This article is part of our The Armband series.
There were only six matches last week, yet that didn't stop most people from having a decent fantasy round. Columbus and New York both grabbed three goals at home in favorable spots, meaning Federico Higuain and Bradley Wright-Phillips were each worthy of the armband. That's the second week in a row that the favorites at home came through, so Week 5 should be just as easy with 22 teams in action.
Unfortunately, that's never the case. Toronto (v. RSL) and Seattle (v. MTL) are at home, but neither has regained the form it found a season ago, both at the bottom of their respective conferences. Columbus (v. VAN) and Kansas City (v. D.C.) have become the new fantasy frontrunners in the early season, with Chicago (v. POR) not far behind.
The Crew are coasting with six goals in their first two home matches, and while the Whitecaps are playing well, they also gave up four at Atlanta in their last road trip. Gyasi Zardes has fallen off the last couple matches, so that leaves Higuain as the best captain by a wide margin. The only time he failed to reach eight fantasy points was the scoreless draw at Philadelphia. Even if Higuain doesn't make the score sheet, he can still reach at least five or six fantasy points due to other stats like key passes and recovered balls. I'm not betting on a clean sheet, so the only other places I'd look are also in the midfield with Pedro Santos and Artur.
There are two captain possibilities for Sporting KC, with Felipe Gutierrez has quietly put in a nice start to the season, with four goals and a $1.7m boost in salary. Even if he doesn't score, Gutierrez supplies a little bit of everything in central mid, which keeps his floor high.
The Fire have played only two matches, so there's little to take away from those outside of Nemanja Nikolic and Aleksandar Katai. Katai is actually the safer captain option as more of a creator, but Nikolic has hat-trick upside. Maybe even more so at home against a Timbers team that is on the road for their first five matches. They looked better with Diego Chara in the lineup last weekend, but I'm still not sold on their defensive ability.
Of course, plenty will still look at Toronto and Seattle for captains. Sebastian Giovinco is healthy, but with a Champions League match next Tuesday, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play a full 90 against Real Salt Lake. He and Jozy Altidore are always worth mentioning even if they aren't performing well in league play due to non-league matches. The Sounders don't have to worry about the CCL anymore, so there's some hope to get back on track even though they haven't scored in two matches. To help, the Impact gave up five goals in their first two road trips and that's reason enough to go after Nicolas Lodeiro (foot), who had nine fantasy points in his one MLS match this season. Due to injuries and suspensions, he's probably the only Sounder I'd consider.
If you want more differential options, there are plenty other places to look. The Red Bulls are in Guadalajara next week, which should mean a different lineup once again, this time for a match at Orlando. Sacha Kljestan debuted a couple weeks ago and still came up with five fantasy points in a tough spot. If Orlando City score a goal or two, Kljestan can be somewhat reliable for the armband. It also helps that Dom Dwyer is set to return, though unlikely to start.
The battle for Los Angeles will be intriguing, but don't count on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to make his first appearance. LA FC have had an incredible start, though they've played just two matches. Still, Diego Rossi already has three goals and three assists, while
Minnesota has played well, though the leaks started to show last weekend in a 3-0 loss. On the other end of the Loons, I can't trust Atlanta on the road until it shows it can win and score away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Vako is a sneaky place to turn for captaincy at home against NYC FC. He already has 25 fantasy points, mostly due to the 10 total goals scored in San Jose's two matches. David Villa doesn't appear to be fully fit, and I can't count on him having to go across the country for this match.
Last but not least is Houston at home against New England. This is relevant because the Revs were one of the worst teams on the road last season and the Dynamo already have five goals in their two home matches. Alberth Elis is the main player to focus on with a minimum of nine fantasy points in the first three matches. While he's not the front man for the Dynamo attack, that's helped him be a creator from the wing while also racking up 16 shots.
