MLS Fantasy 2020: Week 14 Fantasy Forecast

Ahead of each Week in MLS Fantasy the Hype Train provides its informative Fantasy Forecast, where members of the Hype Team will duel for MLS supremacy in predicting scores, as well as going head to head in picking a Scout Picks squad for the relevant round of games. In addition, we give our insight into who are the players to watch and those to drop, as well as providing insight into captaincy picks, differential players for the week, and more. Welcome to the Forecast. All aboard.

How does our Forecasting work?

The Hype Team will compete in a weekly head to head dual of wits. The 3 members of the team will provide weekly insight for the Gameweek ahead, providing score predictions, a Scout Picks squad that follows MLS Fantasy rules, and will provide what insight they can for the fixtures at hand.

• MLS Fixture Prediction: As pundits, we are testing our football acumen with MLS predictions and will be providing regular updated tables and stats in each edition of the MLS Forecast. A perfect score is worth 3 points whilst a correct result is worth 1 point. An incorrect score is worth nothing.

• Gameweek Insight: We've left an open space for the team to write that helps with the Gameweek hustle; identifying captaincy picks, transfers, attacking options, clean sheet potential, teams to look our for and avoid, differential players, as well as general analysis and comments.

• Scout Picks: Picking a squad of 15 for a single Week, within their budget limitations, using the rules of MLS Fantasy - formations, the player limits of 3 players-per-club, and each team must pick a captain.

MLS Fantasy 2020: Week 14 Fixtures

Thu 5th November 2020 (6):

Orlando City P-P Columbus Crew

Minnesota United P-P Chicago Fire

Nashville P-P FC Dallas

Portland Timbers P-P Colorado Rapids

LA Galaxy P-P Seattle Sounders

San Jose P-P LAFC

Sun 8th November 2020 (13):

Eastern Conference (8:30pm kick-off time):

Chicago Fire P-P NYCFC

Columbus Crew P-P Atlanta United

D.C. United P-P Montreal Impact

Inter Miami P-P FC Cincinnati

NY Red Bulls P-P Toronto

Orlando City P-P Nashville

Philadelphia Union P-P New England Revolution

Western Conference (11:30pm kick-off time):

Houston Dynamo P-P Colorado Rapids

LAFC P-P Portland Timbers

Minnesota United P-P FC Dallas

Real Salt Lake P-P Sporting KC

Seattle Sounders P-P San Jose Earthquakes

Vancouver Whitecaps P-P LA Galaxy

MLS Fantasy 2020: Week 14 Insight

Season Points & Price Increase Review:

MW4: +$3.0mil – Points: 46 – Returns: 3

MW5: +$3.7mil – Points: 95 – Returns: 8

MW6: -$2.0mil – Points: 60 – Returns: 6

MW7: +$4.4mil – Points: 95 – Returns: 7

MW8: -$1.8mil – Points: 63 – Returns: 5

MW9: +$2.3mil – Points: 63 – Returns: 5

MW10: +$0.8mil – Points: 74 – Returns: 7

MW11: +$2.9mil – Points: 76 – Returns: 8

MW12: -$0.5mil – Points: 99 – Returns: 5

MW13: -$4.3mil – Points: 59 – Returns: 5

Net Increase: +$8.5mil

GW13: Starting Eleven…

GK: Melia (SKC): +$1.0mil – 7pts

DEF: Ziegler (DAL): -$0.8mil – 1pt

DEF: McKenzie (PHI): -$1.0mil – 4pts

DEF: Morrow (TOR): $0 change, DNP – 0pts

MID: Barco (ATL): -$0.9mil – 2pts

MID: Pozuelo (TOR): -$1.0mil – 10pts

MID: Monteiro (PHI): +$1.0mil – 10pts

MID: Molino (MIN): -$0.9mil – 4pts

FWD: Przybylko (PHI): +$0.1mil – 7pts (14pts, C)

FWD: Wright-Phillips (LAFC): -$0.9mil – 1pt

FWD: Morris (SEA): -$0.9mil – 6pts

GW13: Bench Dwellers…

GK: Edwards (CIN): $0, no change – DNP

DEF: Reid (SKC): $0, no change – DNP

DEF: Sweat (MIA): $0, no change – DNP

MID: Diaz (CLB): $0, no change – 5pts

First of all…Thank. God. Its. Nearly. Over. Secondly…it didn’t come soon enough. I had 50pts less than Rob this week and got a price drop of $4.3mil across my team, with Monteiro (PHI) and Melia (SKC) the big risers, with Przybylko (PHI) getting an unfamiliar rise of $0.1mil. Rob got over 100pts and got a $4.0mil+ rise in his team. That is the two extremes of the MLS. One good week…your entire team goes up, a bad week, total misery. All-in-all I believe that this years MLS price structure change has been an infuriating, confusing, non-sensical, and downright foolish concept. Players have risen a full $1.0mil after getting 1pt, players don’t get price changes if they don’t play, and all high performing players after a dozen games are above $12.0mil which is crazy high when there are now scores of them.

