The Seattle Sounders scored three goals in a lopsided win over Colorado, so it was no surprise to see their star striker at the top of the board when it came to the best fantasy performances from this past week’s action. However, there were still a couple of surprises that led to standout fantasy performances – including a clean sheet for the Portland Timbers in a 1-0 win over New York City FC that would have undoubtedly caught some fans off guard.
Here is a look at the best fantasy performances from this past week’s MLS action.
GK: Adam Larsen Kwarasey, Portland
Vancouver’s David Ousted and New York’s Luis Robles were both strong while helping their teams earn clean sheets in wins but it was Kwarasey that stood out with the best fantasy performance of the week as he made five saves for the clean sheet in a 1-0 win over New York City FC. Portland has shown signs of life over the past couple of weeks, but it’s unlikely fantasy managers will completely buy in with the Timbers goalkeeper until he gets another couple of strong performances under his belt.
D: Nat Borchers, Portland
Portland has had a rough start to the MLS season but they managed to grind out a crucial three points in a 1-0 win over New York City FC to leapfrog Colorado into a tie with Sporting Kansas City thanks in big part to a defense that stood tall. Borchers was the best of them as he registered the best fantasy stat line out of all MLS defenders with five blocked shots, three passes intercepted and a clean sheet for the Timbers. His teammate, Alvas Powell, deserves credit as well for another monster fantasy performance.
D: Matt Miazga, New York
The 19-year-old Miazga enjoyed the best game of his young career with seven passes intercepted, four tackles, a shot and goal and a bonus for the clean sheet. He was instrumental in helping New York achieve in a 2-0 win over San Jose. Miazga has now registered strong fantasy performances in consecutive weeks and considering the bulk of his production comes from his defensive play, he is a strong fantasy option as a young player that could get that much better as he gains experience over time.
M: Justin Meram, Columbus
The Crew exploded for three goals against Orlando in a win that moved them in to a tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Meram was the star midfielder that led the charge with a goal, four shots on target and three winning tackles. Columbus will need more performances like that from Meram moving forward if they are going to make the playoffs. They had to be pleased with him standing out as the top MLS midfielder for Week 7.
M: Felipe, New York Red Bulls
It was a relatively quiet week for MLS midfielders outside of Meram’s performance but another player that stood out despite not scoring or registering an assist is Felipe, who had nine successful crosses in to the box and five passes intercepted in a 2-0 win over San Jose. The Red Bulls attacked in waves and while Felipe didn’t register a point, his fantasy performance ranked among the best fantasy midfielders. That is worth noting moving forward considering what it could have been if he had scored.
F: Lamar Neagle, Seattle
Neagle’s fantasy potential was talked about a lot after he registered one of the better fantasy performances among all MLS forwards despite failing to find the back of the net two weeks ago against the LA Galaxy. His five shots on goal and a pair of corners won were enough to produce a quality stat line. A lot of the talk was about how good his numbers would be if he could score a goal with a similar performance against the Colorado Rapids and the fantasy GM’s that took a chance on him were rewarded when he scored twice – including the game-winning goal while adding another five shots on goal. Neagle has put an absolute force for the Sounders and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody that he finished with the best fantasy stat line among forwards for the week.
F: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto
Giovinco wasn’t as easy to pick out heading in to the week but those that were willing to take a shot on him to have a breakout performance were rewarded when he scored twice, won five fouls and put three shots on target against FC Dallas. TFC will rely on Giovinco to consistently put up those types of numbers as their top striker and after an outstanding performance against FC Dallas, he won’t be overlooked again.
