It’s time for another week of Fantasy Lacrosse. To date, a couple of teams have hit the one-third mark of their season, while others are still two games away from this point. Regardless, now is as good a time as ever to review where we are as fantasy team owners.
Week 9 Fantasy Lacrosse Notes
Below you will find the top points-per-game performers this year in fantasy lacrosse. However, the surprising thing is not who IS included in the leaders below, but who is NOT.
Missing from this group is the currently suspended Dane Dobbie, who in his only game of the season put up just four fantasy points. While his one game sample size isn’t enough to tell us much, it’s important to note that fantasy lacrosse owners may want to see how he does once he returns from his suspension before starting him right away.
Some other household names that fans might be enticed by, but at this point want to stay away from are Logan Schuss (Ranked 48th/4.45 PPG), Dan Dawson (52nd/4.34 PPG), Kyle Buchanan (61st/4.08 PPG) and Miles Thompson (105th/2.95 PPG).
On the Defensive side, David Brock’s move to Toronto has not worked out kindly for fantasy lacrosse owners. In the 2018-19 season, Brock was a stout 4.78 points per game performer with New England! This year though, he is currently ranked as the 50th defender/transition player with only 2.55 PPG.
Ian MacKay (17th/3.5 PPG) and Jerome Thompson (T54th/2.5 PPG) sit as two other players who you may be familiar with, or have been considering, but who I would advise to think twice about as well. Of all the players above, I would trust MacKay the most, because it has been puzzling watching Jake Withers and Trevor Baptiste pop in 4.1 and 4.79 points per game respectively, while Thompson has not quite been able to rise to their level this season.
Forwards
| Player | Team | Fantasy PPG |
| Crawford, Callum | New England | 8.75 |
| Staats, Randy | Georgia | 8 |
| Jones, Mitch | Vancouver | 7.75 |
| Thompson, Lyle | Georgia | 7.55 |
| Jackson, Shayne | Georgia | 7.35 |
Defense/Transition
| Player | Team | Fantasy PPG |
| Hossack, Graeme | Halifax | 5.45 |
| Currier, Zach | Calgary | 5.4 |
| Kri, Bradley | Toronto | 4.95 |
| Matisz, Kiel | Philadelphia | 4.84 |
| Baptiste, Trevor | Philadelphia | 4.79 |
Goalie
| Player | Team | Fantasy PPG |
| Del Bianco, Christian | Calgary | 10.35 |
| Jamieson, Doug | New England | 9.69 |
| Vinc, Matt | Buffalo | 9.63 |
Start ‘em and Sit ‘em
Everybody knows to start Lyle Thompson or Mark Matthews, but what is harder to map out is who to pair with them, or when to sit those tier 1 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
Shayne Jackson
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 7.35 Fantasy PPG
Some people, including myself, sleep on Jackson each week. Especially now with Zach Miller back and playing well, coupled with the Swarm trying to find room for Zed Williams, (who should be the top trade target mid season for the Swarm to get a much needed upgrade on the draws), Jackson will again be the forgotten man for most owners.
However, he currently sits fifth in the league in weekly fantasy action, and should again impress in this week’s tilt. The fact is, you simply cannot cover everyone that Georgia has, and with the rest of the guys on this squad drawing all the attention, Jackson is putting together another excellent campaign.
Defense/Transition
Jordan MacIntosh
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 4.69 Fantasy PPG
I chose to start MacIntosh once this season, in week one. I have stayed away from him since then because he didn’t end up playing and it really cost me. However, the Swarm transition player has started to turn it during the last few weeks. Over this time, he has averaged 5.88 fantasy points and is starting to become the force we are used to.
If it was not for his slow start, this average would have him as the top ranked fantasy player at his position on the season. I don’t see him slowing down this week as he faces a team in New England that likes to play in transition. I could see this game having 28-30 goals scored and anticipate that it will be played up and down at a furious, albeit well played, pace.
Goalie
Matt Vinc
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 9.63 Fantasy PPG
If you forget about assists and turnovers, and just focus on saves vs. goals against, Colorado has given up 9.64 fantasy points per game to opposing goalies. Then, if you factor in that Vinc leads all goalies with four assists per game, I think it is safe to say that Vinc will record more than 10 points this weekend. With this in mind, he should lead all goalies in scoring this week, which is nothing new for this perennial top performer.
Stud to Avoid
Graeme Hossack
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 5.45 Fantasy PPG
What a great season Hossack is having to date! He is slowly becoming one of my favorite players to watch because he is able to fill the stat sheet across all categories. Because of this hot start, he is leading his position in fantasy production.
However, it is very hard to sustain this pace as a defender, especially considering he has been aided by five early season goals to secure this high ranking. He will certainly have more great games than not this year, but all good things come to an end, and facing the best goalie in the league this week in Calgary could end his hot streak.
Rookie to Watch
Connor Fields
Fantasy Lacrosse Stats – 5.46 Fantasy PPG
Although he did play in a handful of games last year, because of his knee injury and the minimum game requirement, Fields still qualifies as a rookie. If you are looking for a rookie to fill a spot and give you a boost, look no further than number five for the Seals. His chemistry with Berg is improving, and I expect to see his play continue to sky-rocket this season. Also, factor in that New York will be playing the second night of a back-to-back, making it an ideal situation for all San Diego players.
Week 8 In Review
Christian Del Bianco – 7 Fantasy Points
Ten goalies outplayed the current top goalie in fantasy last week, proving why you should never be a slave to the rankings. Calgary has underperformed since Dobbie’s suspension, and although Del Bianco has been a bright spot for them, last week was a tough week to watch for me as a fantasy lacrosse owner.
Lange’s Lineup
Forwards – Callum Crawford (NEB), Shayne Jackson (GEO) and Connor Fields (SD)
Defense/Transition – Zach Currier (CGY), Jordan MacIntosh (GEO) and Trevor Baptiste (PHI)
Goalie – Matt Vinc (BUF)
Adam and Hutton’s Epoch Lacrosse Fantasy Locks
For more Fantasy Lacrosse coverage, be sure to listen to the Pro Lacrosse Talk podcast every week.
