This article is part of our The Armband series.
Last weekend was hit or miss on big names finding the score sheet, but as long as you didn't step out of the box too much, you likely had success with a popular captain choice. Diego Valeri and David Villa provided a goal or assist, but Seattle and Toronto failed to score in Friday's matches, limiting the output for guys like Nicolas Lodeiro and Sebastian Giovinco. And while I liked Justin Meram and Erick Torres more than most, I never considered giving them the armband over Valeri or Villa.
At the least, there were plenty of goals over the weekend after a rather dull Friday night. Minnesota, Houston and Vancouver all found the back of the net four times and that's good news in terms of fantasy prospects going forward. Yet for the upcoming week, none of those teams have all too favorable of matches.
The Galaxy are coming around (at least offensively) and open Round 6 against a beatable Montreal back line that has given up at least one goal in every match this season. A lot of people will turn to Gyasi Zardes in what is expected to be his first start, but given Romain Alessandrini's play the last two matches (two goals, two assists), he'd be the smarter option to back. Joao Plata fits into the same camp as Zardes, as he returned last match for 31 minutes. But even in a favorable home match against Vancouver, I wouldn't put all my eggs into one off those baskets just yet.
The question continues for when Giovinco will find the score sheet, and it's not a guarantee it will happen against Atlanta on Saturday. Atlanta has not allowed a goal in its last two, including last week's scoreless draw at Seattle. I'd hold off on Giovinco in favor of Maximiliano Urruti (v. Minnesota) or even the trusty Villa (at D.C.) and Valeri (at Philadelphia) in road matches. Urruti has three goals in two appearances and gets to face the worst defense in the league, a Minnesota back line that has allowed 20 goals. As for D.C. and Philly, they've taken a combined six points from eight matches and Villa and Valeri can both produce away from home.
Chris Wondolowski and Cyle Larin will be back on armband radars with home matches against Seattle and New York, respectively. Wondolowski has one goal and two assists from two home matches, while Larin has three goals in his two. The Red Bulls have been a bit sketchier defensively, so Larin is probably the better option to back.
An interesting team to back would be the Revolution, who are playing surprisingly well, though it's a wonder if travel will affect them in this one. The Revs hosted Minnesota two weeks ago then traveled to Portland for a late Sunday match and now host Houston early Saturday. The Dynamo gave up four goals in their only road match this season, so hoping the trio of Lee Nguyen, Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara produce again isn't far fetched. Nguyen remains the safest option in the middle with a goal in his last three.
The best side to back for defensive purposes has to be Sporting Kansas City, which have allowed just one goal all season. Tim Melia is at the top of the goalkeeper market, while Jimmy Medranda holds the most value as he's listed as a defender yet is playing all across the SKC midfield. Medranda might be one of the safest captain picks even though he hasn't scored or assisted in four matches.
