This article is part of our The Armband series.
There were plenty of goals in Week 10, with the home teams securing three points in seven matches, including five scoring at least three. Unfortunately, none of my captain picks surpassed 12 points with Sebastian Giovinco leading the way. Ignacio Piatti came through yet again and has turned into a player you can't ignore whenever he's at home no matter the opponent. Kaku was the other fantasy headliner, as he's gotten a bit more comfortable in MLS, now with two goals and four assists in his last two starts. Everything else went about as expected outside of the late DNP for Nicolas Lodeiro. The Seattle midfielder picked up an injury earlier in the week and wasn't on the injury report, yet that wasn't declared until lineups came out before Saturday's scoreless draw against Columbus. Hopefully you didn't get stuck with him.
Week 11 is a monster and starts Wednesday, so those lineups need to be in fast. Nine teams have a double gameweek, which means there's no reason to look at teams playing only one match. I'm also ignoring Philadelphia (at CLB, at MTL), Minnesota (at LAFC, v. SJ) and Seattle (at TOR, at POR) due to schedule or having no one I want to captain.
Atlanta (v. SKC, at ORL) are the first team worth considering, even with their two matches against two of the hottest sides in the league. Of course, that doesn't tell the entire story because Sporting aren't the same team on the road, already drawing Colorado and losing at New England. Orlando are winning, but they've allowed multiple goals in four of their last five at home. Miguel Almiron should be in everyone's lineup as usual, as he's hit double-digit fantasy points in his last five starts. Even when he has just one assist and no goals, he's been able to reach 10 fantasy points and that's all the info you need. I'm not huge on giving the armband to Josef Martinez due to his reliance on goals, though he's still worth a spot on lineups.
Toronto are the other team everyone should be monitoring, with Giovinco back to dominance in league play with his best fantasy match this season in the win over Philly. They host a Seattle squad that hasn't figured things out and may be without Lodeiro. The trip to New England may be difficult, as the Revs have allowed just one goal in their last three at home, but I'm plenty comfortable backing Giovinco and company. The question is whether Victor Vazquez starts both matches. He recently returned from a back injury and has 21 fantasy points in the last two, but hasn't played a full 90 yet. Jonathan Osorio is the extreme differential, and the same can be said of the defenders, with Gregory van der Wiel the best bet to start and play 90 minutes in both games.
Los Angeles FC (v. MIN, v. NYCFC) are the other team in a great spot. Minnesota's back line has allowed 13 goals in five road matches, while NYC FC have been surprisingly bad away from home, allowing nine goals in their last three, including the trip out west to Portland. Carlos Vela and LA FC haven't lived up to expectations in recent weeks, with two goals from their last two matches, but it's hard to ignore these matchups. Vela's downside is that he has hit eight fantasy points in just one of his last five starts, but prior to that he had 15 in back-to-back matches. His upside is worth taking a gamble in hopes that LA FC find their scoring boots at home. Diego Rossi and Benny Feilhaber are good to have on the squad, but their upside isn't as high. At the least, Rossi has held fantasy value even when he doesn't make the score sheet, which is important when looking for a captain. I may even consider a defender like Steven Beitashour, who has attacking potential but also should be in line for one clean sheet at a minimum.
Montreal (at CHI, v. PHI) have two intriguing matchups and Piatti will be given the armband by plenty after reaching 19 fantasy points in two of his last three. His downside is a problem, but if the Impact can grab three or four goals at home against the Union, Piatti could be set for another huge match. Throw in a few points in the trip to Chicago and he could be at 20 points, at a minimum, over two matches.
Columbus (v. PHI, v. CHI) and Chicago (v. MTL, at CLB) are the differential teams for the week only because they've both been unpredictable. The Crew have great matchups, but they're returning from a trip to Seattle on a short week and haven't lived up to expectations with five goals in their last three home matches against weaker competition. It's reasonable to roster Federico Higuain, but he hasn't hit more than eight fantasy points in his last six matches. The hope is that he reaches that mark twice, with 16 points from two favorable spots.
It's the same situation for the Fire even with that home match against Montreal standing out. They've scored two total goals in their last three home matches and no one on the team has been consistent enough to captain. Nemanja Nikolic is reliant on goals and hasn't surpassed eight fantasy points since the opener, while Bastian Schweinsteiger continues to move all over the field, starting four matches at center-back and then moving to an attacking midfield position last match.
