This article is part of our The Armband series.
The fantasy points kept coming last Saturday, with seven of the eight matches reaching at least three combined goals. On a short week, more could be ahead with tired legs expected for the back lines. The Week 19 schedule is massive starting Tuesday and going through Sunday. Most teams have a Wednesday-to-Sunday turnaround with three sides (Houston, Salt Lake, Los Angeles) having two matches at home.
The Dynamo (v. LAFC, v. MIN) make the most sense to back for the armband because they have the most relevant fantasy players. The problem is deciding between Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas and Tomas Martinez. Martinez has been the most consistent of late with at least nine fantasy points in four of his last five starts. Manotas is more goal dependent, though he has three goals in the last two, while Elis has fallen off with six total fantasy points in his last three.
Albert Rusnak is the only one to consider from Real Salt Lake (v. SKC, v. DAL), but his floor has been three points in recent matches, so he isn't that enticing. Both of RSL's matches are against the top two teams in the Western Conference, and that also presents a problem.
The Galaxy (v. DC, v. CLB) are a safer bet against weaker competition. A defender is worth a look, but it's hard to ignore Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has a brace in his last three starts. There's a question of him not starting one of the matches, but the upside is prevalent, notably against D.C. I'd trust Romain Alessandrini even less, as he likely won't play 90 in both matches and has lower goal upside.
Atlanta (at DAL, at PHI) would normally be a top team to back with two matches, but they are on the road for both against teams that have a combined two losses in 18 home games. Miguel Almiron is always good for five fantasy points in each match, but I'm staying away from Josef Martinez, who won't have the same goal potential on the road.
I'm more inclined to award Adama Diomande the armband given how dominant he's been with seven goals in the last four matches. Even though LAFC (at HOU, v. ORL) are on the road in their first match, the game against Orlando City could lead to another hat trick, as that back line has been crushed over the last month-plus.
Seattle (at COL, at NE) and Toronto (at MIN, at SKC) are both on the road twice, but Nicolas Lodeiro gets the call over Sebastian Giovinco. Lodeiro's been under six fantasy points just once all season, while Giovinco has disappointed a bit with back-to-back three-point performances. I'd put Victor Vazquez above Giovinco, but he's not guaranteed to start both matches after sitting over the weekend.
While there are a few others with double gameweeks, none of them are worth fantasy consideration unless you're still into Graham Zusi after two total fantasy points in the last two matches. If you want to back Kansas City (at RSL, v. TOR), Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi are both in play, though both are extremely inconsistent because anyone on that attacking line can score.
