MLS Fantasy Strategy

[adam]

ok, my first post here is for beginners:

MLS fantasy is DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) based. Meaning, you could theoretically field a whole new team every week. However, unless it's a league bye week (I'll get to that in another post), you are assessed a penalty of -4 points for any player you transfer over the 2 free transfers each week.

You may think it's ok to take the hit if you feel the new player will score over 4 points + the expected point total of the player being transfered out. That's part of the strategy.

You can also 'bank' up to 1 transfer. So, you only make 1, or none, transfers one week; you can make 3 free transfers the next. Or continue to make 2 or less transfers the following week and still have 3 for the week after that (keeping the extra transfer in the bank).

Ok, I'll post more later. Ask any questions and anyone else who wants to post or answer the questions go ahead. Just started the thread for everyone.

 

[sbrylski]

Sounds like the theme of your first post is transfer strategy, so I'll add this:

The sweet spot is to think 2-3 weeks in advance for transfers. You want to know how many bye weeks you have the following week, or even two weeks later, so you don't catch yourself in a position where you don't have enough players to field a team. In addition, if there are double game weeks coming up (two MLS games in one fantasy week), you might want to add a player ahead of time, so you can add even more DGW players the week of.

So don't only think one week at a time, but also don't worry too much about 5 weeks down the road. Things change, and quickly. You could turn over basically your entire starting lineup in 5 weeks.

 

[mgarbowski]

So don't only think one week at a time, but also don't worry too much about 5 weeks down the road. Things change, and quickly. You could turn over basically your entire starting lineup in 5 weeks.

Picking up on this... This point is exactly right, and critical. Last year you got one wildcard week to make unlimited transfers. You could play it any time you wanted. I played it very early because my team stunk but I should have saved it and changed the team over 3-4 weeks because the team I made with the wildcard was gone in about 5 weeks anyway.

You also get unlimited transfers heading into select weeks when only a handful of teams play. Otherwise nobody could field a full 11 those weeks. BUT you don't get unlimited transfers coming out of those weeks. So best planning, if your team budget allows for it, is to stash some good players on your bench even though their team is inactive that week to set you up.

And yes, I had created a spreadsheet setting up my entire season after I figured all of this out. And I still didn't come anywhere near the top.

 

[adam]

Thanks mgarbowski & S sbrylski! I think we're all giving some good advice here. I'll try and slow it down some for the beginners. As we know, the MLS plays an unbalanced weekly schedule. Meaning, all teams will have random bye weeks and some teams will have DGWs (Double Game Weeks), where they could play midweek & again on the weekend. Below is a good chart I used last season (it was helpful following the league for non-fantasy reasons too), I'd credit the fantasy site I took it from, but it's been so long I forgot. Also note: This schedule changed mid-season! The MLS moved many of Le Impact's matches in the beginning of the season to help them in the CCL. So, don't download it week 1 and think it's gospel! This chart outlines when teams had byes (in pink) DGWs (in green) and the international calendar on the bottom. You can see 3 weeks with a ton of pink, those were Wildcard weeks, where you could use unlimited transfers. But as mgarbowski stated above, you don't want to have all your players on only the few teams that are playing that week, as they normally have a bye of their own shortly after, or you miss out on better matchups in the later weeks. Keeping an eye on the schedule and listening to the sound advice given by the gentleman above should help you better navigate the rigors of weekly fantasy transfers.

Now who wants to take a stab at the salary cap next?

 

[mgarbowski]

Everyone's salary cap starts at a round number, I think $120 last year. Players have assigned values and you had to pick 18 within that cap. Every week the players' values can rise or fall depending on how they perform -- based on fantasy points -- compared to other players in the same position. If a player does not play his value remains unchanged.

• You need your budget to increase as the season goes on or you will have limited flexibility as the season progresses. There were a lot of big bye weeks at the end and lots of necessary player movement.
• You cannot afford to keep players whose value decreases.
• Because of the bold sentence above, you are better off with a player who does not play than one who subs in late, because the sub will almost certainly go down in value unless he scores an assist or goal. Poku, for example, was a major gamble last year, as you could never count on him starting, and if he subbed and didn't score, he lost value, but he often subbed and added 2 or more goals plus assists.
• It can often make sense to keep 3-4 players on your team with the league minimum value (last year it was 4.0) and use the savings to compile your best 11-12 players with higher value. Sometimes you might want as many as 5 or even 6 4.0 players, but that is a risky move if any of your remaining players end up hurt or DNP for any reason..

 

[adam]

• It can often make sense to keep 3-4 players on your team with the league minimum value (last year it was 4.0) and use the savings to compile your best 11-12 players with higher value. Sometimes you might want as many as 5 or even 6 4.0 players, but that is a risky move if any of your remaining players end up hurt or DNP for any reason..

Also, there's an auto sub feature, your worst scoring player will automatically be subbed with a bench player in order of where they are on your numbered bench (provided it still makes a legal lineup). So, it's always good to have at least 1 extra player that scores in case a player craps out sitting in the #1 slot on your bench.

Also - legal lineups: 3-5 Defensive players, 1-3 Forwards, 3-5 Mids, always 1 GK.

 

[Sabo]

Its not the worst scoring player who get subbed -- its only players who do not actually play that week. That defender who you thought might get credit for the shutout because he was playing against the Rapids and got a red card instead will count as negative points.

The order of the subs on your bench matters. The first eligible player from your bench will be your auto sub even if it doesn't make sense to sub a defender who played 1 minute for 1 point for a forward who was injured and didn't play instead of the forward on your bench who scored two goals. Put your best bench players in the top bench spots.

 

[George]

this fantasy league seems to have as many random rules as the mls, lucky i read this as had only done fantasy for EPL and that was pretty basic, thanks for the help!

