This article is part of our The Armband series.
If you think fantasy players have it hard with only one day of rest between gameweeks, just think about the players. The biggest thing for the upcoming Round 19 is determining which players will be rested, and that's the main problem we'll run into this week when picking a captain.
Playing at home, Josef Martinez could be a popular play, but recently coming off an injury, will Atlanta risk him on little rest? The same goes for a player like Sebastian Giovinco, who seems to pick up a muscle injury every month or so. If Giovinco plays a full 90 against Orlando, that'll be 270 minutes in eight days. And without a lot of our favorite captain choices at home, choosing the man for the armband may be a little harder than normal this week.
I'll try and pick through the best options and focus on the ones who will most likely play a full 90 minutes. Starting with Romain Alessandrini may not make sense because he sat last weekend, but I'm willing to bet he was rested in order to play this match against Real Salt Lake. Alessandrini practiced all last week, so we're led to believe he's good to go. In a great spot at home against a side that has allowed 28 goals in 10 road matches, Alessandrini can't be passed up.
Portland and Atlanta are also at home, which means Diego Valeri and Miguel Almiron need to be considered. Valeri hasn't been as effective in the last few matches and gets the first-place Fire, so I'll turn to Almiron, who has at least seven fantasy points in six of his last seven starts. Against a beatable Earthquakes back line, I expect Almiron to find the score sheet at least once, with Hector Villalba and Martinez battling for points up front. And since San Jose only has four road goals this season, Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and the back line would be a sensible risk for captain.
The other home team to focus on is Dallas, who just scored three against Toronto and now gets to host D.C. United. The hope is that Maximiliano Urruti gets another full 90, as he has four goals and two assists in his last five starts. He'd be my top option if I wasn't slightly worried about his playing time, as Urruti rested the last time Dallas had a double gameweek.
Defensively, Dallas and Kansas City are the ones to use, though Ike Opara is probably the only one worth a captaincy. Jimmy Medranda could be in the starting XI again, but that's taking a gamble. Either way, their two opponents, D.C. and Philly, have scored six and seven goals on the road, respectively.
For a tricky week like this, David Villa is always a smart play, even on the road. Sure, he hasn't scored in four of his last five road appearances, but I'd never put money against the Spaniard, especially going against a beat-up Vancouver team that just gave up four goals a few days ago.
