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Fantasy MLS: Week 16

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Photo by Rick Osentoski/ISIphotos.com

Consider the crow eaten.

All the praise I heaped upon the Los Angeles Galaxy and their players for a "sure-thing blowout win" at New England went unwarranted as Steve Nicol's troops did the unthinkable and pulled off the 2-0 victory. Nevertheless, you can't count on the underdogs pulling upsets like that on a regular basis.

When it comes to MFLS, you must play the odds on the favorable-looking matchups and expect the chalk to prevail. Acting on underdog hunches won't get you very far in the long run. With five teams off of league play this week (Chicago, Chivas, Houston, New England, San Jose) and a few more appear-to-be-mismatches on the schedule, there should be plenty of chances to make up for what turned out to be a surprising and extremely low-scoring Week 15.

Here are this week's player ranking's by position (NOTE -This is published prior to the transfer window opening. Any unknown, potential moves that might affect this weekend's games aren't reflected in this week's rankings):

FANTASY MLS WEEK 16 PLAYER RANKINGS

GOALKEEPERS

  1. Will Hesmer, CLB – Two winnable home matches against teams that don't score with regularity
  2. Donovan Ricketts, LA – Wake-up call against Revolution should whip Galaxy D back into shape
  3. Matt Pickens, COL – Facing Kansas City at home is a recipe for a clean sheet nowadays
  4. Nick Rimando, RSL – Shutout streak stands at 498 minutes but will be threatened at Pizza Hut Park by in-form FC Dallas
  5. Kasey Keller, SEA – On a personal mission to make up for poor performance vs. United prior to World Cup break
  6. Stefan Frei, TOR – Union have shown well at PPL Park, but they haven't faced a defensive unit as stingy as Frei and the Reds at their new home yet
  7. Kevin Hartman, DAL – Tough matchup against hot opponent, but RSL isn't as efficient on the road
  8. Chris Seitz, PHI – Toronto's had issues scoring consistently, but Union have to defend for a full 90 minutes this week to make Seitz a worthwhile start
  9. Bouna Coundoul, NY – Catching Crew in second match of their week could bode well for Red Bulls defense
  10. Jimmy Nielsen, KC – Will face plenty of shots/save opportunities in two road matches, but he is not a good start this week

DEFENDERS

  1. Chad Marshall, CLB – Two matches, one with extreme clean-sheet potential, for MLS All-Star selection
  2. Frankie Hejduk, CLB – Odds of playing in both matches probably aren't high, but assuming he plays the Crew's game against Kansas City he still makes for a good start
  3. Sean Franklin, LA – D.C. United has scored just one goal in last three league matches…
  4. Todd Dunivant, LA – …and United's attackers may be on their last legs after facing Seattle a few days prior
  5. Omar Gonzalez, LA – Returns from yellow card suspension to stabilize Galaxy defense
  6. Drew Moor, COL – If Chivas can go into Kansas City and shut out the Wizards, what can the Rapids do to them at home?
  7. Marvell Wynne, COL – Kei Kamara, Josh Wolff & Co. can't be taken lightly, but the Wizards' offense is all out of sorts
  8. Jamison Olave, RSL – Along with rest of RSL back line, a huge reason why Rimando's shutout streak still stands
  9. Leo Gonzalez, SEA – Great opportunity for Sounders to come up with a much-needed clean sheet
  10. Adrian Cann, TOR – Top dog on improved and stingy Toronto back line

MIDFIELDERS

  1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, CLB – Likelihood of playing both matches in full isn't great, but the matchups are in his favor nonetheless
  2. Michael Stephens, LA – Galaxy offense should bounce back in D.C. after New England hiccup
  3. Dwayne De Rosario, TOR – Matches up will with Union; Mista's arrival should add a new wrinkle to Toronto's offensive look, too
  4. Eddie Gaven, CLB – Great outlook in two-match week for Crew winger
  5. Javier Morales, RSL – Could do without the Robben-like diving display, but Argentine playmaker should find space to work with against FCD
  6. Sebastien Le Toux, PHI – Non-stop motor energizes Union, opens up chances for himself
  7. David Ferreira, DAL – Spearheading FC Dallas' run from cellar to playoff position; Has either a goal or an assist in each of last five maches
  8. Mehdi Ballouchy, COL – Inconsistent, but top offensive threat in Rapids' midfield has stellar matchup
  9. Juninho, LA – Galaxy midfield will have distinct advantage at RFK Stadium
  10. Freddie Ljungberg, SEA – Probably most disappointing MFLS player this season, but Blaise N'Kufo's arrival should rejuvenate Sounders' attack
  11. Robbie Rogers, CLB – Underwhelming season thus far, but has excellent matchups this week
  12. Jeff Larentowicz, COL – Should at the very least deliver a nice +/-
  13. Fred, PHI – Goals in two of last three matches for playmaking midfielder
  14. Joel Lindpere, NY – Assist-prone off corners and other set pieces; Will be even more dangerous once Thierry Henry comes to town
  15. Brek Shea, DAL – Gets chances on a weekly basis, just needs to develop a more consistent finishing touch

