MLS Fantasy 2018: Gameweek 23 - 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
GW2
Home: David Villa (NYCFC 2-1 LA Galaxy) - 10pts
Away: Yamil Asad (Atlanta United 3-1 D.C. United) - 2pts
Wildcard: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo 1-2 Vancouver Whitecaps) - 9pts
GW3
Home: David Villa (NYCFC 2-0 Orlando City) - 0pts
Away: Nemanja Nikolic (Minnesota United 2-1 Chicago Fire) - 2pts
Wildcard: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United 4-1 Vancouver Whitecaps) - 10pts
GW4
Home: Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew 3-1 D.C. United) - 2pts
Away: Maxi Moralez (New England Revolution 2-2 NYCFC) - 4pts
Wildcard: Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls 3-0 Minnesota United) - 13pts
GW5
Home: Felipe Gutierrez (Sporting Kansas City 1-0 D.C. United) - 6pts
Away: Carlos Vela (LA Galaxy 4-3 LAFC) - 15pts
Wildcard: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo 0-2 New England Revolution) - 3pts
GW6
Home: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United 5-0 LAFC) - 20pts
Away: Carlos Vela (Atlanta United 5-0 LAFC) - 3pts
Wildcard: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA Galaxy 0-2 Sporting Kansas City) - 2pts
GW7
Home: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United 2-2 NYCFC) - 10pts
Away: Sacha Kljestan (Philadelphia Union 0-2 Orlando City) - 8pts
Wildcard: Maxi Moralez (NYCFC 4-0 RSL // Atlanta 2-2 NYCFC) - 23pts
GW8
Home: Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls 1-2 Chicago Fire) - 10pts
Away: Miguel Almiron (LA Galaxy 0-2 Atlanta United) - 14pts
Wildcard: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo 5-1 Toronto) - 8pts
GW9
Home: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United 4-1 Montreal Impact) - 15pts
Away: Dom Dwyer (Colorado Rapids 1-2 Orlando City) - 2pts
Wildcard: Carlos Vela (LAFC 1-0 Seattle Sounders) - 5pts
GW10
Home: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto 3-0 Philadelphia Union) - 12pts
Away: Miguel Almiron (Chicago Fire 1-2 Atlanta United) - 10pts
Wildcard: Darwin Quintero (Minnesota United 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps) - 3pts
GW11
Home: Carlos Vela (LAFC 2-0 Minnesota United & LAFC 2-2 NYCFC) - 18pts
Away: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta 0-2 Sporting KC & Orlando City 1-2 Atlanta) - 12pts
Wildcard: Darwin Quintero (Toronto 1-2 Seattle & New England 3-2 Toronto) - 16pts
GW12
Home: David Villa (NYCFC 4-0 Colorado Rapids) - 17pts
Away: Magnus Eriksson (Vancouver 2-2 San Jose & San Jose 1-3 D.C. United) - 7pts
Wildcard: Kei Kamara (Vancouver 2-2 San Jose & Dallas 2-2 Vancouver) - 9pts
GW13
Home: Carlos Vela (LAFC 1-1 D.C. United) - 5pts
Away: Diego Valeri (Colorado Rapids 2-3 Portland Timbers) - 7pts
Wildcard: Ola Kamara (LA Galaxy 1-0 San Jose Earthquakes) - 2pts
GW14
Home: Miguel Almiron (New England 1-1 Atlanta & Atlanta 3-1 Philadelphia) - 18pts
Away: Alberth Elis (RSL 2-1 Houston & Montreal 1-0 Houston Dynamo) - 8pts
Wildcard: Maxi Urruti (LA Galaxy 2-3 FC Dallas & FC Dallas 2-1 LAFC) - 3pts
GW15
