For the purposes of this article, all prices and points are via our partners Mondogoal.
The MLS Playoffs are now heading into the second leg of the Conference Semifinals -- and the action is about to get more intense. Each match-up is still in a winnable position for all teams, so don't expect to see any squad trying to hold anything back in their quest to make the next round.
As is the new custom in the MLS, we're getting all of the round's matches on the same day, so you should see some varied teams out there in your daily leagues. This week, we're going to change our format a bit and give you a more rounded view of the matches at hand -- so let's get started.
NYRB v DC United (NY lead 1-0 on aggregate)
The Red Bulls already got a lot of the hard work done and snagged the all-important road goal. The first match was absolutely abysmal for the DC side though. NY easily won the shooting battle with DC -- they were able to generate 18 shots to DC's 10. But the key stat is that DC weren't able to put a single shot on target in the entire match, and NY were able to pepper DC with 9 SOT's.
Can we really expect DC to perform so poorly for a second match in a row? I think they will. DC have played twice in NY this year, and they lost those matches to the tune of 3-0 and 2-0. NY are a bogey team for DC on the road, so you would do well to really key in on NY to lead your squad this week.
Key Players:
For New York, you should look to your mainstays in
Sacha Kljestan ($12.8, M) and
Bradley Wright Philips ($11.0, F) to lead your charge. This may not seem like earth-shattering insight, but when you couple how well NY have done against DC at home this year, it starts to make more and more sense -- even with the considerable cost of these two players. If you want to ride the hot hand, you could even slot in
Dax McCarty ($10.8, M) as a cheeky play. McCarty scored the game-winner last week, but he's also a solid play because he leads the NYRB team in Passes Completed with 1957 (that's nearly 400 more PC than any other player on that roster).
When you consider goalkeepers for this week, you obviously should look at
Luis Robles ($6.2); after all, he does probably have the best chance for a clean sheet this week based on historical data. And don't get me wrong, the 6 points awarded for a clean sheet are a nice bonus to have. But if you want to be a bit more adventurous, you could go with
Bill Hamid ($8.9) from DC. I know, it sounds illogical, right? But when you consider that the clean sheet isn't a guarantee, you have to look at the other stats that generate points for keepers -- and chief among those is Saves. In the last match, Hamid generated 8 saves en route to 10.80 points (and Robles only earned 7.80 points with his win). Like I said above, NY had 18 shots against DC. Hamid is one of the premier keepers in the league, and the mixture of NY's unrelenting attack combined with his ability to make plays will potentially create more points for you with him in goal. Just something to think about.
Columbus Crew v Montreal Impact (Montreal lead 2-1 on aggregate)
Columbus are going to have some work to do to beat Montreal to advance. Granted, the one goal difference isn't anything they can't overcome, but you have to look at the fact that Montreal have played Columbus twice this year in the regular season...and they beat Columbus both times (3-0 at home and 2-1 while away). When you combine that fact with the playoff win in the first leg, Montreal have to look like the more comfortable of the two teams heading into Sunday.
In the first leg of this series, Columbus kept 57.9% of the possession, but they only managed 6 shots (and only 3 of those on target). Montreal were able to fire off 12 shots and put 7 on target; so in short, Montreal have simply been capable of doing more with their limited time on the ball. Maybe one of the most worrying things for Columbus coming into this game is the fact that Montreal were able to beat them without major contributions from their superstars. Both Drogba and Piatti were held out of the scoring in the first leg, and yet Montreal were able to take the lead from strikes by Patrice Bernier and Venegas. What does that say for Columbus's chances if denying the main scoring threats still ends in a loss? Can they afford to employ the same strategies again in the second leg?
Key Players:
Let's answer that question here: no, Columbus cannot afford to play the same type of match that they showed in the first game. Columbus aren't a defensive unit -- they really do play their best ball when they simply focus on outscoring the opponent. Columbus have had a dismal defense all year, so they'll need to revert back to their scoring ways if they hope to have a chance in this game. For this reason, I'm putting
Kei Kamara ($12.0) as the one must-have player from Columbus for this match. You could try to fill out your roster with a good balance of Columbus players, but if you had to pick just one (as well you should), make Kamara your pick.
The last match saw
Federico Higuain get a goal, but you really can't afford to have him unless you're feeling truly bold. Picking up Higuain means that you're purposefully not picking Kamara, and that's just not the right move. And if you chose to pick up both Higuain and Kamara...well that's just not going to work either because you can't take away two roster spots from the other striking players available this weekend.
The supporting cast is a bit more of a gamble with Columbus.
Ethan Finlay ($8.2) is also in the Higuain category because he's listed as a forward for Mondogoal -- not a midfielder like in many other formats. The only other option you might look to if you're personally expecting a big showing from Columbus is
Justin Meram ($8.7, M). Meram didn't get quite the level of goal scoring that his teammates had this year, but he's right up there in SOT's with 28. You might say he's a good earner for your fantasy team based on his price and potential output. Outside of that, I wouldn't personally look at the Columbus defense, it's just not that good. And
Steve Clark ($5.7, GK) might see as many shots as Hamid will, but he's nowhere near Hamid's level for generating consistent high saves totals.
For Montreal, I'd urge the same level of caution when picking up anybody off of their defensive unit -- because you can guarantee that Columbus are going to come with a stronger attack this round. Montreal have been very up and down with their defensive capacity this season, and this may not be the opportune moment to hope that they see an uptick in points production.
