Too Early For The Need To Bounce Back
Onward To Fantasy MLS Week 3
Heading into fantasy week 3 of the MLS season and already FlavorTownSC is looking to bounce back like a tennis ball. Or any kind of ball really. Last week FlavorTownSC finished with 54 points, 4 points above the average and way below any meaningful score for the round. The overall rank and weekly rank doesn’t warrant mentioning. FlavorTownSC is 54 points of view away from first place and given the poor showing from last week, that’s pretty good. The silver lining of such a dismal performance is that FlavorTownSC has a team budget of $105.7 million. The team could use even more money this week - such is the plight of the fantasy poor.
What Was Learned
It’s proven difficult to determine when it’s a good or bad idea to bet against Inter Miami and their match last week against Houston, proved to be a terrible instance to attempt being clever as a fantasy manager. Houston looked overwhelmed by the moment and seemed too eager when they discovered that Messi was not flying to Texas. The eagerness and zeal were their collective downfall. First lesson - set up a Messi Google alert to track his whereabouts at all times. Second lesson, don’t go all in against a Suarez led Miami squad playing in temperate Texas springtime. Suarez was the third overall highest scoring player on the round. The right move was to keep Jack McGlynn, not captain him and pickup Suarez and captain him and not pick up a houston defender or a houston forward. Picking up Suarez and making him my captain, would have given FlavorTownSC a total of 84 points and made me the wisest fantasy manager in the history of fantasy sports. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to that parallel reality and I’m stuck where I’m stuck.
Match Week 3 FlavorTownSC Lineup
Goalkeeper(s)
R. Cabral (Salt Lake) - starting
Oscar Ustari (Inter Miami) - bench
Another week of who will start in goal for Inter Miami and all managers are more than likely hoping that Ustari can be their backup goalkeeper when their starting goalkeeper fails. Lots of MLS teams would love to have Drake Callender as their starting goalkeeper and Miami might not need him going forward. Cabral is the starter for now and his starting spot is not guaranteed, even if MacMath struggled with consistency last season. If Chucky Lozano can’t go on Saturday, San Diego will find it even more difficult to score and while it might be a trap, I like Salt Lakes chance of a fresh sheet against San Diego.
Scenario:
If Cabral is nowhere to be seen in the starting eleven, then it’ll be time to pick up Yohei Takaoka (Vancouver), who is slightly cheaper than Cabral and is a sketchy pick given that Vancouver played on Wednesday and should see some squad rotation. I operate under the rule that the only time to make room for one of the most expensive goalkeepers in the game is during a double gameweek. And the rest of the time, pick a cheap goalkeeper or two with a favorable matchup.
Defenders
This is where backup plans will be key. It’s the third week of the season and for teams not playing in multiple competitions, it’s time for the starters to be fit and ready to play and for the bench players to go back to the bench. However, I need the bench players to keep on playing. To get the premium attackers this early in the season, I need cheap defenders to start and hopefully perform well.
Jamar Ricketts (San Jose) - should see another price rise this week if he sees the pitch in a somewhat favorable matchup at home against Minnesota.
I. Feingold (New England) - Philadelphia have scored 4 goals in each of their first two matches and New England have only conceded one goal so far this season, so who knows what the outcome will be on the worst pitch in Major League Soccer when these two teams meet. I don’t like Feingolds chances for a fresh sheet, but I do like his $5.5M price tag.
W. Meyer (Nashville) - didn’t have a great time in New Jersey last week during his visit with the Red Bulls, playing only fifty-eight minutes. His short playing time might’ve been due to the fact that Nashville played most of the match down two goals. He’s destined for the bench, I’m just hoping it’s not this week. It’s Nashville so a fresh sheet is never out of the question no matter who the opponent is.
Scenarios - If Herrera (Columbus) is starting in the early match, I’d rather have a defender in a favorable matchup than go with Feingold against Philadelphia who’ve scored four goals in back to back matches. The only fear with these backup defenders is that they might get subbed in after forty-five minutes or so.
Midfielders
Choices will get real interesting if the star midfielders come off the bench this weekend or are completely rested. The majority of elite midfielders have more than favorable matchups at home, it’s just a question of how much time they’ll play. My two concerns are Rusnak (Seattle) and Evander (Cincinnati) and playing 3 matches in roughly seven to eight days.
Pep Biel (Charlotte) - he’s having a fantastic start to the season and even though Miami might repeat their performance from last week in Houston, I still like his chances to have a decent showing on the road in Miami. Regardless of how much Miami rotate, it’ll be a tough match for Charlotte, but a $7.2M midfielder who’s had two goal contributions over two matches, can’t overlook that.
Evander (Cincinnati) - I can’t imagine that he’ll see significant minutes at home against Toronto on Saturday as this will be Cincinnati’s third match in eight days. If he goes at least sixty minutes, everyone knows what he’s capable of with that amount of time.
Mukhtar (Nashville) - he’s put up eleven points in two matches and done so without a goal contribution. I love midfielders who can rack up bonus points and play out of position. He’ll need to score to see a price rise and I’m thinking he’ll be good for two goal contributions against Portland.
L. Acosta (Dallas) - new team, making friend with Petar Musa, and welcoming Chicago and one of the league’s worst defenses to Dallas. Should be a great show.
Rusnak (Seattle) - another midfielder that plays for a club that is playing a match every three days and have another midweek match next week. Rusnak has started the last two matches and given that they’re playing at home against LAFC, maybe he starts a third match in a row. Would be relieved if he didn’t as that would free up money somewhere else in my lineup.
Scenarios - If Rusnak and or Evander are on the bench, then it’s time to switch up the midfield and spend some money on the backline. Ojeda (Orlando) would be my first option in and if I need two midfielders, Forsberg (NJRB) would be my second option. That would give me about $1.5M to spend on a defender.
Forwards
Messi (Miami) - two matches in a row and no travel Messi. Will he go sixty minutes or more this weekend? Messi has to be in everyone’s lineups, just a question of where and if to captain him. Miami will more than likely have a very small window in their calendar where the club will not competing in multiple competitions, which means that the Messi google alert is crucial to fantasy success this season. He’ll be in my team as long as he starts.
Benteke (D.C.) - posted ten points on the road against Chicago and missed out on a hat trick after failing to convert a penalty. The most surprising stat from last week was his twelve key passes. He posted four the week before and might be a better option going forward if he keeps up the passing and creativity. Like him more and more this year.
Musa (Dallas) - all managers should be excited about this matchup. Chicago are on the ropes and need to figure out their lives defensively and this is most likely not the week to start that project. I don’t think Musa will tally a goal and an assist three weeks in a row, but maybe he can just get two or three goals instead.
Scenario - If Messi is in the matchday eighteen but on the bench and I need a defender, then I’ll pick up a Miami defender and Pec, if I can afford both. Dropping Messi for Pec, would give me $2.2M back and allow me to pick up a Miami defender.
Çaptain
Can tragedy strike in back to back weeks? Me thinks it can and yet I’m going with what the numbers tell me to do. yes, Messi is the de facto captain pick week in and week out if he starts. If he doesn’t, then no. Miami have been given preferential treatment by the league and get to play on Sundays. The only problem with that is, if no Messi, then who to pivot to for a captain pick among the last or second to last match of the week?
Mukhtar - does this make sense, probably not. I’m doing it anyways. Nashville will start scoring goals and when they do, he’ll be involved. C’mon Mukhtar, be my hat trick hero this weekend.
Mantra
I’ve done what the cave wall prediction model told me to do and I will ignore all feelings and hunches about doing what I want. I’ll follow the plan and be as lucky as lucky can be. The power and the glory is all mine. Praise be.