This article is part of our The Armband series.
It never feels good to pick the right team to captain, but misstep and choose the wrong player from said team. That's how the last week went for me and many others as Josef Martinez racked up two hat tricks and 37 fantasy points. Miguel Almiron has been more consistent than Martinez this season, but that didn't matter in these two matches as he was far behind, only finding the score sheet once (one assist), despite his team scoring 10 goals. What could've been…
Fortunately, we have a chance to redeem ourselves as Atlanta has yet another double gameweek that features two home matches (v. LAG, v. MTL). That's what happens when you start the season without a home stadium and have to travel in seven of your first 10 games.
As for the other teams with a double, Los Angeles travels to Kansas City in its other match, while Montreal goes to Toronto in Wednesday's tilt. Toronto is the only other team with two matches, starting with Montreal and then going to New England on the weekend. Yet again, Atlanta will dominate the captain rankings, albeit not as much.
Going over Atlanta's opponents, the Galaxy actually have better numbers on the road, but they still have just one point and 12 goals allowed in their last five away matches. The Impact have been hit-or-miss due to Ignacio Piatti and Blerim Dzemaili being in and out of the lineup, but they've still given up 15 goals in their last six road trips.
Not captaining Martinez this week would imply that you like to play with fire. His unbeatable home streak continues with 13 goals in his last seven games. Almiron is on the list as well, but I'd be surprised if anyone choses him over Martinez after what happened. Hector Villalba is the ultimate differential with one goal and four assists in the last three matches, but it's clear Martinez is the goal scorer between the two.
And if you don't like Atlanta, Toronto is the other team to focus on, mainly because they have one home match and the other two teams don't. Of course, there's a question of whether Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore will play in either match as they are dealing with injuries. Because of that, Victor Vazquez is the better pick from Toronto, having scored or assisted in each of the last six matches, reaching a minimum of seven fantasy points. While Toronto are playing well, it's important to note how good the Revs have been at home, now with four straight clean sheets.
There are only two players to consider from the Impact between Piatti and Dzemaili. Piatti has blanked in the last three, but I'm not going to bet on that continuing. While scoring at Toronto will be difficult, Atlanta's defense has been somewhat susceptible at home, allowing three goals to Orlando last time out. Then again, Atlanta still has allowed only 14 goals in 12 home matches this season.
Romain Alessandrini is the only player to use from the Galaxy and it's not a guarantee that he'll play in both matches due to nagging injuries he's had for most of the campaign. If he somehow starts in both, he'd be a worthwhile pick for the armband as he continues to produce whenever in the lineup. But trusting a player that has one goal and three assists in his last nine appearances is tough.
David Villa could make his return to the starting linup this week and I wouldn't rule him out from scoring a hat trick at home against the Dynamo. Diego Valeri (v. Orlando) could be in for a good week, while D.C. (v. San Jose) and Vancouver (v. Colorado) have good shots for clean sheets. But who are we kidding? Martinez is the clear-cut best option for captain this week and it's not that close.
