If you have any questions on something not covered here, or just want some specific advice for your team, I will again be participating in the Zeebox Live Fantasy A-League chat on Friday at 2pm Eastern, so click the link at the appropriate time and join the discussion! Otherwise you can use the comments section at the bottom of the page or contact me on Twitter. You can find the full list of squads for this round here.
Melbourne Heart v Newcastle Jets
Jets unavailable: Adam Taggart, Josh Brillante, Connor Chapman, Andrew Hoole (Young Socceroos), Mitch Cooper, Scott Neville (injured), Joel Griffiths (omitted), Nathan Burns (loan ended)
Captaincy options: (none)
While the Heart remain completely irrelevant to fantasy managers, there may be some good news on the horizon with both Orlando Engelaar and Jonatan Germano playing around 30 minutes in the Youth League on the weekend. Engelaar has been named in the squad, however Germano is listed as being 2 weeks away. Whether the eventual inclusion of the midfield duo can help turn around the Heart's fortunes remains to be seen, however. Perhaps the Heart can take some inspiration from the Sydney Thunder and English Conference side Hyde FC, who both won this week after going 19 and 29 games without a win respectively.
New signing Joel Griffiths - yet to be added to the game at the time of writing - won't play a part in the match, being seen as at least a fortnight away from being ready. As he's likely to be underdone, you wouldn't be in a rush to bring him in anyway. Nathan Burns is traveling back to Korea to sort out his future; he may have already played his last game for the Jets, so if you have him for some reason, you probably should move him on. With Adam Taggart and Andrew Hoole both away with the Young Socceroos, this creates an opportunity for the likes of James Virgili or Nick Ward (also yet to be added) to play - but don't be rushing to bring them in as they could go back to the bench once the Young Socceroos return. Sam Gallaway remains a solid cheapie option at $126k.
Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar
Roar unavailable: Diogo Ferreira (suspended), Ivan Franjic, James Donachie, George Lambadaridis (injured), Corey Brown (Young Socceroos)
Captaincy options: Besart Berisha
Shane Smeltz returned with a bang off the Bunnings last round, netting 2 goals against the hapless Heart. He looks set again to start from the bench, so be wary of limited minutes (not that it affected him on Friday) if you are thinking of jumping on. Ryo Nagai has had his loan terminated and returns to Japan, so he needs to be traded out if you have him. His absence should see goal scorer Adrian Zahra continue at right wing, making him a cheap midfield option, though he may come under competition from Chris Harold once Smeltz is starting. Young defender Riley Woodcock is under a small injury cloud (ankle knock), while Jamie Maclaren is nearly fit again, and William Gallas may find himself on the bench. Gallas' inclusion may spell the end for Woodcock anyway, with Jack Clisby a candidate to shift to left back. Matthew Davies will need to maintain a high standard to keep Josh Risdon out of the side. Perth are also trialling Rostyn Griffiths and Adrian Madaschi, adding further uncertainty to the job security of Glory players.
As if the move to right back wasn't bad enough for Ivan Franjic owners, he pulled out late from the loss against Adelaide and is unavailable at least for this round. There were reports he could be out for up to a month, however it seems he'll be missing just this week - though the player himself seemed to indicate otherwise with this tweet. If it were longer I'd think about moving him on, especially considering he's gone back to playing right back. But for now, perhaps hang onto him - especially if you have someone you know is out (permanently) like Nichols. Thomas Broich is also injured, but expect him to play for a half against Perth. This, for me, rules him out of captaincy contention - pick Besart Berisha instead if you have him, as the spells away with injury don't seem to be hampering his ability to score goals at all. He should start this week as well. Franjic's injury will mean those who jumped on Dimi Petratos can hang onto him for a little longer but again, don't expect the same output as against Sydney and the Victory. Franjic owners unhappy with the injury and/or shift to right back may look at Matt Smith as a like-for-like swap, but that really isn't the case. Smith has scored 3 goals this season but I'd be highly surprised if he found the net again - he's scored only 5 goals in 99 A-League games for the Roar and the Fury. If trading, you would be better off replacing Franjic with a cheap defender and investing the money in your midfield or forward line.
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Victory unavailable: Nick Ansell, Jason Geria, Connor Pain, Scott Galloway (Young Socceroos), Mark Milligan, Mitch Nichols, Andrew Nabbout (injured)
Captaincy options: Stein Huysegems, Archie Thompson, James Troisi, Gui Finkler
While Stein Huysegems failed to find the net last round, he remains a good mid-priced forward option while the Nix are in good form - should they lose their way, consider jumping onto one of the returned premium forwards if you have the cash. Roy Krishna has been added to the game for just $100k, however his minutes may be limited, at least to begin with. Carlos Hernandez still lacks the goals needed to justify his high price, while Jason Hicks is that bottom-priced, 1 point per-week cover you might be looking for. Kenny Cunnigham, who scored last week, probably isn't a strong enough option to consider, even with his lower price. Michael Boxall may continue at right back and looks tremendous value if he can hold his spot in the team.