My main grievance with a ‘Daily Fantasy’ model which this clearly is, is that it relies on risk and reward decision making, which is embedded in gambling tactics to coax people into addiction. The intention was that by the end of a full season the stakes would be high for picking players as part of their new prize season. As a fantasy game this isn’t engaging, it is off-putting. The MLS was great, it was my favourite game, and now it is my least favourite. Standard fantasy elements such as Double-Gameweek players were things that make people like any fantasy games. The move away from this has meant that people no longer can brag about their team, or think too much about it, or invest their time into it.

It honestly doesn’t matter who your captain is in DGW’s, which pretty much don’t make them relevant at all…but, here’s the kicker…all of the players points (even those nots counted)…are counted to a players tally, but fantasy players can’t get them. “Yes! Pozuelo got 300pts, I had him in all season, and I stoked I only got the 200pts, what a result!” Said no one ever.

The MLS is also finalising all the ‘forgotten’ games with points-per-game to buffer all the cancellations, such as Colorado Rapids who have been left behind in the fixture list. I despise the PPG model as it is basically a FIFA Career Mode Simulated Season, which doesn’t actually show the true quality of the league, and therefore makes this whole season even more ridiculous. I still hold the belief it should have been cancelled in January. How do we know who was the best team this year? Who was the worst? Best player? Nothing was decided this year in a limited calendar. Toronto exclusively played Canadian teams, locked away above the border, which makes their games all that bit more meaningless. The whole season has been a sham.

The MLS Fantasy expunges games, is relaxed about its news, it doesn’t do updates, its website and structure are in dire need of an update. The site is a pain to navigate, there still isn’t a vice-captain, when fixtures are removed they go blank and you can’t view your team points unless you go to your team via a league page. The MLS can learn a lot from the FPL…it is streamlined, easy to navigate, and understand. The MLS fixtures should have scorers and assisters when you click on it, which you can’t even do on the MLS. Picking players is also a pain, and there is still a lack of understandable keys indicating status. There needs to be a redevelopment if this game is ever going to take off, and to also get rid of all the ridiculous rules this year that have completely drove people away as opposed to enticing them to play it.

I am happy this season is over, I really, really am.

Will I play the MLS Fantasy game next year…

Easy Answer: No

Short Answer: No

Long Answer: No

I really doubt I will play it next year, if nothing changes…which I expect it won’t, I am out for the 2021 season. The state of Coronavirus in the US doesn’t give me any hope that it will enable the MLS to be a well-functioning sporting institution.

Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Lodeiro (SEA)

Alternative: Santos (CLB)

Differential: Morris (SEA)

MLS Scout Picks Squad: Week 14

Budget: $124.6 million (fixed)

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: Willis (NSH)

DEF: Ziegler (DAL)

DEF: Mensah (CLB)

DEF: Leerdam (SEA)

MID: Lodeiro (SEA) (C)

MID: Santos (CLB)

MID: Medran (CHI)

MID: Molino (MIN)

FOR: Beric (CHI)

FOR: Morris (SEA)

FOR: Mora (POR)

Substitutes

GK: Edwards (CIN)

MID: Sweat (MIA)

DEF: Reid (SKC)

DEF: Diaz (CLB)

MLS Fantasy 2020: Week 14 Fixtures

Thu 5th November 2020 (6):

Orlando City 3-2 Columbus Crew

Minnesota United 2-0 Chicago Fire

Nashville 2-1 FC Dallas

Portland Timbers 1-0 Colorado Rapids

San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 LAFC

LA Galaxy 1-3 Seattle Sounders

Sun 8th November 2020 (13):

Eastern Conference (8:30pm kick-off time):

Chicago Fire 1-2 NYCFC

Columbus Crew 3-1 Atlanta United

D.C. United 2-1 Montreal Impact

Inter Miami 3-1 FC Cincinnati

NY Red Bulls 2-2 Toronto

Orlando City 2-1 Nashville

Philadelphia Union 4-2 New England Revolution

Western Conference (11:30pm kick-off time):

