Reid, Mike and Blayne breakdown the most important fantasy takeaways from Round 17 and help everyone narrow down that Round 18 player pool by quickly reviewing all of the upcoming games.
Several high-scoring games and comeback wins made Round 17 fun to watch and productive for fantasy managers. With Orlando City continuing to struggle, the main question for this week is how Atlanta heavy will your fantasy team be this week? Below is list of some of the players who I think are good options.
Team on a bye: Houston Dynamo
Double-game week teams: None
Keepers
Brad Guzan is a top candidate for a clean sheet this week | USA Today Sports Images
All Star: With no end in sight to the Kreis-is (I’m so sorry) in Orlando, newly-voted All-Star Brad Guzan ($6.9) tops my goalkeeper list this week. His reasonable price makes him easy to integrate into a keeperoo and has a good shot at a clean sheet as the powerhouse Atlanta (7 pm ET | ESPN — Full TV & streaming info) offense is likely to keep the ball in the Lions' half of the field for most of the game.
Keeperoo: If you’re looking for an ideal late round keeper option, consider Vancouver. Brian Rowe ($4.4) has been the starting keeper for the past several rounds after Stefan Marinovic was sidelined by a knee injury so keep an eye on their lineup before making your choice. Regardless of who starts, the Whitecaps have a good shot at a clean sheet as Colorado (7 pm ET | TSN — Full TV & streaming info) has only scored two goals over their five away games.
Defenders
Attack Minded: As a top 10 offense, Columbus has a great chance to score some goals against Real Salt Lake (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info) this weekend, and that extends to their defense. So if you’re looking for a wingback with assist potential, consider Harrison Afful ($8.8). With left back Milton Valenzuela out due yellow card accumulation, Afful should see his involvement in the attack increase and could see results against RSL’s usually poor away defense.
Early Gamble: If you’d rather go clean sheet hunting with a center back, consider Dallas’ Matt Hedges ($7.7). He’s racked up five clean sheets this year but those are just a bonus as he also averages two – three bonus points per game. Minnesota (8 pm ET | TV & streaming info) often finds a way to score at home, but with one of the best road defenses in the league, Hedges could give you an early fantasy point boost.
Midfielders
Nicolas Lodeiro has been one of the most consistent performers in fantasy this season | USA Today Sports Images
Heating Up: For most of the season, Seattle players have likely been a fantasy afterthought. However, this week’s Cascadia match against Portland (4:30 pm ET | FOX — Full TV & streaming info) should make Nicolas Lodeiro ($11.8) one of your top targets. Since returning from injury he’s scored one goal and has only earned fewer than six fantasy points one time this season. This consistency should pay off even if Seattle does not come away with a win.
Well Rested: If you’re looking for a road team with a good chance for points, start with the LA Galaxy. Their players have had over a week to rest since their Open Cup loss and have already proved they could beat San Jose (10 pm ET | UniMás — Full TV & streaming info) earlier this season. The key player then was Romain Alessandrini ($9.2) and I believe he’ll put up good fantasy numbers again as the Quakes have the worst home defensive numbers in the league.
Forwards
Oh Captain: Forwards have proven to be very boom or best all season long but this may be the perfect week to roll the dice and select Atlanta’s Josef Martinez ($11.2) as your captain. He has six goals over his last five games and will likely get one or two more this week as Orlando should be a much easier defense to crack than Portland.
Value Attacker: The last time the LA Galaxy played the Earthquakes they did so without Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($8.7). That’s likely not going to be the case this week and that makes Zlatan one of the best away forward of the Round. His constant barrage of shots should easily earn 1-2 bonus points and one will likely find the back of the net as San Jose has allowed six goals over that last two home games.
WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 18?
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