Week 13 Fantasy Lacrosse Notes
With 10 teams on tap, across five games, this week is shaping up to be full of tough fantasy lacrosse decisions in your lineups. Most of the top fantasy lacrosse point producers are playing this week in games that should provide lots of great match-ups, including some great goalie contests.
This goaltender position is by far the hardest to predict week to week. There are so many factors to consider that sometimes I think it is best to just pick a goalie and stick with him throughout the entire season whenever is possible. Generally though, I try to play the match-ups and see what shakes out.
Christian Del Bianco has been the top goalie so far this season. He is very consistent week to week, and offers you the closest you will get to guaranteed performance. Dillion Ward, Warren Hill, Eric Penney and Matt Vinc have all had their moments this year when they have played at a very high level and have been worthy of starts during multiple weeks this campaign as well.
Looking deeper into potential match-ups that favor goaltenders, let’s analyze the three teams that have the worst offense based on statistics this season. Colorado at 9.7 PPG, Vancouver at 9.3 PPG and New York 8.9 PPG are the only three teams that score fewer than 10 goals per game. When taking a deeper dive as to why this may be, you will see that Colorado takes on average 46.5 shots on goal per game, New York takes 48.1 and Vancouver takes 51.1.
What does this all mean for fantasy lacrosse? Although New York and Colorado seem like good match-ups, they may not take enough shots per game to build up enough stats for the goalie playing against them, while Vancouver struggles to score, but still continues to shoot at a high rate.
San Diego is another match-up that might help you in fantasy lacrosse. They take a league leading 56.8 shots on goal per game, but sit in 10th in scoring for the year. When playing against Vancouver and San Diego your goalie will be given plenty of opportunities to come up with saves, while at the same time they don’t convert on those chances as much as other teams.
Play the hot hand, or the top goalie if you will, but always try to play the numbers in the position to gain an edge on the competition, starting with good goalies who play against Vancouver or San Diego if possible!
Start ‘em and Sit ‘em
Everybody tends to start Lyle Thompspon or Mark Matthews, but what is harder to map out is who to pair with them, or when to sit either of those tier one studs, to win the ultimate bragging rights between you and your buddies throughout the week. This section is dedicated to finding those players who can take you from good to great each week, and who to sit each week as well.
Forwards
Kevin Crowley
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 6.58 Fantasy PPG
Kevin Crowley’s points and loose ball numbers are each on their way to a career high this season. Mr. Consistency is finally turning into a top five fantasy lacrosse option and playing the best lacrosse of his career to date. In a very tough match-up against New England on Sunday, Crowley had his best game as a pro, scoring 9.75 fantasy lacrosse points. Being helped along the way by teammate Matt Rambo who is turning into an elite finisher right before our eyes, Crowley is the whole package with a home match-up this week that I think favors his ability to distribute the ball and rack up points.
Defense/Transition
Brodie Merrill
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 4.08 Fantasy PPG
Despite being possibly the top transition player in the history of box lacrosse, he had a slow start to the season. However, his performance has really improved over the last few weeks and a game against Vancouver should produce lots of opportunities in transition for him. In a week when there are some tough match-ups and decisions to make, sometimes relying on one of the all-time greats to do what he does best is your best option.
Goalie
Eric Penney
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 8.62 Fantasy PPG
Flat out, he is a great pick for this week. As you read above, he is currently playing against one of the best match-ups in the league for goalies. Aside from that, he is in the midst of a great campaign and is anchoring a Vancouver defense that has its sights set on being the best in the league. You can feel very confident rolling with Penney this weekend, and/or anyone playing against San Diego. He may not win, but in our fantasy lacrosse league, wins don’t mean anything!
Stud to Avoid
Matt Rambo
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 7.75 Fantasy PPG
Rambo is clearly becoming one of the game’s top finishers. However, it is always tough to trust someone in fantasy whose stat line is so dependent on just one category. After scoring 7.75 points last week, you may be looking to add him in your lineup, but be wary, as that type of fantasy production will be tough for him to maintain week to week.
Rookie to Watch
Nick Damude
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 4.35 Fantasy PPG
This rookie goalie, who may have a stranglehold on the starting job in San Diego now, is playing very well and is playing against a great goalie match-up in Vancouver! Look for him if you do not like the idea of playing Penney. This kid will be a stud for years to come, and if he keeps the job long enough this season, could play his way into becoming the most valuable rookie in fantasy lacrosse.
Week 12 In Review
Kiel Matisz
1.75 Fantasy Points in Week 12
I was so high on this pick last week, and will be sticking with him again in my lineup this week. However, after a great season so far, he was bound to have a bad game at some point. This advice could have been even worse. I was thinking of only playing him during one game last week, and giving that he was playing a back to back, I would have sat him during the second game, which turned out to be the better option. So, it could have been worse, but there were much better options than his game against Buffalo for you to have gone with last week.
For more Fantasy Lacrosse coverage, be sure to listen to the Pro Lacrosse Talk podcast every week.
Adam and Hutton’s Epoch Lacrosse Fantasy Locks
Lange’s Lineup
Forwards – Kevin Crowley (PHI), Lyle Thompson (GEO) and Holden Cattoni (ROC)
Defense/Transition – Jordan MacIntosh (GEO), Kiel Matisz (PH) and Zach Currier (CGY)
Goalie – Eric Penney (VAN)
