I don’t know about you but this week was a rough one for me.  I went from 110^th overall down to 198^th for several reasons.  I originally captained Gio and then figured I would get cute and chase differential points which made me switch to Piatti at the last second.  Then Kaka mysteriously (now we know it was a groin strain) didn’t leave Orlando while the rest of the Lions made their way to face the Red Bulls.  The best strategy in fantasy sports, as I have learned, is to not think about "what could have been" and just move on.  So until I prepare my Week 8 Preview, please enjoy as I review my suggestions for Week 7.

Goalkeepers

Will the real DC United please stand up?

Bobby Shuttleworth ($5.8)

Last week I advised you to pick up Shuttleworth for what could be either a tasty match up against a flailing DC United offense or one in which a few shots could make it into the net as Fabian Espindola and Co. could be starting to click.  Well it turned out to be the latter even if Espindola wasn’t able to score as the Black and Red put three goals into net which left Shuttleworth with just four points.

On the Cheap…

Jake Gleeson ($4.5)

Gleeson will start the DGW next week but I wanted to just give you a heads up during the Timbers’ bye week.

Defenders

Injury Fill In(s)…

Zach Loyd ($7.6) and Walker Zimmerman ($6.0)

Both Loyd and Zimmerman could only muster 2 points apiece as the Hoops were strangely ousted (pun not intended) by three goals to none.  The ‘Caps had only mustered one goal in their last four matches but a little bit of that #BecauseMLS magic made my picks look terrible once more.

Differential Pick…

Andres Imperiale ($6.9)

Finally a good pick!  Imperiale and the rest of the Quakes defense enjoyed the boost of a clean sheet which left the Argentine with 8 fantasy points.  That is a solid outing and for those who picked him up, likely enjoyed some differential points as he was only owned by 0.3% of teams.

Stay Away From…

Any RSL Defender

Five goals later and the Galaxy machine rolls on at home (even without Robbie Keane).

Midfielders

The Unheralded…

Justin Meram ($8.4)

On a day where only one goal was scored from the Crew (and Meram was not a part of it), a total score of four is not to be expected.  Meram once again threatened goal as he led his team in shots (5) and was second in shots on goal (2) and should be a nice differential pick the rest of the season.

The Unheralded Pt. 2…

Kevin Molino ($8.1)

With no Kaka in the lineup (thanks MLS injury reports), I figured Molino would have more of an impact but alas he was only able to get the two points you get for playing 90 minutes.

Temper Your Expectations…

Jermaine Jones ($8.2)

Consider my expectations tempered and then wildly exceeded.  Jones came storming out the gates last week with a goal and an assist in a snowy affair and talled 15 points along the way.  This week against the Sounders, Jones scored again and was worth a solid 7 points.  From this point on, consider Jones a must own.

Forwards

Mr. Espindola Goes to Washington…

Fabian Espindola ($10.1)

Espindola only logged 44 minutes before leaving the pitch with a hamstring injury thus giving way to Alvaro Saborio which explains his single point of production.  Espindola has struggled with injuries/timesharing for the past few years so at this point he looks to be someone to write off from now on.

Finally Hitting His Stride…

Kei Kamara ($10.9)

It is not so much Kamara hitting his stride as the rest of the offense.  Kamara was able to put a shot into the net which combined with his attacking bonus left him with a solid 7 points.  The attack of Kamara and Crew seems to finally be clicking so Kamara is someone who should see some start time throughout the season.