MLS Fantasy 2019: Week 14 Captaincy Picks
Picking a Captain to double down on in MLS Fantasy is the most important choice ahead of each round of games for players around the world. There's a lot of self-help out there for MLS enthusiasts, with our Hype Team providing three major consideration for the armband for each and every week. We'll be detailing the popular choice for captain, a few alternative picks in case Plan A doesn't go to plan, and a Wildcard pick of our choosing to add to the chaos. All aboard.
MLS Fantasy: Week 14 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.
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 for the 2019 we will have one major essential pick, decided by a poll, as well as a series of alternatives in case your original pick doesn't go to plan, and a wildcard selection who might prove to be a worthwhile differential
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
Week 14: Essential Captaincy Pick
Our essential captaincy picks is voted on by members of our community on Twitter over at @HypeTrainMLS. We pit four popular choices against each other to see who wins the popular vote.
Fixtures: Chicago Fire (H) & San Jose Earthquakes (H)
Player: Wayne Rooney (DC)
Position: Forward (CF)
Player Price: $11.2 million
Double Gameweek build up. Rotation. 100+ MLS Fantasy points. Game reset. Repeat. The life of us Fantasy players right now is a constant barrage of big games and plenty of options playing twice on a regular basis.
The Spring Season ends next week with Week 14's offering the penultimate in this half-season, and with 10 teams involved in a brace of games this week, we chose a host of captaincy contenders from those involved twice and were quite surprised to see Wayne Rooney take a last-minute win.
With the team here expecting Josef Martinez to walk away with a comfortable victory, our small pocket of a Twitter community have voted in favour of former England international, Wayne Rooney, with D.C. United hosting Chicago and San Jose at Audi Field this week.
After a slow start to the season, Rooney is slowly working himself back in to form. The Forward scored 4 goals in the opening 6 matches (scoring in just 2 matches), receiving a red card against LAFC during Week 6. Blanks in Week's 7 and 8 have been followed by 4 goals and 1 assist in his last 7 matches, including goals in back-to-back matches away at Houston (Week 12) and New England Revolution (Week 13).
D.C. United's set-piece taker is up against tricky customers in Chicago Fire (up first on Wednesday evening), before a very tricky home encounter against an in-form San Jose side. The Earthquakes have only lost 1 of their last 7 MLS matches (4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), with Matías Almeyda's side recently beating Chicago 4-1 at home, before winning at 2017 MLS Cup champions, Toronto, 2-1 during Week 13.
Home form will be key for D.C. United as they return to Audi Field after 3 away matches without a win. United beating Columbus (3-1) and Sporting KC (1-0) in their last 2 home matches, so we're putting a lot of faith in home form coming good, and Wayne going on a 4-game scoring run in MLS.
Rooney's got the popular vote, and won't be rotated (unless Ben Olsen goes completely crazy), which makes Rooney's inclusion attractive as a set-and-forget option this week.
Week 14: Alternative Captaincy Picks
We don't have one specific alternative captain, but a few choices for consideration. This method bodes well with the flexible approach of MLS Fantasy of being able to chop and change your decision until the minute before a game.
Who are the chasing pack in the Double Gameweek?
We feel like a trap has been set, but we can't help but be drawn to the appeal of LA Galaxy's pairing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($12.8m) and Jonathan dos Santos ($10.7m). Mexican international, dos Santos, has scored twice and assisted once this season, but is averaging a healthy 7.31 points-per-game and when starting, has got 5+ points in 10/11 matches this season.
Zlatan has just come back from suspension after an altercation whilst playing at Real Salt Lake, and might have a point to prove at Sporting KC and at home to New England. Before suspension, Ibrahimovic had only scored in 2 of his previous 5 fixtures, though with the Swede's pedigree, points can come out of nowhere, so we can't rule out a big week from Galaxy's central figure.
Josef Martinez ($9.8m) is likely to be the first name in attack this week alongside Rooney and Zlatan, and in truth you could make the case for any of them. Atlanta play twice at home, to Minnesota and Chicago Fire, with these pair of fixtures offering a lot of hope and optimism that the Forward can add to his 5 goals and 2 assists from his last 8 fixtures. We're confident that Josef is the horse to back this week. Quality always shines through, regardless of the occasion.
One figure that might have just blasted his way into captaincy contention is Sporting KC's hat-trick hero, Johnny Russell ($10.0m). The Scottish international scored a mazy and tricky treble in an important 3-2 home win against Seattle. If this form trickles over, LA Galaxy defenders will have a lot to fear this midweek and we think that Russell, who scored his first goals since Week 7, can follow this up with more goal-mouth action against LA and Houston.
Lower down the pecking order, if Kacper Przybyłko ($6.8m) can get a look in over the trio of Martinez-Ibrahimovic-Rooney this week, the Philadelphia Union attacker, has scored in 4 of his 6 MLS league appearances, has a tempting home encounter against Colorado before a testing trip to Minnesota. Cheap, affordable, and playing up top (or on the right of attack) for a team near the top of the Eastern Conference? If he had a star name, he'd probably be in your team.
Are any Single Gameweek players worth the gamble?
It wouldn't be a captaincy article without mentioning Carlos Vela ($15.4m), the 170 pointer that is decimating the players Fantasy table. Vela Weekly has added a goal and assist to a weekly info-graphic that is up to 15 goals and 9 assists from 15 games.
Portland away is a massive fixtures as it is Portland's first home match of the season due to Providence Park's recent face-lift. Stats are backing Vela, regardless of the occasion, so why not now when all eyes are off the Mexican international?
- LAFC have only lost once in 15 games, losing 1-0 away to Vancouver Whitecaps during Week 8 (overall - 10 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss).
- Vela (170) and Atuesta (107) both play for LAFC and are the only players in MLS Fantasy to reach 100 points this season. Both play for LAFC.
- Defensively, LAFC have managed to keep 6 clean sheets in 15 matches.
- LAFC (34 points) are 8 points clear of Seattle Sounders (26 points) in the overall MLS standings this season.
- With Vela averaging 11.33 points-per-game this season after 15 games, if Vela kept up his average in the 19 remaining #MLS matches this season, the Mexican international could add another 215 #MLSFantasy points, potentially totalling 385 points this season.
- LAFC beat Portland Timbers 4-1 at home earlier this season during Week 2, with Carlos Vela registering 16 points (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 bonus).
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All aboard.
