This article is part of our The Armband series.
The goals keep coming in MLS and that's always good in fantasy, especially when favorites are the ones scoring. The two sides everyone should've backed had the biggest wins of the weekend, with Atlanta scoring four in the final 20 minutes and NYC FC tallying three. Miguel Almiron, the only player I considered captaining, had 15 fantasy points from two goals and has reached at least eight fantasy points in all but one match this season. Everyone's favorite Spaniard, David Villa, also returned to the score sheet with a brace. Carlos Vela was the only disappointment with five fantasy points as LAFC managed only one goal in their home debut.
Maybe the biggest news from Week 9 was the return of Toronto's relevant players with the CONCACAF Champions League over. Sebastian Giovinco assisted in the draw with the Fire and played his first league match since March. His price has dropped significantly since the start of the season, and Friday's match against Philadelphia means he should be on every roster. Giovinco still hasn't scored an MLS goal this season, but that shouldn't be anything to worry about since he had a few in CCL play. This is a great spot for Giovinco, Victor Vazquez, Jonathan Osorio and anyone on the back line. The Union have struggled in their two road trips, failing to score at Colorado and Dallas. Vazquez is the differential play, though he still may not be ready for a full 90 minutes after returning from injury last week.
The other two matches that stand out are Sporting Kansas City against Colorado and Orlando City hosting Real Salt Lake. SKC are back home to face a Rapids team that just lost at home (to Orlando) and fell 3-0 to RSL last time on the road. Graham Zusi is back in the captain discussion, scoring at least seven fantasy points in the last four home matches. Felipe Gutierrez is out for 2-to-3 months, which makes Johnny Russell the upside play in case SKC score six goals again. However, his floor is too low for me to consider for a captain. These teams drew 2-2 in Colorado, but the Rapids are semi-decent at home.
Orlando City are near the top of the Eastern Conference and suddenly the hottest team in the league with five straight wins, including two on the road. The return of Dom Dwyer to the attack has been everything, as they've scored at least two goals in those five matches. As for RSL, they have scored once and given up nine in three road matches this season. Dwyer will be a favorite of many, though Sacha Kljestan is the safer play after Dwyer didn't score last match and finished with two fantasy points. Kljestan is around the ball more and has a higher floor due to a goal or assist in his last five. Of course, his upside is limited having failed to surpass 10 fantasy points. With multiple goals expected, Yoshimar Yotun is also on the list with at least six fantasy points in the last five matches. He plays as a defensive midfielder, but that hasn't mattered during Orlando's win streak and he converted a penalty last game, as well.
Those three teams have the edge, but there are a few other places worth considering for the armband. Alberth Elis may not be as exciting as some of the other players, but he continues to score with four goals and four assists this season. Ignacio Piatti has still found fantasy value, especially in two home matches. The Revs can't be trusted on the road and Piatti should be good for a goal or assist at a minimum. The same can be argued for Carlos Quintero, who has made the score sheet in all three starts and faces a Vancouver team that has given up multiple goals in three of their last four road matches.
I'm staying away from the battle of New York because both teams are playing well and anything can happen. Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kaku may be given the armband by some, but those New York matchups always seem to have wonky results. In this spot a year ago, NYC FC won 2-0, which was 10 days after the Red Bulls won 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup.
The only other spots you need to consider for captain are LA FC (v. Dallas) and Seattle (v. Columbus). Neither matchup is overly favorable, but Vela's upside is hard to overlook. Dallas have played well, but having to go to Los Angeles the week after playing in New York is extremely difficult. If they have tired legs, Vela and Diego Rossi could easily go off, especially since LA FC didn't have to travel between matches for the first time this season.
The Sounders got Clint Dempsey back last match, but again went scoreless. Things should go better at home, though I'm still sticking with Nicolas Lodeiro due to his high floor. However, the Crew are another team that play more defensive on the road, and there have only been four goals total in their four road matches. That's reason enough not to take Dempsey or Will Bruin in the attack.
Editor's note: an earlier version of this article stated that Sebastian Giovinco had an assist in a win over the Fire, but that match ended in a 2-2 draw. It has since been corrected.
