Week 19 MLS Fantasy Player Picks

It's taken more than half the season, but Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are finally ready to link up with their new teams, and will be joined by another legendary midfielder, Andrea Pirlo. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the arrival of these three seasoned veterans, but their respective ages will not do much for the league's reputation of bringing in players who are far past their prime.

Of course, their quality should still mean they'll all make an impact for their teams, and as such they've each been handed a $10m price tag in the fantasy MLS game. Whether any of them can justify such a steep price tag right away remains to be seen, but adding one of them to your squad could be a cheeky bet over the next couple weeks while many of the league's other big names are away on international duty for the Gold Cup.

As a reminder, you should review the full list of Gold Cup squads to get an idea of who to avoid for your squad the next couple weeks. In addition to the international absentees, neither the LA Galaxy or D.C. United will be in action this round. Let's focus on who will be playing, though, and take a look at some players you should be considering for this week:

Goalkeepers

David Bingham - San Jose welcome Houston in the Friday match this weekend, and with the Dynamo struggling to put points on the board, the Earthquakes keeper is a good bet for clean sheet points this weekend.

Tim Melia - More of a long-term play than a recommendation solely for this week, Melia is a cheap option for your bench and a good spot starter, especially if you're looking to replace the injured Stefan Frei.

Defenders

Tyrone Mears - I would be remiss not to recommend Mears again this week after he rewarded the faith I put in him with a goal and clean sheet. Don't expect him to get on the scoresheet again this weekend, but he has been putting up good points and Chicago doesn't pose too much of an attacking threat that a clean sheet is entirely out of the question.

Matt Miazga - 23 points in the past three game weeks underlines the Red Bulls defender's excellent form. Still affordable at just $5.7m, the youngster represents great value for New York's upcoming schedule, and could continue his strong run this weekend against New England.

Shay Facey - The Man City product is coming into his own for sister club NYCFC, and has nailed down the starting role recently. He has extended his loan with New York through the end of the season, so he should retain his spot and continue building in impact for the club. A home match against Toronto should provide plenty of opportunity for defending bonuses.

Midfielders

Benny Feilhaber - After a few weeks where the SKC midfielder either wasn't in action or didn't have a double week when other teams did, it's time to look at bringing Benny back into your team. He consistently delivers attacking and defending points and has been even more influential when Graham Zusi has been out of the squad.

Frank Lampard - Of the three new stars mentioned above, Lampard is the most assured of playing time as Gerrard will definitely be out for LA's bye and Pirlo may not have had enough time training with his new time to be ready to start. There is a history of players performing well in their debuts, and Lampard could be deployed in a more attacking role for New York City than he was while on loan with Manchester City last season.

Lamar Neagle - With both Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins out, Seattle will need a creative spark in the attack. Neagle could be the man to step up for the Sounders, especially if he is deployed further up the pitch.

Matias Perez-Garcia - San Jose have a good run of fixtures coming up, and while MPG won't have Chris Wondolowski to target for the next couple weeks, he will still be looked to to provide the attacking build-up and handle set piece duty for the Earthquakes. A home match against Houston is a good time to invest.

Forwards

David Villa - New York City have turned things around after an abysmal start to the season, with Villa playing a major role in their improvement. The arrival of Lampard and Pirlo should only mean more opportunities for the Spanish striker in front of goal.

Bradley Wright-Phillips - RBNY are a difficult team to predict, but aside from the Vancouver match where he had two penalty kicks saved, BWP has been a reliable fantasy performer. I like his chances to score against an equally inconsistent New England group this weekend.

Kei Kamara - It's probably getting a bit redundant seeing Kamara's name in this post every week, but until he cools off he's impossible to ignore. With a double match on the horizon next week, you need him in your team if you don't already own him.

The Week 18 deadline is 11:00 p.m. EDT Friday evening, so be sure to save your squads ahead of time. Who are you planning on bringing into your squad this weekend? Share your thoughts below!