MLS Fantasy Week 9: Cleveland Rocks

The headline game this week is the "Columbus" Crew hosting Inter Miami FC at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the kind of thing basically only Messi can bring to the world, so here's to hoping he puts on a show for his fans. Columbus decided this was more important than the Nordecke, so they've got their work cut out for them.

Last week was a bit of a mess in fantasy (certainly was at my end), with a lot of popular picks tanking and the average score less than 50 points. Many teams struggled, unless you had Brian White, of course. I'm fading him this week given St. Louis's competence in defense, though he'll get a guaranteed price rise if you want to spin the wheel again. Maybe I'll look foolish. I'm personally hoping I can break 90 points for the first time this year... maybe 100, if I dare to be greedy. I'm just about top 250 overall and could really use a great week to move up.

Week 9 quick rankings

Goalkeepers

Brad Stuver (ATX $8.6m), Stefan Frei (SEA $6.4m), Yohei Takaoka (VAN $8.4m), Dayne St. Clair (MIN $8.1m)

Defenders

Brendan Hines-Ike ($9.1m), Kim Kee-Hee/Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (SEA $5.0m/$5.6m), Tristan Blackmon/Ali Ahmed (VAN $9.0m/$8.5m), Morris Duggan (MIN $6.2m), Kai Wagner (PHI $10.1m), Luca Orellano (CIN $9.2m)

Midfielders

Albert Rusnak (SEA $11.8m), Evander (CIN $10.2m), Carles Gil (NE $9.6m), Jack McGlynn (HOU $10.1m), Djordje Mihailovic (COL $10.2m), Cristian Espinoza (SJ $10.3m), Quinn Sullivan (PHI $9.4m), David Da Costa (POR $9.4m), Budget: Pedro de la Vega (SEA $6.1m)

Forwards

Leo Messi (MIA $12.4m), Kelvin Yeboah/Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (MIN $10.1m/$8.9m), Joseph Martinez (SJ $8.2m), Diego Rossi/Jacen Russell-Rowe (CLB $10.5m/$8.5m), Dejan Joveljic (SKC $8.8m), Wildcard: Prince Owusu (MTL $7.7m)

Week 9 schedule

Welcome to our first all-Saturday week! We get started early at 10:45 am Pacific as Austin hosts the Galaxy. Can the Galaxy get on track in the league, now a week removed from CCC competition? Or will Austin rebound from their Humiliation in Vancouver? We'll see!

At 1:30 pm Columbus (Cleveland) Crew plays Miami, as the Nordecke goes sans Capos and equipment. It could be a wild one in front of a huge crowd on an unfamiliar field in Cleveland. Last October, Miami traveled to Columbus in October and posted a 3-2 road win that all but assured them the Supporters Shield. Does the Crew get revenge this match? I don't know, but I'm expecting fireworks.

Then we have our traditional Saturday night slate with the twist that Seattle is hosting one of the 4:30 pm matches, against Nashville. I'm looking for the Red Bulls at home to score on DC, Philadelphia to smother Atlanta at home, and a toss-up match between Charlotte and San Diego.

5:30 pm has four more matches – Chicago against Cincy, Houston vs Colorado, St. Louis hosting Vancouver, and Dallas visiting Minnesota. I think of these games you can bet big on the Vancouver defense, but the rest are tough. Minnesota remains one of the best teams in the league, though Dallas's defense is not bad. Chicago is maybe good, maybe not, while Cincy is unbeaten in four and get Evander back. And I'd really like Houston's offense against Colorado if their offense wasn't one of the worst in the league.

There are just a few games in the late slots, with Salt Lake playing Toronto at 6:30 pm, Portland hosting LAFC at 7:15 pm and then San Jose against Kansas City as the lone 7:30 pm match to wrap up the week. I am thinking the first of these will be a slop fest – both teams have a -5.0 xGD. Portland and LAFC is probably an even matchup, and I am thinking San Jose against Kansas City will see at least five goals, given the sorry state of both teams' defenses.

Thoughts and Players

Defenses

Austin – They kick off the week playing the Galaxy. They are no longer the league leaders in xGA against after surrendering a truly gob-smacking 4.5 xG to Vancouver last week and allowing five actual goals, four of them to Brian White. And that was with Vancouver on short rest after playing midweek in Mexico. But besides that match, Austin had just one game surrendering over 1.0 xGA: against SD, where they allowed 1.1 xGA. If you consider the Vancouver game an outlier (I do), then also see the Galaxy with just 6 goals and a similarly sad 6.5 xG on the season, Austin has to be up there in your consideration. Plus, they are the earliest game of the week so players are very easy to stash on your bench to see how they perform. As usual, the best choice is Brendan Hines-Ike ($9.1m) for his weekly reliability, though Julio Cascante may start again and is just $6.3m.

Seattle – Last week, Seattle kept a clean sheet on the road. It was just their second win and second clean sheet in league play. And yet, they have the 2nd best xGA in the league. They should be able to get by with Jackson Ragen out and Alex Roldan returning from injury, since Kim Kee-Hee ($5.0m) finally made his season debut and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi ($5.6m) has been playing well enough to force his way into a rotational position after starting the season at Defiance. Nashville is a good team with a good offense and get to play at their "normal" time, but cross-country road trips are always tough. Go with KKH as Ragen's replacement for the minutes and likely passing bonus, or KKR for his attacking involvement (he already has a goal), but with the potential risk he is pulled early to get Alex back in or Reed Baker-Whiting on the field.