 

[adam]

this fantasy league seems to have as many random rules as the mls, lucky i read this as had only done fantasy for EPL and that was pretty basic, thanks for the help!

Glad it's helping. Ask any questions you have, or any questions when it starts, I'm sure you will have tons with these rules. We all figured it out through trial and error. Happy to pass on what we've learned.

 

[adam]

Its not the worst scoring player who get subbed -- its only players who do not actually play that week. That defender who you thought might get credit for the shutout because he was playing against the Rapids and got a red card instead will count as negative points.

The order of the subs on your bench matters. The first eligible player from your bench will be your auto sub even if it doesn't make sense to sub a defender who played 1 minute for 1 point for a forward who was injured and didn't play instead of the forward on your bench who scored two goals. Put your best bench players in the top bench spots.

Thanks for fixing my mistake. After a full offseason, I'm having trouble keeping track of all the rules myself!

 

[mgarbowski]

We should also note that everything we're posting now is subject to change once the league goes live. Some of these specifics are likely to change, and there's an outside chance of a complete overhaul.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

So double games count? Like if villa has a double game it's smart to make him captain so he basically gets quadruple points?

 

[adam]

So double games count? Like if villa has a double game it's smart to make him captain so he basically gets quadruple points?

Yes, so you want to keep tabs on which teams have DGWs and have those players on your roster that week. But just because they have 2 matches in 1 week, doesn't necessarily mean their manager will play them for 2 full matches.

And now NYCFC_Dan just opened up the topic of scoring, including how you pick a captain each week and they get double points. From a strategy perspective you're better off either choosing a goal scorer or a keeper as your captain. Goal scorer is gambling since no one scored EVERY match, but they have the ability to really rack up the points for you if their can pick up a brace or goal and assist. Or, keeper is the safer bet if they are not going up against a high powered offense and will usually give you a decent amount of points each week.

As for how scoring works, maybe someone else wants to take a shot with that. I'm a bit tired tonight.

 

[JCMore]

Yes, so you want to keep tabs on which teams have DGWs and have those players on your roster that week. But just because they have 2 matches in 1 week, doesn't necessarily mean their manager will play them for 2 full matches.

And now NYCFC_Dan just opened up the topic of scoring, including how you pick a captain each week and they get double points. From a strategy perspective you're better off either choosing a goal scorer or a keeper as your captain. Goal scorer is gambling since no one scored EVERY match, but they have the ability to really rack up the points for you if their can pick up a brace or goal and assist. Or, keeper is the safer bet if they are not going up against a high powered offense and will usually give you a decent amount of points each week.

As for how scoring works, maybe someone else wants to take a shot with that. I'm a bit tired tonight.

I picked up Drogba and made him captain real quick. Just kept watching the points roll in.

 

[sbrylski]

So double games count? Like if villa has a double game it's smart to make him captain so he basically gets quadruple points?

It seems amazing, until you actually build your strategy around it and get frustrated over and over again as your guys only play one of the games that week, while the better player you dropped because he only had one game scores a goal and adds an assist.

The point is that DGW are very nice, but far from the only factor to consider when selecting a starter. Not even the primary factor half the time.

 

[Gene]

DC United was famous for that last season. I got burned a few times by having my DGW guys sitting out the second match.

 

[Gene]

Plenty of info just posted on mlssoccer.com.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...-will-score-points-mls-fantasy-soccer-manager

 

[adam]

Plenty of info just posted on mlssoccer.com.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...-will-score-points-mls-fantasy-soccer-manager

Nice little tweaks

 

[Gene]

Some prices for NYCFC players are a little on the whacky side!

Goalkeepers $ TS
Saunders NYC $5.0 128
Johansen NYC $4.5 0
Defenders $ TS
Hernandez NYC $6.5 79
White NYC $6.5 56
Allen NYC $5.0 37
Iraola NYC $7.0 17
Mena NYC $7.0 17
Brandt NYC $5.0 1
Brillant NYC $8.0 0
Martinez NYC $6.0 0
Matarrita NYC $7.5 0
Midfielders $ TS
Jacobson NYC $7.0 102
Diskerud NYC $8.0 95
Poku NYC $7.5 82
Ballouchy NYC $6.5 66
Pirlo NYC $10.0 58
Lampard NYC $10.0 41
Lopez NYC $5.5 13
Bravo NYC $7.0 0
Harrison NYC $5.5 0
McNamara NYC $7.0 0
Forwards $ TS
Villa NYC $11.0 185
Mullins NYC $6.5 76
Shelton NYC $6.0 35
Taylor NYC $5.5 2

 

[adam]

Some prices for NYCFC players are a little on the whacky side!

Goalkeepers $ TS
Saunders NYC $5.0 128
Johansen NYC $4.5 0
Defenders $ TS
Hernandez NYC $6.5 79
White NYC $6.5 56
Allen NYC $5.0 37
Iraola NYC $7.0 17
Mena NYC $7.0 17
Brandt NYC $5.0 1
Brillant NYC $8.0 0
Martinez NYC $6.0 0
Matarrita NYC $7.5 0
Midfielders $ TS
Jacobson NYC $7.0 102
Diskerud NYC $8.0 95
Poku NYC $7.5 82
Ballouchy NYC $6.5 66
Pirlo NYC $10.0 58
Lampard NYC $10.0 41
Lopez NYC $5.5 13
Bravo NYC $7.0 0
Harrison NYC $5.5 0
McNamara NYC $7.0 0
Forwards $ TS
Villa NYC $11.0 185
Mullins NYC $6.5 76
Shelton NYC $6.0 35
Taylor NYC $5.5 2

I agree!