If you have any questions on something not covered here, or just want some specific advice for your team, join me in the weekly 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.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar
Roar unavailable: Brandon Borrello (omitted), Matt McKay, George Lambadaridis (injured)
Captaincy options: Besart Berisha, Thomas Broich
Popa put a halt to his rotation scheme last week, naming an unchanged line-up - which no doubt frustrated Tomi Juric's owners to no end. With a bye next week and AFC Champions' League commitments to come, it would be understandable if those who do have Juric traded him out. Speaking of the ACL - the Wanderers signed Daniel Mullen, Antony Golec and Golgol Mehbratu exclusively for that competition; meaning they won't see any action in the A-League, and thus will allow for greater stability in the domestic league. That's probably good news if you own Matthew Spiranovic, for example, given Mullen and Golec can both play as centre backs. Mullen can also play right back, which may be good news if you own Jerome Polenz - who is expected to play this week. Aaron Mooy repeated his 10 point haul from last week but I'll again stress that you can expect occurrences like this to be the exception, rather than the rule; it was only his 3rd goal of the season and he's only scored more than 4 points in one other round (his other goal)
For the 3rd time this season, Besart Berisha scored after returning to the side. It shows how dangerous he can be - if he manages to stay on the park. With Brisbane rolling along he's definitely a striker you should be considering. Thomas Broich, involved in both goals, picked up his 3rd straight man of the match award and his 4th in 5 games. Given his lack of goals (when playing his normal role on the left wing) I would say he's overpriced but the steady stream of bonus points - owning to his and Brisbane's continued fine performances - keeps him on the list of options. Ivan Franjic should finally return this week - those who have held onto him will be hoping he's deployed on the right wing. The Roar of course could start Henrique there, who responded to his benching with a goal; he's not really consistent enough for us to consider him though, nor is his place in the team assured by any means. Jean Carlos Solorzano is yet to be added however it will probably take him some games to get going, and Berisha is likely to remain the #1 option up forward in any case. Steven Lustica has left Adelaide for the Roar, though I would not expect him to be a big scorer, nor is regular game time likely considering the Roar's midfield stocks.
Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory
Victory unavailable: Kosta Barbarouses (injured)?
Captaincy options: Tom Rogic, Gui Finkler
The Mariners have added a few signings this week, no doubt with a view to their ACL participation. State league players Glen Trifiro and Matt Sim join Perth's Isaka Cernak at the club, while Kim Seong-yong is likely seen as the man to fill the #10 role in the absence of Marcos Flores, Michael McGlinchey and Daniel McBreen, who has returned to China. None of these players have been added to the game at the time of writing, and really I would only consider Kim at this stage; and that's once we've seen his price, that he's match fit, and that he will get consistent games in the A-League rather than being favoured for the ACL. Trent Sainsbury has also departed, meaning the Mariners will now have to rely on Marcel Seip in defence until another new signing, Eddy Bosnar, is ready to go. Given that Seip has struggled so far in the A-League, it may be a concern for owners of other Mariners defenders such as cheapies Storm Roux and Zac Anderson, as well as Liam Reddy, should Seip's deficiencies start costing his more popular teammates clean sheet points. Once Bosnar is starting - which could be this week if fit and the international clearance comes through - he could be someone to consider if the price is reasonable. Mile Sterjovski - who is in good form despite reduced playing time - announced his retirement at the end of the season, suggesting there's not much left in the tank. Anthony Caceres may be used in a deeper role (no good for fantasy) this week with Montgomery suspended and both Kim and Cernak in the squad.
With the week off coming up, combined with their form slump and ACL participation on the horizon, I would not be looking at bringing in Victory players right now. Once we are past the bye and know if the Victory have qualified for the ACL, then we can start to look at their players again. Last week in Perth the Victory put in another disappointing performance but managed to take a 1-1 draw. Tom Rogic was definitely the stand out and is someone to look at. Gui Finkler has been left out of the Victory's ACL squad, so should they qualify we can expect him to play consistently in the A-League. That he is apparently on penalty duties also sweetens the deal, while James Troisi was dropped, not having scored since late December. Mark Milligan has returned to the squad, and may bring some stability to the Victory side with him. Kosta Barbarouses is not listed in the squad and is therefore probably missing again through injury.
Sydney FC v Adelaide United
United unavailable: Daniel Bowles (omitted), Cassio, Jacob Melling (injured)
Captaincy options: Alessandro Del Piero, Ranko Despotovic
Sydney's signing of Sasa Ognenovski probably spells the end for Matt Jurman's time in the starting line up, so his owners will need to look at moving him. The Og Monster (who is in the squad for this game) is yet to be added to the game and I'd only consider him if he's very cheap or that he visibly makes Sydney a better team defensively. For the mean time, the main men at Sydney FC remain Alessandro Del Piero (who has never scored against Adelaide) and Ranko Despotovic. Otherwise, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
Adelaide have released Golec and Lustica to rivals, picking up Michael Marrone in return. Marrone is yet to be added to the game and despite his (provisional) inclusion in the squad is lacking match fitness, not having played since the end of the Chinese league season last year. His arrival however probably places big question marks over the game time of Daniel Bowles (omitted this week) and Tarek Elrich, the latter of whom has been filling in for Michael Zullo (and Cassio) at left back. Until Marrone is ready to start, I'd expect Elrich to be the preferred right back option assuming that Zullo and Cirio are now fit (Cassio is still some ways off). Osama Malik may also play there in the interim, while Marrone is flexible enough to fill in as a midfielder also. As far as Marrone's fantasy credentials go, I'd only consider him if listed as a cheap defender. The Reds were poor against Wellington, though there were some positives with Fabio Ferreira returning to the starting side (though once again coming off injured) and Awer Mabil scoring his first goal for the club. With an assist the previous week, we are finally starting to see that Mabil can produce, though a lack of game time and prior inconsistency suggests he won't be an option until next season; I'd avoid picking him until then, especially with cheaper options elsewhere and gun forwards like Berisha and Smeltz available.
