MLS Fantasy 2018: Gameweek 2 - Captaincy Picks
Picking a Captain to double down on in MLS Fantasy is the most important choice ahead of each of the 34 regular season Gameweek's in MLS's season. There's a lot of self-help out there for MLS enthusiasts, with our Hype Team providing three major considerations for the armband for each and every Gameweek. We'll be detailing the top choice for captain in home and away matches, and a Wildcard pick of our choosing to add to the chaos. All aboard.
MLS Fantasy: Gameweek Deadline
For the 2018 MLS Fantasy season there is a 'Rolling Lockout', which means you can make substitutions and transfers until the second a player's game kicks off, which means you can chop and change your lineup as any Gameweek progresses.
You can view the schedule and a real time Gameweek deadline countdown clock (in the London GMT timezone) on our dedicated MLS Fantasy page.
Captaincy in MLS Fantasy
There are a few differences with picking a captain in MLS compared to playing other games such as FPL. The major element to note with our Captaincy article is that we'll be picking a captain who is playing home and away, as well as a Wildcard player of our own choosing.
We've listed the differences below that make captaincy in MLS Fantasy unique:
- With the Rolling Lockout, you can change your captain until the selected captaincy pick plays
- Once the team your captaincy pick takes to the field, you can no longer change your captain
- If your captaincy pick doesn't play, then you'll end up with nothing
- There is no option to select a vice captain
CAPTAINCY HYPE: 2018 SEASON PERFORMANCE
In each Captaincy article we track our progress throughout the 2018 MLS Fantasy season. Below you can check how our captaincy selections have performed by week to week in Major League Soccer.
GW1
Home: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto 0-2 Columbus Crew) - 3pts
Away: Josef Martinez (Houston Dynamo 4-0 Atlanta United) - 5pts
Wildcard: Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders 0-1 LAFC) - 9pts
Totals
Essential Total: 3 (1) = 3 points
Away Total: 5 (1) = 5 points
Wildcard Total: 9 (1) = 9 points
Gameweek 2: Home Captain
Fixture: New York City FC vs. LA Galaxy
Player: David Villa
Position: Forward (CF)
Player Price: $11.0 million
Gameweek 1 provided us with some unexpected scores, especially with the players who were at the heart of the conversation surrounding captaincy. Giovinco, Martinez, and Lodeiro, all featured for teams that lost during the opening weekend, with Toronto, Atlanta, and Seattle failing to find the net in defeat.
Ahead of Gameweek 2, here's a quick reminder of how the first round of games ended...
Gameweek 2 offers a host of delicious home fixtures to contend with, but there is one team that looks like they're the real deal in the Eastern Conference, and that is Patrick Vieira's New York City FC. Dispatching Sporting Kansas with relative ease in their first game, NYC possess a fluid attack that isn't too dissimilar of Man City's attack in the Premier League.
David Villa is the King of MLS, and gets the nod as home captain against LA Galaxy heading into a first home match of the season, with the tempo for the season already set with the ease of the victory against Kansas.
Medina, Wallace, Villa, Herrera, and Moralez, look like the strongest attacking unit you'll find in MLS, so it is a no-brainer that Villa comes into contention for the armband, regardless of who New York play.
LA Galaxy opened their account with an impressive 2-1 home victory against Portland Timbers, with Ola Kamara and Romain Alessandrini scoring, though Alessandrini will be missing through injury in the visit to the Big Apple.
David Villa's Gameweek 1 Points
85 minutes played: 2pts
1 assist: 3pts
1 big chance created: 1pt
6 shots: 1pt
Total: 7pts
Villa's got set-piece duty on his side, and will be involved in creating more big chances for his squad, and despite not scoring on the opening day, a return of 7pts is a good haul to start the season for the Spanish World Cup winner.
Villa's fixture is also the last of the weekend, so there will be plenty of opportunity to assess the playing field before you commit. We're expecting an open game between both sides though, so there's no reason to think Villa can't get the job done, he's a goal machine and it is only a matter of time before the ball ripples the net.
Gameweek 2: Away Captain
Fixture: Atlanta United vs. D.C. United
Player: Yamil Asad
Position: Midfielder (LM)
Player Price: $8.4 million
Gameweek 1 offered a host of potential attacking returns away from home, and on the most part they delivered. Now, heading into Gameweek 2, the options for serious captaincy contenders that are on the road this weekend are very few and far between. With both our 'home' and 'wildcard' picks being Forward players, we turned our attention to a midfield pick, and of all the players of interesting heading into MLS's second week, one stood out.
We were going back and forth between 2017's MVP, Diego Valeri, or D.C. United's Yamil Asad, and ultimately we chose the latter for the starring role of away captain for Gameweek 2.
Yamil Asad's Gameweek 1 Points
73 minutes played: 2pts
1 goal: 5pts
Clean sheet: 1pt
5 fouls won: 1pt
Total: 9pts
Of all the matches we watched during Gameweek 1, United's visit to Orlando was the most entertaining encounter of them all. The game was end-to-end, and full of drama, with Victor "PC" Giro given a straight red card thanks to VAR after an elbow on Yamid Asad.
The fuel to Asad's fire intensifies with an away trip to Atlanta, who were bested 4-0 at Houston Dynamo. D.C. were an organised unit for most of the 90 minutes against Orlando, and might relish playing against a side with defensive fragility. Asad in particular could be a very astute Fantasy pick, despite their being a massive favour in home teams this week.
Gameweek 2: Wildcard Captain
Fixture: Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Player: Alberth Elis (HOU)
Position: Forward (RW)
Player Price: $9.5 million
The last captaincy pick comes from the team that impressed us most during opening day. Houston tore Atlanta to shreds in the first half of their 4-0 home victory, and we've opted for the man that cut through the visiting defence as if they were butter. Alberth Elis was our first Player of the Week, so instead of repeating our words here, we've got an entire piece dedicated to Houston and Elis.
You can read our Player of the Week article by clicking here, or interacting with the tweet below.
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All aboard.
