This article is part of our The Armband series.
As expected, Round 20 produced some of the highest scores in MLS Fantasy all season, with 12 teams having two matches. Eight players scored at least 20 fantasy points, including three from both the Sounders and Red Bulls. Unfortunately, I fell into a black hole and only one of my top captain picks (David Villa) was good enough for the armband. Sebastian Giovinco got hurt, Nicolas Lodeiro picked up a red card and Diego Valeri just didn't do enough.
Sure, I liked Cristian Roldan and Joao Plata, who each had 26 fantasy points, but was I ever going to suggest either one of them before the aforementioned names? Probably not. And that's kind of how fantasy soccer goes. One week I say not to take risks and then the next, every risky pick pans out above the most consistent players.
For Round 21, there's a small double that features Columbus and Philadelphia on Wednesday. But with the Crew on the road for both matches and the Union having one point in their last three games, there aren't hands-down captains from either side. To start, Federico Higuain will miss at least one match and C.J. Sapong has an ankle injury, meaning Justin Meram and Ola Kamara might be the only two worth considering, unless you really like Haris Medunjanin. Even then, Meram and Kamara have just one combined goal in their last five road matches. In the Crew's last three overall, there's been a total of four goals. If you're looking at defenders, Lalas Abubakar, Jukka Raitala and Alex Crognale are the only ones that have played every minute in the last two games.
Elsewhere, the best places to turn for your captain will be Atlanta (v. Orlando), New York (v. Montreal), Dallas (v. Vancouver), Houston (v. Portland) and both sides in Toronto v. New York City.
The trouble with Atlanta is choosing between one of three options, though a Josef Martinez injury kind of helps that. Miguel Almiron is always good for points through attacking bonuses, while Hector Villalba is goal-or-bust, limiting his fantasy value. Orlando has a lot of issues and just lost at home to Atlanta after a late Villalba goal from about 30 yards out. Atlanta has 15 goals in its last five home matches, so Almiron gets the nod simply because he has a better chance to find the score sheet with eight goals and eight assists this season.
The Red Bulls are probably the team I'd put most of my money on, with 11 goals in their last three matches, two of them coming on the road. Similar to Villalba, Bradley Wright-Phillips either scores or he doesn't do much in terms of fantasy, so the midfielders are whom I'd rather focus on. Daniel Royer has been incredible with four goals and an assist in the last three matches, but I'm not sure he's the easiest to trust. Sacha Kljestan has once again found his form and is the best choice with 29 fantasy points last round. And while the Impact have been better defensively, there's still been 33 goals in their 10 road matches.
Dallas and Houston are in the same boat, with both miles better in home matches. Normally, Vancouver would be the better matchup, but Portland has been all over the board with recent results. For both teams, Maximiliano Urruti takes the cake as the best captain, with a goal or assist in the last five matches. He's also easier to trust with Dallas having 13 goals in its last three home matches in MLS. Roland Lamah would be the ultimate risk because he's so up-and-down, but his upside is a good selling point.
As for Toronto and NYC FC, Villa and Giovinco are lingering after there were four goals scored between these teams only a week ago. Villa has scored double-digit fantasy points in four straight matches, but he has one goal in his last three road matches. Giovinco can go off at any time, yet he has surpassed nine fantasy points just once in his last eight appearances.
Plata and RSL are at home against the Crew, but I'll pass on them in a tough matchup. The same goes for Blerim Dzemaili against the Red Bulls. The Revs deserve a look at home against the Union, with Lee Nguyen once again in talks for the armband having scored in two straight.
There aren't many defensive spots that stand out unless you consider one of the Crew defenders or run with Florian Jungwirth and hope the Earthquakes (v. Rapids) can finally figure things out after giving up 12 goals in their last three matches, all on the road.
