This article is part of our The Armband series.
There were only three matches last weekend, but there were no surprises, meaning most fantasy bosses came out with a decent point total. If not, I'm not sure what preview articles you're reading. Both Chicago and Portland walked away with 2-0 wins as David Accam, Nemanja Nikolic, Fanendo Adi and Diego Valeri topped the charts. Things didn't work out as well for Kansas City and it wasn't a huge surprise given that neither Matt Besler nor Graham Zusi played. Still, everyone's favorite defender that's actually a forward, Jimmy Medranda, secured a clean sheet at the official Fantasy MLS game.
Things are back to normal for the upcoming round with 10 matches Saturday and one Sunday. Per usual, home teams will be the first ones to focus on and then I'll pick the sides most in form and in favorable situations, aka the biggest favorites.
There's no better place to start than in the opener with NYC FC hosting Seattle. David Villa didn't find the score sheet last time out, but I wouldn't put money on that happening again. The Spaniard has eight goals and six assists and gets an unpredictable Sounders team that has lost its last three road matches by a 10-1 score line. Maximiliano Moralez and Jack Harrison are differential captains, but their upside doesn't touch Villa's so I wouldn't risk it.
Another big name that hasn't been mentioned in a while is Sebastian Giovinco, who made a surprise return from injury two weeks ago. Toronto returns home where it has 17 points (and 17 goals) from seven matches. Enhancing this matchup is D.C. United, who sits at the bottom of the table with a minus-11 goal differential through 14 games. Giovinco is the easy choice, but Justin Morrow wouldn't be a bad player to back with a clean sheet a real possibility.
Columbus has allowed the most away goals in the Eastern Conference (17), so it's logical to back Atlanta. Miguel Almiron is the safest play considering he's scored five of Atlanta's last eight goals, with Hector Villalba the next option. Some may even be inclined to give Josef Martinez a look now that he's back, but I wouldn't go that crazy until he gets more work. As for the Crew, I can't suggest them in a road game given their six losses in eight opportunities.
Similarly, the Dynamo have a miserable three goals scored and 15 allowed in seven road games, so the usual players from Los Angeles are worth a look. Giovani dos Santos is gone for the Confederations Cup, making Romain Alessandrini the top choice for the armband. He has at least six fantasy points in his last five starts.
The same goes for Lee Nguyen of the Revs, as he's reached at least five fantasy points in the his nine matches. New England has been a much different team at home (18 goals score, five allowed), making Nguyen an easy choice, even against the second-place Fire.
For the rest of the players no one else is captaining, Haris Medunjanin gets a nice match against the Red Bulls, who are another terrible road team with three points in seven tries. Elsewhere, this is the perfect time to rejoin the Florian Jungwirth bandwagon as the Earthquakes get a KC team that has just three goals in eight road matches.
Orlando has a favorable matchup against Montreal and the same for Colorado against Portland, yet I'm not willing to back anyone from either team. Cyle Larin and Kaka will be considered, but there's close to zero trust for them with Orlando's two goals in the last four matches. With all of the big names in favorable spots, there probably won't be much disparity between captains this week. Going out on a ledge could work, but in the likelihood it doesn't, a drop in the fantasy standings is waiting.
