This article is part of our The Armband series.
There were only three MLS matches last weekend, but no matter the amount of action, there will always be at least one surprise in terms of fantasy. The Red Bulls and Bradley Wright-Phillips were in prime position for three points and a few goals against a struggling Real Salt Lake side, but it wasn't meant to be. Rated as one of the top forwards by most, Wright-Phillips failed to produce in a scoreless draw. The other surprise was that Diego Valeri failed to find the score sheet despite his team finding the back of the net twice.
The good news was that the Revolution lived up to the billing against an undermanned Minnesota team, with Juan Agudelo, Lee Nguyen, Chris Tierney and Diego Fagundez all scoring or assisting. Justin Meram and Ola Kamara also led the Crew to a 3-2 win, and as long as you backed everyone but Wright-Phillips and Valeri, you probably had a great week.
It's back to a normal schedule for the fifth week outside of Colorado and Dallas not having a match due to Dallas' CONCACAF Champions League fixture. Once again, a team to focus on will be Portland in a home match against New England. The Revs are coming off a nice win, but it's best not to put too much into that for now. Seattle, New York and Columbus are also at the top of the favorable fixture list, but Toronto may be the one everyone is talking about with Sebastian Giovinco's expected return.
Giovinco may be back, but Toronto hosts Sporting Kansas City, which has only allowed one goal in three matches. As of note, Matt Besler is one of SKC's three international contributors who may not appear in this match. And so, it wouldn't be a bad idea to back Giovinco and Jozy Altidore in their first home match of the season. It's expected that most fantasy owners will give their armband to someone on the Timbers, namely Valeri or Fanendo Adi. As a reminder, Portland has scored nine goals in its two home matches this season. Sebastian Blanco isn't a bad option either, but if you like the Timbers, Valeri and Adi are the easiest ones to trust.
The Sounders have an interesting match, mainly because they get the surprising Atlanta, which has only allowed three goals. Of course, part of that can be attributed to the schedule (Minnesota, Chicago) and Seattle disposed of the Red Bulls 3-1 last home match. Clint Dempsey makes the most sense, but it's hard to see him playing a full 90 minutes or even starting coming out of the international break. As long as Jordan Morris (ankle) is healthy, he may be the better forward to back. Nicolas Lodeiro was on international duty for Uruguay but didn't see the field, so there's no reason not to consider him in this match.
Two of the top forwards from 2016 will also be top captain options in David Villa (vs. San Jose) and Ola Kamara (vs. Orlando). Villa came up blank last home match, while Kamara has scored in three straight. Somewhat differential plays for those matches would be Rodney Wallace, who has two goals and an assist in the last two, or Meram and Federico Higuain of the Crew. Meram has at least one goal or assist in three of four matches this season.
There aren't extraordinary options for defensive purposes, with a lot of bottom clubs and struggling sides facing off, highlighted by D.C. vs. Philadelphia and Minnesota vs. RSL. The best chance at a clean sheet may end up being Toronto, as the SKC attack hasn't looked great, especially on the road.
