Editor’s Note: The players listed at each position are ones selected by the MLQ Fantasy Team to be worth more than the baseline $10. If a player is on their team’s roster but not listed below, then they are worth $10 in the draft.

By Harrison Prince
Fantasy Statistician

MLQ and fantasy quidditch are entering their third week, and both are going strong. The main attraction this week is a rematch of the 2015 MLQ championship between the Boston Night Riders and the New York Titans. In addition, three other matchups ensure that this week will not be lacking in excitement.

Fantasy quidditch benefits greatly from this action-packed weekend, as each position in the draft is loaded with talent. Below are this week’s rankings at each position, as well as a brief explanation of the rankings. Good luck!

Credit: Seabass Photography

SEEKERS

1. Daniel Howland, SLC ($35)
2. Jeff Siwek, IND ($33)
3. Margo Aleman, LA ($32)
4. Reed Marchman, AUS ($25)
5. Mohammed Haggag, NY ($21)
6. David Banas, DET ($19)
7. Nicholas Gobert, NO ($16)

The top three seekers this week are all very good selections and all reasonably priced. Jeff Siwek is probably the safest bet, as his only backup–recent Team USA-selection Jason Bowling–is not on Indianapolis Intensity’s roster this week. Dan Howland and Margo Aleman, both talented seekers, will be defined by how the rest of their team performs. If one team builds a big lead over the other, then one seeker will be out of a job, while the other makes the sacrificial grab for their team–which earns just as many fantasy points as the grabs that win games.  So keep in mind that when drafting seekers, your best bet is to take the player who you expect will get the most grabs and not necessarily who you believe to be the better player.

There’s a significant drop-off in price outside the top three. Reed Marchman is talented but will be splitting time with one of his teammates, which means he is less likely to score the fantasy points you need. David Banas is an absolute steal at $19. There is little competition for seeker on the Detroit Innovators, meaning Banas will see a lot of time and, presumably, earn his fair share of points.

FEMALE BEATERS

1. Missy Sponagle, LA ($40)
2. Leeanne Dillmann, BOS ($37)
3. Mollie Lensing, AUS ($35)
4. Sarah Holub, AUS ($34)
5. Lulu Xu, BOS ($33)
6. Danielle Anderson, IND ($30)
7. Erin Moreno, IND ($29)
8. Rebecca Sampson, IND ($28)
9. Phill Cain, NY ($28)
10. Samanda Sweet, LA ($20)
11. Alex Pucciarelli, NO ($18)
12. Allison Froh, SLC ($17)
13. Leslie Hargett, NY ($16)
14. Lisa Lavelanet, DET ($15)
15. Katie Stephenson, AUS ($14)

Missy Sponagle finds herself atop the female beater rankings this week, coming in at $40. She’ll definitely be worth that price, as she has a relatively easy matchup against the Salt Lake City Hive, so grab her if you can get her. Leeanne Dillmann takes the pitch this weekend against her former team. She was sixth in number of beats last season, as well as second in turnovers forced, so she’ll certainly be a thorn in the New York Titans’ side. She will most likely be splitting time with Lulu Xu, a Boston incumbent and the No. 5 female beater this week. Both are extremely talented; it remains to be seen which one will see more playing time this week.

Indianapolis teammates Danielle Anderson and Erin Moreno are two very reasonably-priced picks. They were solid players for Indy last year, making the most of their beat attempts–Anderson beat with 77 percent efficiency, while Moreno had 84 percent. Both of these players make good decisions with the bludger, and both of them have a lot of potential to put up some big numbers against Detroit this week.

Mollie Lensing played very well against Kansas City Stampede in the season opener, making 27 beats on 32 attempts and forcing three turnovers. Expect her to continue that trend this week against the New Orleans Curse. Lisa Lavelanet and Allison Froh find themselves in similar positions this week–Lavelanet is the Detroit Innovators’ go-to female beater, while Froh is Salt Lake’s lone dedicated female beater. The two of them can expect to see a lot of playing time this week and will earn an impressive number of fantasy points because of it.

MALE BEATERS

1. Max Havlin, BOS ($50)
2. Michael Duquette, AUS ($47)
3. Tyler Walker, IND ($47)
4. Chris Seto, LA ($45)
5. Ben Reuling, SLC ($40)
6. Josh Mansfield, NO ($38)
7. Mario Nasta, BOS ($32)
8. Steve Dicarlo, LA ($31)
9. Matthew Fiebig, IND ($30)
10. Tad Walters, NO ($29)
11. Eddie Molina, AUS ($28)
12. Kyle Jeon, NY ($27)
13. Eric Willroth, AUS ($27)
14. Andrew Miller, BOS ($21)
15. Andrew Burger, LA ($20)
16. Evan Hoopingarner, DET ($19)
17. Brandon Ollio, DET ($18)

Max Havlin returns to MLQ after having one of the most dominant seasons a player could hope for. He finished number one in turnovers forced; no-bludger situations forced; and beats and beat attempts (while maintaining an 86 percent efficiency), as well as number two in control gained. Drafting Havlin will give you a huge leg up on the competition, as he dominates the pitch on both offense and defense. The $50 price tag is steep, but he is certainly worth breaking the bank for.

