Atlanta United are threatening to break Fantasy Football.
An irresistible attacking force, they appear to be capable of skittling any defence that stands in their way and, in doing so, they are presenting Fantasy managers with an extraordinary array of options.
The challenge, of course, is to exploit their incredible form to the full. This becomes a more thankless task with the passing of each and everyRound in the lead up to the end of the regular season.
Yesterday’s 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls was just a blip on the map for Tata Martino’s side to a total of 5 goals from their last three matches and 16 from the last five Rounds of games.
I had to go back and re-check those numbers, leaving me wonder if we’ve ever seen a single team provide such a relentless avalanche of Fantasy points.
The statistics are just staggering.
Three United players are expected to hit the 200+ mark before the close of the season, with Yamil Asad and Hector Villalba sitting on 191 and 186 points respectively. And this without Miguel Almiron in the mix.
Indeed, the array of choice available has become bewildering.
Yamil Asad’s 191-points surely underlines his potential during this, his most prolific spell of his career. The “winger” has now scored 2 goals and supplied 2 assists over five starts in the last six Gameweeks.
Asad has been in Guardiola’s starting line-up each time when available for pretty much the entire MLS season and, priced at just 8.8; he surely justifies his rank at the top of our midfield Watchlist. He is already the top transfer target ahead of Round 33’s visit from Toronto.
Then there is Josef Martinez.
Perhaps the understudy to Hector Villalba, less inclined to tuck inside to flank the central striker, the Argentine has produced five goals and zero assists from the last seven Rounds. However, his minutes have been managed by Martino in that time.
Asad and Almiron remain the creators. Less explosive, they are nonetheless consistent points scorers that also scream for our attention.
It’s difficult to separate the pair, but Asad’s price, at 1.7 cheaper, is surely a key factor. Crucially, as today’s fixture has indicated though, Asad's threat is diminished when his opponent sits back and allows Atlanta to have most of the possession.
These are just the standout midfield offerings. When we start to contemplate the situation up front, our decision process becomes even more cloudy.
Hector Villalba reacted to Miguel Almiron’s injury with a two goal haul in his last two. We now have to consider how Martino will use this situation to Atlanta United's advantage.
He will surely want to avoid disrupting the almost perfect blend he has discovered, and neither Asad nor Villalba can really warrant exclusion.
Could that lead to Martino rotating his two main midfielders, or will he revert back to pairing them in attack, sacrificing one of his support attackers?
Villalba owners will be counting yesterday’s points but also looking ahead to the Round 33 meeting with Toronto and wondering Tata’s next move.
But surely we have to question whether Villalba and Asad warrant our investment regardless.
Even if their minutes are managed from here on, while Atlanta’s thirst for goals remains unquenchable, perhaps we just can’t lose.
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