Vancouver – The best defense in the league against the worst offense in the West? Sure, Vancouver is on the road, but they have been getting it done all over the continent this year. I like Tristan Blackmon ($9.0m) for his bonus point floor, but if Ali Ahmed ($8.5m) is starting as a winger again he's got three assists already this year and is a strong consideration.

Minnesota – A good team with a good defense at home against a mediocre (at best) Dallas side. Sometimes it is just that simple. There's not a lot to distinguish between the Minnesota defenders; Bongi only played 56 minutes last week and ended with 0 points, no one seems to be a BP merchant, so I guess go with Morris Duggan ($6.2m) if he's back in the lineup?

Kai Wagner (PHI $10.1m) – Depending on whether you believe in a baby bump (his wife gave birth today), he could be in for a big score against Atlanta. Or maybe he'll be understandably sleep deprived and struggle or not even play. I wouldn't bet on Philly's clean sheet chances in this one, but the Union are certainly capable and Wagner continues to deliver on the offensive end, with 3 bonus points last week off 6 KPs and 7 crosses.

Luca Orellano (CIN $9.2m) – Another semi-permanent fixture of this section, Cincy has been getting it done on defense as Luca keeps the key plays rolling, averaging six per match this year. He still hasn't gotten onto the score sheet, but it has to happen sometime, right? He had 10g/5A last year, so surely it is only a matter of time? Maybe with Evander back...

Midfielders

Albert Rusnak (SEA $11.8m) – I don't think he starts, but if he does he's been a must-have this year.

Evander (CIN $10.2m) – He should be back in the starting lineup. Chicago on the road has become a more difficult matchup (they blanked Messi!) but he'll get opportunities to show why he's a special talent.

Carles Gil (NE $9.6m) – He's had double-digit points in two of his last three games. NYCFC has been up and down this year and they already beat New England at home, but Gil is another special talent and could take over this one.

Jack McGlynn (HOU $10.1m) – He disappointed last week, but he's one of a small handful of qualifying midfielders averaging at least 7.0 points per match. He should have a better time back at home against Colorado's midfield and shaky defense.

Djordje Mihailovic (COL $10.2m) – Another midfielder with a 7.0+ average, he's on four straight weeks with at least ten KPs. Houston has just one win on the year for good reason, so Mihailovic will get chances to find a winner.

Cristian Espinoza (SJ $10.3m) – At home against SKC, this should be a goal fest. If it goes at all like SJ's gutting of DC, Espinoza will have a great day.

Quinn Sullivan (PHI $9.4m) – Six points last week with no goal contribution, largely because he had another week with 12+ KPs. That's four straight with 9+ KPs. And that was on just 75 minutes. Back home against Atlanta will be a great chance for him to get his first goal of the year.

David Da Costa (POR $9.4m) – Portland plays LAFC, which is generally a tough matchup but Portland is unbeaten in five. LAFC beat SJ last week, but they let Espinoza get 100 touches and he found a goal. I expect LAFC to let Portland have the ball and dare them to beat them, and Da Costa is most likely to feast for it. Note that while Antony has been great recently, Jonathan Rodriguez getting healthy will eat into his minutes, possibly dramatically.

Budget: Pedro de la Vega (SEA $6.1m) – I was hopefully just a week early in recommending him as he was limited to 45 minutes last week, but he hit the post once (which turned into a goal off the rebound) and would have had bonus points for KPs and shots if he had played 60 minutes. I expect he'll go at least 60 minutes this week (he's gone 90 in CCC, and scored 3 goals against Antigua) so could be in for a good return for a $6.1m player.

Forwards

Leo Messi (MIA $12.4m) – I am writing words here. I do not expect anyone will read them, because what more do you need to know about Messi? Words words words, words words words. Messi Messi Messi. If he starts, you start and captain him, simple as.

Kelvin Yeboah/Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi (MIN $10.1m/$8.9m) – Good team at home against a mediocre team. Yeboah is 3rd in xG, 2nd in npxG, and 4th in npxG/90, while Oluwaseyi has reached the top 10 in npxG. I think one or both is likely to be back on the scoresheet soon (I lean Yeboah).

Joseph Martinez (SJ $8.2m) – You could take Arango, but Martinez is the hot hand and $2.4m cheaper. He’s a great option for targeting SKC's defense and utilizing SJ's red-hot offense.

Diego Rossi/Jacen Russell-Rowe (CLB $10.5m/$8.5m) – As noted above we should expect their football stadium match against Miami to be a high chance of multiple goals, and these are the guys stepping up for Columbus to score them.

Dejan Joveljic (SKC $8.8m) – If you want to target SJ's league-worst xGA, Joveljic has three goals in the past two weeks and five on the year.

Wildcard: Prince Owusu (MTL $7.7m) – As good as Orlando has been, they have still allowed 12 goals with a bottom-four xGA in the East. Owusu is in the top 10 of npxG, and now gets another home game for Montreal. Maybe not the same kind of floor as other players, but he has a good matchup and has been playing well enough to score more goals.

Captain considerations

Leo Messi – Words, sayings, proverbs, memes, things, etc.

Evander – Maybe the closest to Messi in terms of matchup-proof in fantasy, only real question is if he's healthy.

Cristian Espinoza – He's the maestro for San Jose, he demands the ball and makes things happen. If San Jose win, he's most likely involved.

Reticulating Splines

I have been wondering if my formatting in this article could be improved. Should I be appending prices to names every time, as I do when I am recommending a player? Would it be more useful to have the matchup, like (@ SEA $10.0m)?