philly generate, and could ultimately benefit from a clean-sheet bonus.
Midfielders
Bonus Point Machine: A midfielder who is not scoring goals or earning assists is usually not a great Fantasy option; not so for Nicolas Lodeiro ($12.2). Even when some of his best offensive partners were missing, the Seattle Sounders’ maestro was still able to generate an average of almost 10 points per game. Now with Clint Dempsey ($9.0) back, he could be in for another big game against Minnesota United on Sunday (4 pm ET; ESPN, TSN2 — Full TV & streaming info).
Value Rise: If you’re looking for a player who has a shot at a great score and a value rise, then consider Sacha Kljestan ($10.8). He’s scored a goal or earned an assist in three of his four games and has not scored fewer than five points this season. Kljestan is the center of Orlando City SC’s distribution and their game against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; TV & streaming info) should offer another great opportunity for points, as the Quakes have allowed an average of two goals per game on the road.
Forwards
Alberth Elis | USA Today Sports Images
Texas Tangle: Toronto’s plan to field their B team this round not only makes the Houston defense attractive (as mentioned above), but also makes having a Dynamo forward a necessity. Of the two main options, my favorite is still Alberth Elis ($11.5) due his impressive six shots per game average when at home. With that kind of pressure, I’m not sure TFC’s (3 pm ET; CTV — Full TV & streaming info) skeleton squad can hold up on Saturday. Oh, and did I forget to mention that he also leads the Dynamo in assists?
Back at it: With several promising games, it’s likely that forward picks will be very similar. If you’d like to go with a differential option, consider Dempsey. He may have fallen off the radar of some Fantasy managers after a two-game suspension and Seattle’s lackluster start, but he’s still paired up with one of the best creators in the league and will be ready to prove his skill against a Minnesota defense missing a couple key players.
WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 8?
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