MLS Fantasy 2019: Statistics ahead of Week 3
As MLS Fantasy players enter the third round of fixtures this weekend, we are attempting to regroup after a few mixed weeks on the Fantasy board by pinning down some statistics that might help us explain the start to the 2019 MLS season. To do this, we have gone through the MLS site, MLS Fantasy and Social Media to make sense of the season so far. All aboard.
MLS Fantasy: Week 3 Deadline
For the 2019 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 Week progresses.
MLS Fantasy 2019: Statistics ahead of Week 3
Darwin Quintero (MIN) is the top MLS Fantasy player after Week 2 with 29 points (averaging 14.5 points-per-game). The Forward has managed 2 goals and 3 assists in away games against Vancouver (Week 1) and San Jose (Week 2).
After Week 2, no player has featured in the MLS Fantasy Dream Team twice.
The best individual player from Week 1 and Week 2, both earned 18 points.
Week 1) Darwin Quintero (MIN): Vancouver 2-3 Minnesota - 18 points
Week 2) Zack Steffen (CLB): New England Revolution 0-2 Columbus Crew - 18 points
Ahead of Week 3, the most selected players in each position are:
GK: Vega (SJ) - 18.64%
DEF: Zusi (SKC) - 19.84%
MID: Lodeiro (SEA) - 24.25%
FOR: Martinez (ATL) - 32.38%
Josef Martinez (ATL), who scored Atlanta's first home goal of the season in a 1-1 home draw with Cincinnati, is the only player with 30% plus ownership heading into Week 3.
9 players managed 20+ Fantasy points after the first 2 Week's (1 GK, 3 DEF, 3 MID, 2 FOR) - Quintero (29), Steffen (23), Leerdam (22), Valeri (21), Sauso (21), Rusnak (21), Vela (20), Taider (20) and Calvo (20).
2 listed Defenders managed to earn 10+ points in each of their first brace of appearances this season - Gastón Sauro (CLB - 10, 11) and Francisco Calvo (MIN - 10, 10).
Kelvin Leerdam (SEA) scored the opening goal in both of Seattle's MLS matches from the right-back position this season. Leerdam netted against Cincinnati (Week 1) and Colorado (Week 2).
8 players have scored in both of the opening fixtures of the season:
Darwin Quintero (MIN) - vs. Vancouver (a) and San Jose (a)
CJ Sapong (CHI) - vs. LA Galaxy (a) and Orlando (H)
Adam Diomande (LAFC) - vs. Sporting KC (H) and Portland (H)
Kelvin Leerdam (SEA) - vs. Cincinnati (H) and Colorado (H)
Mauro Manotas (HOU) - vs. Real Salt Lake (H) and Montreal (H)
Saphir Taider (MTL) - vs. San Jose (a) and Houston (A)
Raul Ruidiaz (SEA) - vs. Cincinnati (H) and Colorado (H)
Albert Rusnak (RSL) - vs. Houston (a) and Vancouver (H)
5 players have managed 2 or more assists from Week 1 and Week 2 - Quintero (MIN), Vela (LAFC), Nani (ORL), Rodriguez (SEA) and Diego Valeri (POR) - with Quintero and Nani the only 2 able to provide assists in both matches so far this season.
4 players have managed to get off 10+ shots so far this season:
Alexandru Mitrita (NYCFC): 12 goals, 0 goals
Marco Fabian (PHI): 11 shots, 1 goal (penalty)
Sebastian Blanco (POR): 11 shots, 1 goal
Carlos Vela (LAFC): 11 shots, 1 goal
Marco Fabian (PHI) and Darwin Quintero (MIN) are the only 2 players to take penalties during both Week 1 and Week 2. Quintero scored both, whilst Fabian scored his first, but saw his second saved by SKC's Tim Melia in Week 2.
Of the 10 penalty kicks award during the first 2 Week's, 4 have been saved. It took until Week 5 in 2018 to reach this figure of penalty saves.
Week 1) Tim Howard (COL) vs. Diego Valeri (POR)
Week 1) Andre Blake (PHI) vs. Jonathan Osorio (TOR)
Week 2) Zack Steffen (CLB) vs. Diego Fagundez (NE)
Week 2) Tim Melia (SKC) vs. Marco Fabian (PHI)
Of the 10 penalty kicks this season, only 1 Defender has taken a spot-kick - Reto Ziegler (DAL) scored past David Bingham (LA) during Week 2's 2-0 home win.
After Week 2, only 3 teams have the maximum 6 points available, with all teams located in the Western Conference - Seattle Sounders, LAFC and Minnesota United.
D.C. United are the only team in MLS to keep back-to-back clean sheets this season. DC beat Atlanta United 2-0 at home during Week 1, before managing a 0-0 draw away at NYCFC during Week 2.
D.C. United were also the only team out of 24 to keep a clean sheet during Week 1. This is 7 less than the 8 clean sheets obtained during Week 2 by Columbus, Dallas, RSL, Minnesota, Seattle, Sporting KC, NYCFC and DC.
Tim Howard (COL) is the only player with less than 10 points to be in the MLS Fantasy Dream Team for either Week 1 or Week 2. Howard's 7 points against Portland Timbers during Week 1 was enough to pip Bill Hamid (DC), who kept a clean sheet against Atlanta.
4 MLS Fantasy players managed 200+ points from Week's 1 and 2.
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All aboard.