Houston Dynamo 2-2 Colorado Rapids

LAFC 3-2 Portland Timbers

Minnesota United 2-1 FC Dallas

Real Salt Lake 1-2 Sporting KC

Seattle Sounders 3-1 San Jose Earthquakes

Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 LA Galaxy

MLS Fantasy 2020: Week 14 Insight

Teams with a Double Gameweek (12):

1 – Orlando: Columbus (H), Nashville (H)

2 – Columbus: Orlando (A), Atlanta (H)

3 – Minnesota: Chicago (H), Dallas (H)

4 – Chicago: Minnesota (A), NYCFC (H)

5 – Nashville: Dallas (H), Orlando (A)

6 – Dallas: Nashville (A), Minnesota (A)

7 – Portland: Colorado (H), LAFC (A)

8 – Colorado: Portland (A), Houston (A)

9 – LA Galaxy: Seattle (H), Vancouver (A)

10 – Seattle: LA Galaxy (A), San Jose (H)

11 – San Jose: LAFC (H), Seattle (A)

12 – LAFC: San Jose (A), Portland (H)

Week 13 Review:

99 points last week saw my overall rank slip to an Overall Rank of 90 heading into the final Gameweek of the season. It would be some achievement to hold the position given the season at hand – I’ve not once made a change to my team during the Gameweek, leaving my team to gut instinct alone. It’s held me back by a few points that would have had me competing for the overall title this year as I’m only a hundred points off the summit, for sure, but that’s one handicap I’m not willing to go to as there more important things in life than a 3:30am kick-off in the UK between LA Galaxy or Portland Timbers. Like sleep.

Much of my progress in the latter parts of the campaign have been down to keeping a largely solid core of my team whilst I can – you can never do wrong with the likes of Valeri, Pozuelo and Lodeiro as captaincy picks.

Captaincy Picks:

Essential: Nico Lodeiro (SEA)

Alternative: Diego Valeri (POR)

Differential: Emanuel Reynoso (MIN)

Captaincy picks this week will likely come from midfield, with the West’s power hitters all in action twice. Valeri and primarily, Nicolas Lodeiro, are leading contenders. Lodeiro is on 129 points, only behind Lewis Morgan (140) and Alejandro Pozuelo (140) for top spot, though with a pair of winnable fixtures and on the back of some good form, Lodeiro should be the default pick to end the Fantasy season.

Overal Season Comments:

By our very nature, I am not as brutal as Sam with his take on a few things. His frustrations have mainly been around the functionality of MLS Fantasy and a few major turn-off points that are hard sells for normal people.

I'm still under the belief that this year has been very special due to the on-going pandemic. It has been very hard to get in to the MLS spirit due to the long time the game had away in North America, meaning it's taken a long while to warm up to the game. Next year there has to be some flexibility and regularity with the game in order for it to keep ticking along. Otherwise, given the player base, it might be time for a year off whilst the team at the MLS figure out how to maximise the game's potential.

The base of the game is there though. The points scoring is positive and MLS is a very unique, colourful league that offers a lot of discussion points.

If any of the MLS Digital team have ever read our Forecast's or followed our MLS coverage before, as many have done and we've interacted with many times across social media, we'd love to have more of an input at getting the game back on track. You know how to contact us.

MLS Scout Picks Squad: Week 14

Budget: $125.0 million (fixed)

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting 11

GK: D. St. Clair (MIN)

DEF: W. Zimmerman (NSH)

DEF: K. Leerdam (SEA)

DEF: Ruan (ORL)

MID: N. Lodeiro (SEA)

MID: D. Valeri (POR)

MID: E. Reynoso (MIN)

MID: L. Zelarayan (CLB)

FOR: D. Rossi (LAFC)

FOR: C. Pavon (LA)

FOR: G. Higuain (MIA)

Substitutes

GK: J. McCarthy (MIA)

MID: P. Frankowski (CHI)

DEF: M. El-Munir (LAFC)

DEF: P. Bonilla (POR)

Want to know more about The Hype Train?

The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.

We pride ourselves in providing beautiful graphics, statistics, in-depth analytical reporting and free weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb rankings tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review games, live sport, and professional wrestling.

In 2019, Hype Train Football Club was formed, becoming the first Fantasy Football website to take to the field. HTFC is a socially active team across social and web channels, providing regular match highlights, match reports, comprehensive player statistics and unique player profiles.

The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog' in 2016 by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), and were again shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 in the 'Best Fantasy Football Blog' category.

You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, follow Hype Train FC on Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk

All aboard.