It should go without saying that you need to look at
Ignacio Piatti ($13.7, M) and
Didier Drogba ($11.1, F). The issue you're going to run into after you've browsed through the NY selections is that price could be a sticking point when trying to get both of these players together. If you wanted to try to catch lightning in a bottle a second time, you could pick up last week's goal scorer
Johan Venegas ($6.1, M). It would be risky seeing as how Venegas was used as a sub, but the Costa Rican international came to Montreal in August of this year for a reason. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get more time in this match based on his form.
Dallas v Seattle (Seattle lead 2-1 on aggregate)
This is going to be the biggest toss-up in my mind going into this weekend. Dallas were the undisputed best team in the West, but Seattle have Dempsey and Martins rolling again...and their chemistry is enough to topple any team. As far as a historic jumping off point for guidance, Seattle have won both meetings with Dallas that they've had at home -- but the two sides played to a nil-nil draw earlier this year while playing in Dallas.
In the first leg of this series, Seattle did the dirty work in the first game and gutted out a spectacular win with scores from Dempsey and Ivanschitz. But Dallas weren't put out completely, and their two main men, Castillo and Diaz, were able to hook up to start off the scoring.
Key Players:
The way you pick from these teams is going to depend on how you personally see the outcome shaking out. If you think that Dallas get back on track at home and put the defensive squeeze on Seattle, then by all means, start your team with
Jesse Gonzalez ($7.8, GK). Gonzalez has managed 7 clean sheets in 21 starts this year, and if he can continue on that kind of pace, he's going to be a starter in this league for a very long time to come. If you really wanted to pair up Gonzalez with a defender, you have probably the best choices on the board with
Matt Hedges ($9.1) and
Zach Lloyd ($8.9). Any combination of those three players would be a solid base for a daily fantasy team.
But now that Dallas are down in aggregate, you have to think that they're going to come with a full-on attack. The problem you're going to run into is the fact that
Mauro Diaz is really expensive...as in $14.0 expensive. And the thing with Diaz is that if Dallas are going to turn the score around, you know that he specifically has to be involved. And Diaz has been averaging 11.63 points per game over his last five matches -- so his output started to pick up before an elimination game was even in the schedule. But what if you can't afford him? You could pick up
Fabian Castillo ($9.3, F) and cross your fingers that Diaz is tossing him dimes all day long. Castillo is more hit-and-miss than Diaz is though, so you'll be taking your chances. In his last five matches, Castillo has hit double digits twice, but he's also managed to stay below 3 points on two occasions. Either pay the money for Diaz and a reasonable expectation for points -- or spend on Castillo and hope that it's just one of his good days.
For Seattle, you have to check your pockets for any spare change because
Clint Dempsey is coming in at a whopping $17.7 this week. The good thing about Dempsey is that he's still listed as a midfielder instead of a striker, so you could build an absolute budget defense and still start Dempsey along with three other top-tier strikers. But no matter how you look at it, Dempsey is going to cost you. And his cost, along with
Obafemi Martins costing $13.4, means that you'll be hard pressed to pair the duo up and still afford other big-name talent. The savior for your team may be
Andreas Ivanschitz ($7.6, M). Ivanschitz has played only 8 matches for Seattle, but he's already netted two goals and a pair of assists in that time -- and he was really one of the focal points for the attack in the last match. Nabbing Ivanschitz and pairing him with either Dempsey or Martins may be the more fiscally sound option for you.
Vancouver v Portland (tied 0-0 on aggregate)
These two teams have played in Portland three times this year, and they'e drawn all of those games. They did meet once in Vancouver in March that saw the Whitecaps win by a score of 2-1, but the teams have changed considerably since that time.
In some fashion, going into a second leg tied nil-nil is the best possible outcome for daily players investing in attack because it means that there's no inherent lead on either side that needs to be protected, so you'll see a lot more attack than what we saw in the first game.
Key Players:
For Portland,
Adam Kwarasey ($6.3, GK) should be back in action this week after he was abruptly taken out of the team's plans last week with illness. Portland played more conservatively with a backup keeper in goal, and that probably hampered Portland's chances at keeping up their stellar attack that they showed at the end of the year. Expect to see more from
Fanendo Adi ($8.2, F) this match with a return to normal tactics. Adi is probably the best forward for the price this week, and he will unlock funds for other big names, so you should really consider having him on your roster. If you need to go very cheap though,
Lucas Melano ($4.5, F) is a nailed-on starter and has at least been involved in the Portland attack that feeds Adi crosses and through-balls.
Any of Portland's defenders are good options -- it just really boils down to how much you like Vancouver's chances this week. Regardless of who you slot into defense, if you go to Portland's mids, you're going to have to decide between
Darlington Nagbe ($12.4) and
Diego Valeri ($9.8). Valeri is probably the better value for the price, but Nagbe has taken off at the end of the year -- and his recent run of play is part of the reason that he's been called up to the USMNT for World Cup Qualifiers later this month.
Vancouver is a bit more of a mixed bag. For starters,
Pedro Morales ($9.4, M) is still not fully fit, and he only made an appearance after 77' minutes in the first leg of this series.
Octavio Rivero ($6.9, F) is the premier starter up top for Vancouver, but he hasn't scored in the double digits since the beginning of September.
It really says a lot about a team when their highest priced player on the board is their goalkeeper, and
David Ousted coming in a $10.1 really hammers home how deficient their attack has been lately. You could get Ousted, but I'm banking on Portland really coming at this game, and unless he gets saves, I don't think the clean sheet chance is going to be enough to justify his cost. Vancouver are going to be the side that you will want to gamble on to fill in value slots on your team, but building a squad around a Vancouver group of players isn't going to be a good strategy come Sunday.
There you have it folks. We here at fplbet look forward to seeing you all in the GPP events on Sunday. Good luck all and see you next week for some more Daily Fantasy Football Tips!