Home: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo 2-0 Colorado Rapids) - 2pts
Away: Sebastian Giovinco (Philadelphia Union 0-2 Toronto) - 6pts
Wildcard: Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas 2-0 Montreal Impact) - 13pts
GW16
Home: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto 4-4 D.C. United) - 9pts
Away: Josef Martinez (Columbus Crew 0-2 Atlanta United) - 6pts
Wildcard: Teal Bunbury (San Jose Earthquakes 2-2 New England Revolution) - 2pts
GW17
Home: Josef Martinez (Atlanta United 1-1 Portland Timbers) - 3pts
Away: Sebastian Giovinco (NYCFC 2-1 Toronto) - 3pts
Wildcard: Dom Dwyer (Orlando City 0-2 Montreal Impact) - 3pts
GW18
Home: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United 4-0 Portland Timbers) - 14pts
Away: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (San Jose Earthquakes 3-3 LA Galaxy) - 13pts
Wildcard: Adama Diomande (LAFC 4-1 Philadelphia Union) - 17pts
GW19
Home: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA Galaxy 2-2 D.C. & LA Galaxy 4-0 Columbus) - 18pts
Away: Miguel Almiron (FC Dallas 3-2 Atlanta & Philadelphia 0-2 Atlanta) - 21pts
Wildcard: Alberth Elis (Houston 2-2 LAFC & Houston 3-0 Minnesota) - 19pts
GW20
Home: Maxi Moralez (NYCFC 3-0 Montreal & NYCFC 2-0 Columbus) - 18pts
Away: Ignacio Piatti (NYCFC 3-0 Montreal & Montreal 2-0 San Jose) - 17pts
Wildcard: Nemanja Nikolic (Chicago 3-4 Philadelphia & Dallas 3-1 Chicago) - 8pts
GW21
Home: Darwin Quintero (Minnesota 2-1 New England & Minnesota 5-1 LAFC) - 23pts
Away: Diego Fagundez (Minnesota 2-1 New England & New York Red Bulls 2-0 New England) - 13pts
Wildcard: Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders 2-0 Vancouver Whitecaps) - 17pts
GW22
Home: Wayne Rooney (D.C. 0-1 NY Red Bulls & D.C. 2-1 Colorado Rapids) - 8pts
Away: Maxi Moralez (Orlando City 0-2 NYCFC & Seattle Sounders 3-1 NYCFC) - 17pts
Wildcard: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LAFC 2-2 LA Galaxy & LA Galaxy 4-3 Orlando) - 29pts
Totals
Home Total: 3 (1), 10 (2), 0 (3), 2 (4), 6 (5), 20 (6), 10 (7), 10 (8), 15 (9), 12 (10), 18 (11), 17 (12), 5 (13), 18 (14), 2 (15), 9 (16), 3 (17), 14 (18), 18 (19), 18 (20), 23 (21), 8 (22) = 241 points
Away Total: 5 (1), 2 (2), 2 (3), 4 (4), 15 (5), 3 (6), 8 (7), 14 (8), 2 (9), 10 (10), 12 (11), 7 (12), 7 (13), 8 (14), 6 (15), 6 (16), 3 (17), 13 (18), 21 (19), 17 (20), 13 (21), 17 (22) = 195 points
Wildcard Total: 9 (1), 9 (2), 10 (3), 13 (4), 3 (5), 2 (6), 23 (7), 8 (8), 5 (9), 3 (10), 16 (11), 9 (12), 2 (13), 3 (14), 13 (15), 2 (16), 3 (17), 17 (18), 19 (19), 8 (20), 17 (21), 29 (22) = 223 points
Gameweek 23: Home Captain
Fixture: Atlanta United vs. Toronto
Player: Josef Martinez (ATL)
Position: Forward (CF)
Player Price: $11.5 million
The Fall Season is upon us MLS Fantasy players as we get used to life with reset budgets for the final run-in. What the season's may change, the form of one man isn't.
Atlanta's Josef Martinez is in unstoppable form right now, and below we've highlighted some stats to back up a season to remember.
- 24 goals in 23 league appearances.
