MLS Fantasy GW 22: The Unloved DGW

Normally DGWs are about cramming as many players from the DGW teams on your roster. That's not the case this week. Toronto's been a walking hospital, with Irwin, Bradley, and Johnson expected to miss both games of the DGW, while RSL's best fantasy option of late, Yura, is also dealing with an injury that may keep him out or at least see him heavily rotated.

So is this a round to skip out and focus on fielding XI players during the massive byes in Weeks 25 and 27? I don't think. I think there's some good value in RSL and TFC. RSL has a bye in 25, so you can't load up on RSL, but between the two squads there are good options.

Why am I so high? Well, New England and Chicago are the opponents for TFC & RSL's second game of the DGW. both TFC and RSL are at home for that match. New England and Chicago is an interesting pair, because they have a match next Wednesday on ESPN: the US Open Cup. Chicago's MLS season is over, and New England is right at the red line with an uninspiring campaign. Both of these teams probably realize their best shot at silverware is in the Open Cup, meaning there's a strong chance these teams rotate out their best players to keep them fresh for the midweek match. This means that I think RSL and TFC will have a great opportunity in the second match to generate fantasy points, and the first game of the DGW is gravy on top of that.

Keeper:

Bono: I'd like him a lot more if I listened to U2 and could throw in song references as a cheesy pun, but oh well. Bono is $4.6 and is at home both matches this DGW.

Rimando: He's $6.3 which is too expensive in my opinion for a keeper. The matchup with Chicago is as good as a clean sheet opportunity, but if you don't have him I'd stay away.

Defender:

Glad: $4.9 is ridiculously cheap, but that's only worth it if he plays. He's been a starter for much of the year, but he didn't start on Sunday. There's some debate about whether that was simply rest after Glad played in the Homegrown Game or whether Olave returned to reclaim his starter role. We'll get more information on this based on RSL's lineup before the transfer deadline locks. I'd be worried that even if he starts Wednesday, he may get benched on Saturday. I don't think RSL is likely to keep a clean sheet in Toronto, so you're really gambling that he gets the start on Saturday. Keep him if you have him, but I'm on the fence about bringing him in.

Moor: $7.8 is very expensive but Moor has grown in value due to his goal scoring abilities, and the rest of the Toronto defenders aren't getting you better value for your buck. If Moor is too expensive for you, may be worth just passing on the DGW defenders.

Midfielders:

Endoh: With Bradley and Johnson gone, TFC's midfield is bereft outside of Endoh. Endoh very rarely plays 90, and his goal from last week was clearly a fluke. But he's $5.2, meaning you can slot him this week and then have him as a cheap bench option. For those of us who got burned by Azira's red card, that can be a good differential play.

Javier Morales: Jorales has really dropped off from past years, where he was a bankable 5-9 points each game. His injuries have made him a rotation risk BUT in matches where he's gone 90, he has scored less than 4 points only once (against NYCFC).  His last few matches with a full 90 are 5,4,4,9,7. He's only $10.8 so if he starts against TFC I think he's a great option as he's likely to get 8-11 points.

Lodeiro: No, he doesn't have a DGW but he plays Orlando and a lot of people are very high on him after a successful first start against LA where had he been in the fantasy game he would have had 8-9 points even without an assist. Priced at $11.5 though, I think he's too rich for any blood. After all, Pirlo looked like gangbusters in his first match, but the effects of travel on players not used to it (and Seattle heads cross-country to Orlando this week) plus the way teams can respond now that they have film on him make me hesitant to jump on this bandwagon. $11.5 is a price that puts him at 3rd best in the game, above must-haves like Valeri and Diaz (who has a bye this week).

Forwards:

Giovinco: Many times this year I've quibbled with Giovinco, but don't get cute. He's a great player, he's got two home matches, and he's suddenly in form. You have to have him on your team and you have to cap him. Everyone still active is going to do the same, meaning if you don't and it doesn't pay off, you're going to fall hard in the rankings, and it's hard to see any other captain pick that's likely to outscore Giovinco.

Plata: $9.6. At the beginning of the year, he was generating a ton of bonus points as he was on set pieces. Now he's not, and his production has tailed off. He's still a goalscoring threat that's priced below that of many of the top strikers in the game but if not for the DGW there's no real reason to pick him over say a Larin for the next few weeks. He'd be a punt if all you care about this week.

Don't forget that Dallas and Columbus have a bye this round, so your Diaz, Ola Kamara, and Zimmerman picks needs to be transferred out or have bench options ready. Good luck!