MLS Fantasy continues, and we’ve asked our experts to reveal the teams they’re backing ahead of the deadline.
In this article, several experienced managers share their current squads, along with their thinking around key decisions for the round.
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@dmpwright
NOTES
- Marcel Hartel is certain to leave my team this week after completing his move to Hannover. Milan Iloski is the obvious replacement, although an away fixture against New York City FC isn’t the most appealing entry point.
- That has also put Miguel Almirón and Pep Biel on my radar. Both are in good form and have decent fixtures beyond this round.
- At the back, at least one of Mamadou Fofana and Peyton Miller will make way, and potentially both. Brayan Vera and Loïc Williams are the two leading candidates to replace them.
- Otherwise, I’m happy with the overall structure of my squad. That gives me the freedom to use my remaining transfers to attack some of the more favourable matchups this round rather than making changes for the sake of it.
@GarethWills10
NOTES
- We’re back to a normal round following the prolonged Double Gameweek. There is some uncertainty around Lionel Messi following the death of his father, so his availability will be something to monitor right up until the deadline.
- I’m happy to stick with Matt Turner of New England Revolution and Brian Schwake of Nashville SC as my two goalkeepers this week.
- At the back, Ryan Porteous has a home fixture for LAFC against San Diego FC, while Tate Johnson represents Vancouver Whitecaps. Mamadou Fofana also keeps his place, with New England Revolution facing Toronto FC. Timo Baumgartl of St. Louis City SC and Frankie Westfield of Philadelphia Union complete the defence.
- My first midfield change sees Rodrigo De Paul come in from Inter Miami. Milan Iloski keeps his place following another good performance last time out, while Nico Fernández Mercau, Evander and Guilherme all remain in the squad.
- Up front, I’m sticking with Antoine Griezmann of Orlando City and Denis Bouanga of LAFC. They’re joined by Robert Lewandowski, who comes in after getting off the mark for Chicago Fire with two goals in their latest match. Captaincy will start on Guilherme. Lewandowski is my back-up option if I need to move the armband later in the round.
@KarbownikFF
NOTES
- After another very solid Round 18, my moves for Round 19 feel fairly settled. I’m likely to use my second Wildcard in Round 20 or 21, so the focus is firmly on short-term upside.
- Colorado Rapids players are my main targets this week. Rafael Navarro, Mamadou Minoungou, Paxten Aaronson, Miguel Navarro and Loïc Williams are all on my radar ahead of an excellent home fixture against Sporting Kansas City. I can see Colorado scoring heavily here, with both Navarros and Williams currently set to come into my squad.
- My other two transfers will likely be Milan Iloski and Prince Owusu. Iloski is getting close to must-have territory given Philadelphia Union’s form, his out-of-position role and penalty duties. Meanwhile, Owusu gets an appealing home meeting with a poor DC United side. CF Montréal’s results haven’t been great, but their performances have been better than the table suggests. With Owusu central to their attack, this looks like a fixture where he could deliver a big score.
- Making way are Tomas Totland, Felipe Andrade, Jack McGlynn, Denis Bouanga and Sam Surridge. With Leagues Cup fixtures also taking place, rotation is a concern across MLS. Of the players currently in my squad, these five feel among the most vulnerable to reduced minutes.
@Fpl_Thomas10
NOTES
- My goalkeeper pairing remains unchanged this week, so there’s no need to use a transfer there.
- In defence, Mathías Laborda comes into the squad ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps’ meeting with a struggling Seattle Sounders side. The longer-term schedule also appeals, with six of Vancouver’s following eight matches at home.
- There aren’t many midfielders jumping out at me this round. With Nico Fernández Mercau suspended and Marcel Hartel leaving, I’ve settled on Miguel Almirón and Pep Biel as their replacements.
- Up front, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann are no-brainers for me. Both combine an excellent Fantasy floor with plenty of goal threat, making them two of the standout forward options this week.
@_FutboIOscar
NOTES
- Round 18 delivered 129 points, which I’m pretty satisfied with after missing the early deadline. In goal, I’m currently leaning towards sticking with Angus Gunn and Luka Gavran. The latter does have a tricky fixture against New England Revolution, but I’m happy enough with the pairing for now. I’ve already made one defensive transfer, bringing in Kai Wagner for Nkosi Tafari. The German has produced 25 points across his first two appearances since returning to Philadelphia Union, so the move felt fairly straightforward.
- Walker Zimmerman, Peyton Miller, Maxwell Woledzi and Manu Duah currently complete the defence. I’m not particularly keen on Toronto FC defensively this week, though, so Zimmerman could still make way. If he does, a Colorado Rapids defender is the most likely replacement.
- There has also been an early move in midfield, with Nico Fernández Mercau replacing Cole Bassett. Marcel Hartel also needs to go after leaving St. Louis City SC for Hannover 96. Pep Biel, Agustín Ojeda and Jack McGlynn are all under consideration for that spot.
- The rest of my midfield consists of Carles Gil, Guilherme and Evander. Of those, Evander is currently the favourite to take the captaincy.
- Up front, I’m likely to stick with Sam Surridge, Denis Bouanga and Antoine Griezmann for another round. However, I haven’t completely ruled out finding room for Robert Lewandowski.