FORWARDS

  1. Edson Buddle, LA – Will be a handful for United's back line to handle in their second match of the week
  2. Landon Donovan, LA – Should be rested and ready to roll against beatable United defense
  3. Conor Casey, COL – Casey is in form, and the Wizards most certainly are not
  4. Omar Cummings, COL – When Casey is playing well, Cummings benefits the most
  5. Fredy Montero, SEA – N'Kufo's arrival will only open things up for Montero up top
  6. Alvaro Saborio, RSL – Won't have an easy go of it at Dallas, but Costa Rican striker is as dangerous a threat as there is at his position
  7. Steven Lenhart, CLB – Two favorable matches in which to add to his goal tally
  8. Danny Mwanga, PHI – Rookie is getting more active by the week; Five goals and an assist in his last seven matches
  9. Juan Pablo Angel, NY – (Unofficially) final game prior to being joined up top by Henry; Perhaps catches a tired Crew defense playing its second match in four days
  10. Blaise N'Kufo, SEA – Available for selection on Thursday, though it's unclear if he'll play, and has great matchup for potential MLS debut; Scoop him up now while there's no transfer fee for his services  

COACHES

  1. Robert Warzycha, CLB
  2. Bruce Arena, LA
  3. Gary Smith, COL
  4. Sigi Schmid, SEA
  5. Jason Kreis, RSL
  6. Schellas Hyndman, DAL
  7. Preki, TOR
  8. Peter Nowak, PHI
  9. Hans Backe, NY
  10. Curt Onalfo, DC

Soccer By Ives League Standings (Top 10)
1. Yankee Racers………………………………439 points
2. Campione……………………………………..434
3. Cpt. Pancakes and Lt. Waffles……..418
4. Timbers4Ever……………………………….405
5. FC Byrd Turgler…………………………….402
6. ShaggyReAL…………………………………398
7. Miles Davis FC……………………………..397
8. CleartheBall………………………………….392
9. I <3 MLS………………………………………..387
10. Rainbow Chickens……………………..384

LAST WEEK'S SBI LEAGUE TOP SCORER

Rice Eccles Sucks (27 points)

—————————-Rimando(6)————————-
—-Olave(3)——-Gonzalez(0)———Berhalter(-1)—-
–Alvarez(5)—Davis(0)—Mullan(0)—W. Johnson(0)–
——Braun(10)——-Saborio(1)——–Lenhart(0)——

Coach: Yallop(3)

—————

Who do you think will have a big Week 16? Do you see N'Kufo and the other new acquisitions making an immediate impact?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Now is a good time to pick up Henry in MFLS, since he has 0 transfer fee. It will start to go up soon. 40 managers own him so far.

    Reply
  2. NO love for the prediction teams. I would like to see the top 5 or 10 of those teams. (that might be b/c i’m in the top 5)

    Reply
  3. Here’s a contrarian recommendation:

    Jordan Graye, DCU. Look it up. He’s been getting points and has two games this week. Salary-50. Fee-0. Can’t get any cheaper than that.

    Reply
  4. OK, I’ve read the Javi Morales diving statements since the Chicago game, but didn’t anyone else see Conde absolutely fouling the crap out of him. I saw, over and over, Conde laying elbows and forearms into him “after” Javi passed the ball.

    After receiving so many “cheap shots” I was not surprised that Javi was going to ground often. Javi isn’t a diver. He may sell it a bit, but its because he IS constantly being fouled and receiving cheap shots. Just watch that RSL v Chi game and watch Conde and Javi and I think it will show shy Javi was on the ground. Fouls.

    Reply

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