MLS Fantasy 2019: Week 30 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 30 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 30: 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: Houston (H) and Minnesota (A)
Player: Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Position: Forward
Player Price: $15.7 million
It's the final Double Gameweek of the MLS Fantasy season, and the penultimate week of the regular season. A long season has flashed by in truth and the biggest memory of this campaign will no doubt be Carlos Vela's record-breaking MLS Fantasy season - a campaign that hasn't finished just yet.
With LAFC in action twice, and Vela back in the groove with goals in back-to-back games, the pricey $15.7 million option is the man to own and captain this week, and after a season to remember, and with a lot to play for at LAFC, the Mexican international looks set to cap the season by providing a final few weeks of fan service to the pocket of players that grace the MLS Fantasy game.
Whilst Zlatan has declared himself the league's undisputed number one, the numbers fall in Vela's favour. 29 goals. 15 assists. 44 attacking returns. 79 bonus. 328 points. Vela has scored in 22 of the 28 matches he's appeared in this season and has earned 10+ points on 19 occasions this season.
LAFC's season looks set to end with silverware, with the Californian side aiming to win the Supporters' Shield with a win at home to Houston Dynamo in midweek. Another 4 points against Minnesota away and Colorado at home would mean that Bob Bradley's side are the best team in regular season, beating New York Red Bulls' 71 points from last season.
For Vela, he's back in the mix having had a hamstring strain for a couple of weeks, though goals against Philadelphia Union and Toronto mean that Vela has reclaimed his MLS Fantasy captaincy crown, and will be homing in on Josef Martinez's scoring record from 2018. Martinez scored 31 goals, a record over a 34-game regular season. Vela just needs 3 goals to beat this record and with two home against against favourable opposition, we can see this exact reality happening.
For us, who have essentially been charting Vela's weekly numbers in MLS all season. we'd like to see the pay-off happen too, as it's been one of the best individual campaigns in MLS history, though no one may ever get close to 44 attacking returns (and counting).
Week 30: 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.
It's the final Double Gameweek of the season...
This means with one big blowout of games left this season, we're not going to consider players from teams playing just the once. Nobody is doing that this week with the likes of Carlos Vela in action twice.
The obvious starting point is highlighting Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($13.3m), the self-professed player in MLS history, and his obvious captaincy appeal this week. Losing our poll, marginally, to Carlos Vela, the Swede international has scored 11 goals in 7 games, scoring braces or more in 4 matches. Regardless of opposition, Zlatan is one worth making room for in your team, so you shouldn't second guess his involvement in your team's this week.
Eastern table-toppers NYCFC could seal the crown in the East if they manage to overcome tough opposition in Atlanta and New England this week. Maxi Moralez ($11.8m) is back in the fold after missing 2 of the last 3 games due to suspension.NYC haven't lost in 8 MLS games and have only lost 5 times this season, and only once in the Big Apple (a 1-0 defeat to Portland). Moralez is another set-piece taker with uncapped potential if he starts both outings, making him another high-valued asset to not ignore, especially as he notched his 19th assist of the season in the 1-1 draw at Dallas, the most in the league.
In a similar boat to Moralez is Portland's star-man, Diego Valeri ($13.0m), the 220-point attacking midfielder who might just have to settle for a place in your team, if that given his price you can even afford the Argentine. Valeri has only managed 12 points over his last 3 matches and hasn't scored or assisted, so it's trepid water this week if you're brave enough.
With the sheer volumes of teams also involved in the Double Gameweek, we completely forgot to look at New England's option this week, with Carles Gil ($13.1m) another pricey option, but not one to overlook this week. The former Aston Villa midfielder is averaging 7.71 points-per-game and has been a massive success story this season from a Fantasy point-of-view. Gil's last 4 games haven't been as productive as we've been used to, with only 2 assists to his name, but prior to that the attacking midfielder had scored 5 and assisted 7 times in 9 games, and if any signs of last-minute form approaches, Gil will be a major scorer who will be looking to add his unmatched 93 bonus points this season.
Real Salt Lake's double-header at home has us cautiously asking the question... Is Albert Rusnak ($11.0m) worth the risk this week? RSL host both LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo. Rusnak missed Week 29's 0-0 away draw at New England and should be fresh for the home stretch as RSL look to secure their play-off birth this season. The player in question, Rusnak, has scored in his last appearance during Week 28 at Minnesota, though his prior form isn't inspiring, with just 1 assist in 3 games, leaving us ask if the fixtures is enough to bank on.
Lastly, RSL aren't the only team with two home games, with San Jose hosting both Philadelphia and Seattle in what is a do-or-die double header. San Jose are 7th in the West, just hanging on to their play-off hopes over Portland by having scored more goals (goal difference of +1 is identical for both). San Jose and Portland actually play on the final day, with The Earthquakes travelling to The Timbers in what looks set to be a play-off decider. San Jose's MLS Fantasy will be calling on Magnus Eriksson ($10.8m) to deliver the goods after a stellar season in the game. 6 goals, 9 assists, 77 bonus and 194 points, with a goal and 3 assists in his last 5 games, Eriksson is the cheaper alternative to Valeri if stacking up San Jose and Portland ahead of a crunch week.
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All aboard.
