Week 1 of the MLS Fantasy season is in the books, and the average Fantasy team scored 42 points for the round.
*Remember to join the Official Whitecaps FC Fantasy League by selecting the 'Caps as your favourite team
The most captained player by all teams was Mike Magee, which turned out to be a disaster, as he didn't play. It's safe to say that there will be a lot of teams licking their wounds and trying to improve their squad for Week 2 and beyond.
Meanwhile, teams that included Will Bruin, Federico Higuain, Kenny Miller, or Nick Rimando likely scored well above average.
Regardless of where you might find yourself after Week 1, here is my advice for improving your roster for Week 2.
Load Up on Dynamo players
Houston, fresh off a 4-0 clean sheet victory over New England, host a Montreal Impact team that will be without its star striker, Marco Di Vaio.
Historically, the Dynamo have been known to keep long clean sheet streaks at home, and I think that their current one has a great chance of continuing through this week's match.
Corey Ashe ($7.1), Kofi Sarkodie ($6.5) and rookie centre back David Horst ($5.6) are all excellent options this week. You will want at least 2 of them on your squad.
Montreal is likely to struggle defensively this season, so Will Bruin ($8.1) and Oscar Boniek Garcia ($10.0) also seem like strong plays this week.
I'm going with Sarkodie and Horst at the back and Will Bruin up front this week.
If it were not for Houston having a bye week next week, I would have gone with the 4 player maximum.
Believe the Hype - Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales is the real deal, folks. In 26 minutes against New York Red Bulls, he put up 11 Fantasy Points, and looked to be a in a class of his own on the pitch. Keep in mind that Morales is in mid-season form, coming from La Liga, and will no longer be battling jet-lag this week.
Carl Robinson has said that Morales will likely start against Chivas USA on Sunday, and he is going to put up points. Bank on it.
The ‘Caps have two road games in the next two weeks, which should normally mean decreased fantasy point production expectations. However, this is not the same Whitecaps team as last season, and their depth of creative attacking players should allow them to put up points on the road against many teams. I like their chances to score multiple goals against both Chivas, who gave up two to a Mike Magee-less Chicago Fire squad, and New England, who surrendered four goals to the Dynamo in Week 1.
As a result, I used my two transfers this week to pick up Pedro Morales and Sebastian Fernandez, in place of Diego Fagundez and Giles Barnes.
I suspect that the price of Morales ($8.5) and Fernandez ($7.1) will rise in the coming weeks.
Morales' price is currently frozen due to being recently added to MLS Fantasy Manager.
Hold off on TFC Players
Toronto FC made headlines this summer by bringing in the likes of Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, Dwayne De Rosario, Gilberto, and Julio Cesar, and while their roster does seem poised to put up big Fantasy points at some point this season, it likely won't be for a while.
TFC open their season on Saturday in Seattle after having a Week 1 bye and an underwhelming preseason. This squad will likely need some time to build chemistry, so look for them to start slowly. Toronto starts the season with three of their first four games on the road, and still have two more bye weeks before the World Cup.
I wouldn't recommend picking up any TFC players just yet, I think there are far better options for the first few weeks of the season.
Budget Options
Putting together a competitive Starting 11 involves saving money on your bench players.
Here are some players currently priced below $5.0 who will likely see minutes in the coming weeks:
- Thomas McMamara - CHV - ($4.6): Exciting rookie who scored in Week 1, should be in line for many starts now that he has proven himself.
- Dylan Remick - SEA - ($4.1): Started and put up a clean sheet in Week 1. Might be benched Week 2 if Leo Gonzalez returns from injury. Even if he doesn't start he's worth a spot on your bench.
- Eric Miller - MTL ($4.5) - Played a full 90 and did not look out of place. There likely won't be too many clean sheets for Montreal this year, but Miller is good value for the price.
- Sean Okoli - SEA ($4.0) - Brought on late by the Sounders and his play directly led to the winning goal. Won't see many minutes, but at $4.0, you will hard pressed to do better at forward.
- Mathew Fondy - CHV ($4.0) - Didn't see the pitch in Week 1, but had a goal in a reserve game this week. He will get his chance this year at some point.
Top 10 Captain Options - Week 2
1. Will Bruin
2. Corey Ashe
3. Oscar Boniek Garcia
5. Thierry Henry
6. Aurelien Collin
7. Diego Valeri
8. Graham Zusi
9. Pedro Morales
10. Obafemi Martins
Here is my team for Week 2