- 27 attacking returns in the MLS (24 goals, 3 assists)
- Scored the only goal for the MLS All-Star team against Juventus
- Scored in six consecutive MLS matches (netting 10 times in those 6 games)
- Has not gone 2 games without a goal this season in MLS
- Scored in 7/12 homes games so far this season
- Scored in 9/11 away games, including goals in 7 consecutive away games
Martinez boasts 192 points in MLS Fantasy, which is 51 one man LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is suspended for a visit to Colorado Rapids - a suspension which will surely further the grap between the top two Forward's in the game.
Atlanta entertain Toronto to open Week 23's round of fixtures, and the form just tells us that Martinez is going to produce, so much so that he's eclipsed our love for Miguel Almiron in this titular position for the week.
With the slate wiped clean for Fantasy players, there's no doubting the automatic captaincy selection for many, and it might be a wise move as you adjudge what your mini-league rivals are plotting for the weekend.
Gameweek 23: Away Captain
Fixture: Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders
Player: Raul Ruidiaz (SEA)
Position: Forward (CF)
Player Price: $10.5 million
Seattle Sounders have a habit of turning up late to the party. After a miserable opening to the season, rooted mostly at the foot of the Western Conference. As the pressure mounts for a play-off place, Seattle have found their grove again, finding themselves unbeaten in more than half a dozen MLS matches.
Week 22 was the perfect Double Gameweek from a Sounders points of view. A 1-0 win at San Jose Earthquakes was followed up with a convincing 3-1 home victory over a NYCFC side who failed to keep the pressure on Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
A major crux for Seattle most of this season has been lethargic players with little energy or pace ambling around the field, never looking like scoring. The addition of Raul Ruidiaz, combined with the rising form of Nicolas Lodeiro, has provided The Sounders with the speed and drive that Seattle have been sorely missing in recent months.
Ruidiaz's first goal for Seatle in their 1-0 win over San Jose was case and point. Direct running after a through ball, emphatically finished by the Peruvian international, who has 4 goals in 31 appearances for his country.
A lowly 88 Fantasy players have taken the plunge to opt for Ruidiaz this weekend at a potentially tricky away test, but concrete options are so few and far between this weekend. Due to our wildcard captaincy pick being a popular popular pick, it was only right that we opted for Ruidiaz ahead of points-magnet, Nicolas Lodeiro.
We suspect that Seattle might continue their winning ways in Seattle, and if they're to do it, Ruidaz will be central to their success, and if so, a hit with the few that have banked on him this coming weekend.
Gameweek 23: Wildcard Captain
Fixture: Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United
Player: Ignacio Piatti (MTL)
Position: Midfielder (LW / CF)
Player Price: $11.0 million
Last up for captaincy selection is a man famed for producing on his own patch of turf, with Ignacio Piatti among the top MLS Fantasy targets for the visit of Wayne Rooney and D.C. United.
Rooney, who broke his nose in a 2-1 home win for D.C. over Colorado Rapids might look unrecognisable this weekend, mask and all, and we have the feeling that after 2 wins from 3 appearances at Audi Field, that United might look unfamiliar to the side that has fought hard in the past few weeks.
Piatti scored in Montreal's last home outing, a 2-1 home loss to Eastern Conference leaders, Atlanta, and recently featured in the MLS All-Star game, with his inch-perfect cross being pivotal for Josef Martinez's equaliser against Juventus in the league's recent penalty feat to the Italian champions.
With 172 Fantasy points, Piatti is only outscored by Miguel Almiron (200) and Maxi Moralez (194), with both midfielders likely to be in Fantasy teams across the land as both Atlanta and NYC both feature at home.
Piatti's the perfect wildcard captaincy pick this week as he is only owned by 1.39% of active players, which is 459 to be exact, which is far inferior to Moralez's and Almiron's ownership.
Not many will put the armband on Piatti, with the upcoming fixture likely to be an occasion where you wondered why you ever overlooked Piatti's influence at home against the bottom side in the Eastern Conference.
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All aboard.