Melbourne Heart v Perth Glory
Glory unavailable: Ryan Edwards, Danny De Silva, Adrian Zahra (omitted), Scott Jamieson, Travis Dodd (injured)
Captaincy options: Mate Dugandzic, Shane Smeltz
After seeing off Sydney, the Heart will be hoping to make it 3 wins in 4 against Perth, with this match to be played in Albury in searing heat. The heat may affect the game so be careful with picking captains in this one. Intriguingly, Jonatan Germano was played wide on the right, scoring a goal; should he continue in this position, he's definitely worth a look considering his price. Mate Dugandzic was played up forward while Harry Kewell - like Broich - picked up his 3rd straight man of the match award and 4th in 5 games. I would still say he's overpriced given that Brisbane are more likely to win games than Heart, but should Heart keep this run going over an extended period he may be considered an option. That he is on penalty duties perhaps sweetens the deal; I'd be wary on loading up on Heart midfielders though, and Dugandzic or Germano are far cheaper than Kewell. Orlando Engelaar's dismissal may see a restructure so be wary if you do own or are trading in Heart players. David Williams' brilliant solo winner is a sign of what he could do if consistent; as he is anything but, he's not someone you should be relying on for points.
Probably the highlight of the 1-1 draw with the Victory was Darvydas Sernas' stunner off the bench. Don't kick yourself for missing out as he hadn't been added at the time and still is not on the Glory's list. But it's clear that he will be in the starting XI once fit, and the surprise inclusion of Adrian Zahra will be an exception - and he has been omitted for this game. Shane Smeltz failed to find the back of the net but with service from Sernas and Nebojsa Marinkovic I'd expect a decent return from him in the coming weeks. Marinkovic is a quality addition to the Glory side and he's someone to look at, on dead ball duties and priced at just $175k. It may take a few weeks for him to properly adjust to the league and Glory's game plan so it might be wise to hold off for now and just monitor him. Riley Woodcock was dropped for Jack Clisby, however with William Gallas injured last week both youngsters may start if he's not 100%. It's a situation definitely worth monitoring if you have Woodcock, as he may need to be moved on. On the opposite side of defence, the fit-again Josh Risdon is clearly preferred to Matthew Davies, who should be moved on if you have him.
Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix
Phoenix unavailable: Michael Boxall, Kenny Cunningham (suspended), Leo Bertos, Paul Ifill, Louis Fenton (injured)
Captaincy options: Adam Taggart, Carlos Hernandez, Stein Huysegems
After being demolished in the derby, the Jets came back to life against the Wanderers, nabbing a 2-2 draw. Both goals were scored by Adam Taggart, his first since he ended his run of 6 goals in 3 games with a hattrick against the Heart in November. It's clear that he's the type of player who scores in bursts rather than being consistent across a season (like Berisha), so it's up to you if you think this is the start of another run for him or if it's just a one-off. The first goal was certainly a low percentage chance and not something we should be expecting from him regularly, despite his reputation as a long-range scorer. The absence of Emile Heskey may have played a part, so if he returns to the starting line-up it may damage Taggart's chances of producing points. Perhaps more promising was that Andrew Hoole played a full game and set up the second goal; given the Jets defensive woes (and thus lack of clean sheet points), a move from Sam Gallaway to Hoole may be ideal. Joel Griffiths was sent off for abusing a referee, meaning none of us will be looking at him for a while yet; he's not been added to the game currently anyway. He is, however, another player who could hurt Taggart's production. The Jets have also signed David Carney; it will be interesting to see how the much-maligned defender fits into the Jets plans. It may be some time before we see him as he's undoubtedly lacking match fitness.
Wellington returned to winning ways, with their Costa Rican duo Kenny Cunningham and Carlos Hernandez proving the difference, while Stein Huysegems managed to hit the cross bar and the post in a single play, summing up his day. I'd certainly keep the faith with Huysegems though, with 2 games against the Heart, a visit from Perth and a trip to Adelaide in the coming rounds. Cunningham meanwhile has scored in his last 3 starts, suggesting that the added responsibility he has is translating into points; I'd suggest going with more expensive options up forward but should you have a different strategy in mind, he's certainly someone to consider. He is of course suspended for this week after picking up 5 yellow cards. Hernandez scored 12 points, meaning he now has 29 in his last two games; that he is taking penalties helps, as does the pair of man of the match awards he earned in those matches. Really what we want to see from him is more like the goal from open play he scored against Victory; that is something which would move him from the 'expensive but decent' category to someone most players would want regardless of strategy. The Nix certainly need to keep up their recent run of form for these players to keep their spots in your teams also. Michael Boxall is suspended for this one having already picked up 5 yellow cards, so he should remain on the bench (I'm assuming you have cover - Boxall is not someone you should be relying on as a starter). Reece Caira is likely to return to left back with Manny Muscat covering the right in Boxall's stead; I don't expect Caira to stick around though. The Nix have also picked up young forward Hamish Watson; he's something of a 'project player,' so I can't see him getting much game time at this stage. Jason Hicks will probably start this game also.