Mark Milligan - who hasn't lived up to his high price tag this season (something I warned about in my preseason preview) - is out for 4 to 6 weeks after having knee surgery. Some bad news for Mitch Nichols owners: he's flying out to Japan for a medical, having agreed terms with Cerezo Osaka. Nichols was available to play against Wellington but is 'injured' so he's likely played his last game for the Victory and should be traded immediately. This probably means Gui Finkler is assured of starting (at least until Victory replace Nichols with a new signing), so he's an ideal like-for-like trade should you own Mitch. Archie Thompson is another gun forward who returned last week, giving coaches plenty of premium options in the forward line. Kosta Barbarouses seems to have found some form, exploding for 12 points against the Wanderers after picking up 5 against the Jets - can he sustain it though, having been disappointing for most of this season?
Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
Mariners unavailable: Marcos Flores, Michael Neill, Adam Kwasnik (injured), John Hutchinson (suspended), Michael McGlinchey (out on loan)
Captaincy options: Alessandro Del Piero, Ranko Despotovic
Surely the retirement of Brett Emerton is unlikely to affect any of you, but if for some reason you have him in your team, he should be immediately traded out. Richard Garcia - who really shouldn't be in your team either - is still injured, but Joel Chianese is expected to play in this game. Alessandro Del Piero may not have been thrilled about being substituted, but I wouldn't expect it to influence whether he starts in this game or not. He's simply too crucial to Sydney's success. Ranko Despotovic is still very reasonably priced at $206k and may score against the Mariners, who are still struggling a bit since the departure of Graham Arnold. Marc Warren's return to left back gives coaches another cheap defensive option but don't expect too many points from him at all.
Daniel McBreen's penalty miss sums up his season so far. Playing in China has clearly hampered his preparation, and he's now filling in at number 10 for the injured Flores. Clearly he should be moved on. He's still quite expensive, so coaches may be able to find a replacement among the returning gun forwards. I wouldn't swap him for Matt Simon though, as despite (finally) scoring last week he's struggled this season and I remain unconvinced about his point scoring potential - especially while the Mariners are also struggling. Likewise Mitchell Duke, who hasn't found the net since Round 7. Bernie Ibini made his return to the A-League but as I've said in previous articles, you will want him to get some match fitness before considering him. Anthony Caceres was overlooked for the number 10 role against the Phoenix and had to be content with a spot on the Bunnings, so cross him off your list for now.
Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers
Wanderers unavailable: Jerome Polenz, Iacopo La Rocca, Matteo Poljak (injured), Tahj Minniecon, Kwabena Appiah (omitted)
Captaincy options: Tomi Juric, Shinji Ono, Youssouf Hersi, Jeronimo
Despite starting to put a decent run of results together, Adelaide still doesn't offer us much in fantasy terms. Michael Zullo would be a decent option if he played on the left wing regularly; but with Cassio still struggling with injury and other options available for the Reds up forward, his time there will likely be limited. This also leaves Daniel Bowles and Tarek Elrich to battle it out for the right back spot. Fabio Ferreira (absent again this week) is cheap enough to justify his inclusion despite being very injury prone, while Marcelo Carrusca is not. Steven Lustica (normally) plays too deep in midfield to be considered. Jeronimo finally broke his duck away from Coopers Stadium, however he faces a lot of competition to hold down a spot in the Reds front three. Ryan Griffiths came off the Bunnings for a cameo, but wait until he's starting before considering him. Both Awer Mabil and Anthony Costa will probably be starved of game time once the other Reds forwards are back to full fitness, and neither have shown us they can score points either.
With Popa's rotation policy causing nightmares for fantasy coaches, it's important if you have or are considering Wanderers players to have some sort of cover on your bench, as well as a strong candidate as your vice captain. Jerome Polenz's absence throughout the double round was no help at all, and he will miss the trip to Adelaide as well. I wouldn't be trading him out though as he should be back next week. Tomi Juric, Youssouf Hersi and Shinji Ono all came off the Bunnings against the Victory, meaning all three are probably going to start against Adelaide - any would make a solid choice as captain, but perhaps most likely Juric having already destroyed his old side with a brace earlier this season. Brendon Santalab has two goals in his last four games, despite playing only 129 minutes. Lack of gametime, however, should always be a deterrent when choosing who to bring into your squad. Mark Bridge meanwhile has failed to find the net in his last two starts, despite playing a full 180 - making him a prime candidate to be rested against the Reds. Matthew Spiranovic, rested against the Victory, will probably come back into the starting line-up given they've conceded 3 goals in each of the last two games Michael Beauchamp has played in his stead.