Reid and Mike sit down with fantasy pro and battle bot designer Phil Luetchford to review the biggest fantasy takeaways from Week 26 and preview all of the upcoming action for Week 27's BIG double-game slate. In addition to the review they also go over the teams that have become fantasy duds over the past few weeks and which ones could hold hidden points. They wrap things up the usual way with a DGW game-by-game team preview, talk about potential SGW options, and reveal their early player targets.
As far as Fantasy rounds go, Round 26 was a bit of a dud. Sure, there were several exciting soccer moments and a couple of high-scoring games, but most games ended in low-scoring draws and that is never good for fantasy scores.
That should not be the case this round, as eight teams have a double game week and there is no reason you should not have a full roster of DGW platers. Below are some of my favorite options for a DGW-heavy Round 27 team.
Double game week teams: New York Red Bulls, Houston, D.C. United, Philadelphia, San Jose, FC Dallas, Portland, Toronto FC
Teams with a bye: Chicago, Colorado, Minnesota
Goalkeepers
DGW Option: D.C. United are the only team with two home games in this round and that makes Bill Hamid ($7) a top DGW keeper. He easily secured his old starting spot three rounds ago when he rejoined D.C. and already has one clean sheet. His best chance for another shutout is Wednesday, when United take on a Union (8 pm ET | TV & streaming info) team that has only had road success against the weakest home defenses.
Luis Robles | USA Today Sports Images
Rotation Proof: If you’re not sold on D.C. coming away with a clean sheet, then stick with the New York Red Bulls’ Luis Robles ($8). Rotations are always a concern when a team has back-to-back double-game weeks, but Robles is their iron man and the most likely to see 180 minutes. There is also a decent shot at two clean sheets this week, especially if Houston rest their best players on Wednesday (8 pm ET | TV & streaming info) for the Texas Derby rematch with Dallas at the weekend.
Defenders
Replacement: FCD’s fantasy point production has been unreliable since the departure of key playmakers. However, a few players do stand out under the right circumstances and this week that is Maynor Figueroa ($6). He’s been filling in for the injured Reto Ziegler and came away with a goal in Round 25. He has a good chance for a clean sheet in his first game against San Jose (10:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info) and could see some offensive success later against a struggling Dynamo.
Offensive Nature: If you’re looking for a true attacking threat, then consider Toronto’s Justin Morrow ($6.5). Many weeks on the injured list have hurt his overall production, but in the past, he’s been one of the league’s top offensive threats among defenders. We saw a glimpse of that production last week and could see more success when TFC host LAFC on Saturday (8 pm ET | TSN1/4 - Full TV & streaming info).
Midfielders
Haris Medunjanin | USA Today Sports Images
Value Option: We’re at the point in the season where it should be easier to work the higher-priced players into your team. Still, you may need a few solid value options like Philadelphia’s Haris Medunjanin ($8.2) to help stretch your budget. Medunjanin is a defensive midfielder with a high floor who should easily return 8-10 points over a double-game week. He could see some offensive success against Orlando on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info), but expect most of his production to come from bonus points.
Bank Breaker: Their unbeaten run may have been followed by a four-game losing skid, but Portland still have several quality players to help them in their playoff push, including Diego Valeri ($13). Though he’s only scored two goals and earned one assist over his past five games, he’ll have two great chances for more this week. The first comes on Wednesday against a TFC team that concedes about two goals per game on the road, and the second is on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info) against a New England side who rarely post a home clean sheet.
Forwards
Home Form: Midseason arrival Wayne Rooney’s ($10.8) attacking spark has helped turn D.C. United’s season around. Most of his success has been at home, where he has a goal or an assist in four of his six games thus far – and this week he gets two shots. His toughest game will be Sunday’s visit from Atlanta (7:30 pm ET | FS1 – Full TV & streaming info), but Rooney played 116 minutes in his last DGW, so his rotation chance appears to be minimal.
Lineup Watch: If you’re willing to spend a lot of money on a couple of top DGW forwards, one of them should be from Toronto. Sebastian Giovinco ($12.5) is the go-to option thanks to his fantastic point production over the past nine rounds, but there is a chance that the Atomic Ant will be saved for Saturday’s home game and will not travel to Portland on Wednesday (10:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info). If that is the case, consider Jozy Altidore ($9.9), who has come to the end of his red-card suspension, as your backup.
WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 27?
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