This article is part of our The Armband series.
I take full responsibility for last week's captain miscues. I should've done more research because usually when a player records back-to-back hat tricks, it's almost a guarantee he won't continue to score at that rate. And that's exactly how things played out for Josef Martinez last week as he had just one of Atlanta's six goals in their two shutout victories.
Instead, it was a slew of defenders who led the way for Atlanta, as well as the midfielder I passed on as Yamil Asad scored a brace and assisted twice against the Galaxy. Even worse was that Miguel Almiron left the second match with a hamstring injury, which was undoubtedly the result of too many games in these past few weeks. The hope is that the same doesn't happen for any other Atlanta player this week.
That's because Atlanta has yet another week with two matches, along with 15 other teams. To help sift through the numerous options, I've split the teams into four tiers based on ease of schedule and overall captain consideration. For example, Colorado is in the bottom tier simply because there's no reason to captain anyone on their team, no matter what the schedule looks like.
Tier 1: Atlanta (v. PHI, at NE)
Tier 2: Montreal (v. NYC, at COL), New York (v. DC, at TOR), New York City (at MTL, at CHI), Orlando (v. NE, v. DAL), Seattle (v. VAN, at PHI)
Tier 3: Chicago (at SJ, v. NYC), Dallas (v. COL, at ORL), Houston (v. LA, v. MIN), Los Angeles (at HOU, v. RSL), New England (at ORL, v. ATL), Philadelphia (at ATL, v. SEA), San Jose (v. CHI, v. POR)
Tier 4: Colorado (at DAL, v. MTL), DC (at NY, at CLB), Vancouver (at SEA, at SKC)
To get them out of the way, I wouldn't captain anyone from the bottom tiers. I've listed all teams to help more with overall rosters. Romain Alessandrini would normally be a decent play with two matches, but given his knee issues and the Galaxy's struggles, I'll pass since they probably won't score in the first match against Houston. Shea Salinas is an interesting differential with two home matches as he's reached at least six fantasy points in all four home starts this season. Nemanja Nikolic and C.J. Sapong are a couple other big names that can be forgotten as well. I moved the Revs a step down because Lee Nguyen is dealing with muscle spasms and Kei Kamara may not start both matches.
In the top tier, it's a race between a few Atlanta players once again. Houston and Dallas would be on that list, but neither are playing well. With Almiron out, it'll be another toss-up between Asad, Martinez and Hector Villalba. With the second match on the road, I'm not as confident in Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. The main worry is that the Revs have allowed only one goal in their last six home matches. I'm switching my strategy up and going Asad above the forwards because as a midfielder, he'll produce more points through bonuses even if Atlanta doesn't score against New England.
Maximiliano Urruti is in an intriguing spot, but he has just one goal in the last 10 matches. Even with two decent matchups, I can't give my armband to him or anyone from Dallas, as they haven't won in their last 10 games (not unrelated to Urruti's goal scoring). And while the Dynamo have two home matches, they lost to the Rapids last appearance at BBVA Compass Stadium. Plus, with five forwards that split time, there's no one worthy of captaincy.
The Montreal duo of Ignacio Piatti and Blerim Dzemaili is always a good place to turn for the armband. Dzemaili has been more consistent, while Piatti has the higher upside as seen in his recent two-goal, two-assist performance. The Impact have a decent schedule, though it's not as friendly as fans would like. NYC FC hasn't allowed more than one goal in its last seven matches, and Colorado is much better at home even if it's still last in the table. The Rapids have allowed 18 goals in 14 home matches, but that doesn't mean I'll stay away from Piatti and Dzemaili completely.
Orlando can't be forgotten about coming off four straight away games. Up front, Dom Dwyer has been better in the last few weeks, while Cyle Larin has not surpassed seven fantasy points in his last 12 appearances. One of my favorite differentials may be Yoshimar Yotun, especially with two home matches against teams that are bad on the road. New England and Dallas have scored a combined 25 goals in 29 away matches.
Of the two New York teams, the Red Bulls have the easier schedule, but David Villa can never be counted out after returning last weekend. I'd still take caution from captaining him or Maximiliano Moralez with two road matches. Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips are the better choices, but they are also two more players who may not start both matches. Kljestan has played just 90 minutes total in the last two games and neither of them started against Philly two weeks ago due to the midweek U.S. Open Cup final.
For the final team, the Sounders host a Vancouver side that's suddenly in first place in the Western Conference. Combine that with a trip out east to Philadelphia and it's not a great short week schedule, though Nicolas Lodeiro is always a good place to turn with two matches. Yet with that road game, Osvaldo Alonso and Cristian Roldan could turn into better options as the Sounders have struggled in recent road fixtures and that has led to better fantasy performances for those two.