Right on his heels are Austin’s Michael Duquette and Indy’s Tyler Walker, both of whom come in at $47. Walker, who was number one in control gained last season, will probably see slightly less playing time than Duquette, which is why he is ranked lower. However, both players have immense talent, and either one of them would provide a huge boost to their fantasy team.

Mario Nasta is another former Titan who finds themselves suiting up for the Boston Night Riders this week. He was one of New York’s best beaters, leading the team in beats and beat attempts. This year, he’ll have to earn his playing time, but when he takes the pitch, you can expect great things from him. Tad Walters, formerly of Detroit, finds himself leading New Orleans’s beater squad this year. He should be able to continue to put up the same impressive numbers, so keep an eye on him as the season progresses.

Credit: Ginger Snaps Photography

FEMALE CHASERS

1. Becca Dupont, AUS ($40)
2. Lindsay Marella, NY ($34)
3. Julia Baer, BOS ($33)
4. Audrey Wright, AUS ($30)
5. Jessica Banaszak, IND ($27)
6. Shelby Newcomer, NO ($25)
7. Ryan Sparks, DET ($25)
8. Kaci Erwin, AUS ($24)
9. Krystina Packard, DET ($21)
10. Carli Haggerty, BOS ($20)
11. Elle Wong, LA ($18)
12. Sophia de la Vega, LA ($17)

Becca Dupont is coming off a strong series against Kansas City, in which she put up six goals and made four takeaways. New Orleans will have a difficult time finding someone to match up with her, so look for her to improve on those numbers this week. Lindsay Marella will be seeing a lot of playing time for the Titans and, although she has a tough matchup in Boston, she is a safe pick. Shelby Newcomer, an MLQ rookie, has been generating a lot of buzz around the league. She is a riskier pick, but at only $25, it’s a risk you can afford to take.

Kaci Erwin is nursing an injury and did not make the roster for Austin last week; at $24, she’s a bit of a gamble but could play very well. Krystina Packard, who was ranked No. 5 last week, remains a potential sleeper pick. Indy shouldn’t be as troublesome to her as Rochester Whiteout was, so if you’re short on cash, Packard should be on your list.

MALE CHASERS

1. Harry Greenhouse, BOS ($50)
2. David Fox, NY ($36)
3. Edgar Pavlovsky, SLC ($30)
4. Martin Bermudez, AUS ($30)
5. Todd Mathieu, NO ($28)
6. Cole Travis, AUS ($28)
7. Alfredo Salinas, AUS ($27)
8. Teddy Costa, BOS ($27)
9. Jake Tieman, LA ($26)
10. Michael Parada, NY ($26)
11. Alex Mitchell, DET ($25)
12. Matt Jackson, SLC ($24)
13. Brandon Scapa, LA ($22)
14. Matthew Brown, IND ($21)
15. Kedzie Teller, AUS ($20)
16. Jakob Russell, DET ($19)
17. Nick Marino, AUS ($19)
18. Simon Arends, AUS ($19)
19. Austin Vielljo, AUS ($18)
20. Rajan Makanji, AUS ($18)
21. Ben Tunick, NY ($17)
22. Taylor Crawford, NY ($16)
23. Nathan Digmann, IND ($16)
24. Charlton Tramel, NO ($16)
25. Anthony Votaw, IND ($15)
26. Devon Ramsey, BOS ($15)

The male chaser draft this week is incredibly deep, with a lot of talented players taking the field. Harry Greenhouse, however, stands alone as the undisputed No. 1. A central figure in Boston’s championship team last year, Greenhouse is the definition of a dual-threat player. Not only does he play incredibly well on both sides of the quaffle, he remains one of the country’s most elite seekers. At $50, he is the most expensive player in this week’s draft, but he is certainly worth the price.  David Fox, at number two, is much cheaper but is just as talented as Greenhouse. They both scored 17 goals last season, with Fox scoring slightly more efficiently. In all other stats, Fox kept pace or outperformed Greenhouse. Both of these players will perform very well this week, so the big question here is whether to take Greenhouse, who is more expensive but has proven himself as a skilled two-way player, or Fox, who is more affordable but is also more limited?

If you can’t afford Greenhouse but still need a player who can get points at two positions, look no further than Alfredo Salinas. He plays very effectively at chaser, but will also be seeing time at seeker this week. He didn’t make the trip to Kansas City earlier this month, but, nevertheless, he will prove to be an affordable utility player.

Edgar Pavlovsky, a solid chaser for New York last season, will continue to play well for Salt Lake this year. As one of their go-to chasers, his numbers should see improvement. Cole Travis, who will be playing in his first game of the season this week, does very well when he has the quaffle in hand. When he takes the field with an equally talented keeper–such as Stephen Bell or Augustine Monroe–you can expect the two to energize each other, which translates into an impressive number of fantasy points. Teddy Costa, another incredibly skilled Boston vet, is a solid pick at only $27. He will be seeing a lot of playing time, which is good news for both Boston and for the person who drafts him this week.

KEEPERS

1. Stephen Bell, AUS ($48)
2. Tyler Trudeau, BOS ($46)
3. Jayke Archibald, BOS ($45)
4. Tony Rodriguez, LA ($45)
5. Alex Browne, LA ($38)
6. Blake Fitzgerald, IND ($36)
7. Dylan Schepers, DET ($35)
8. George Williams, SLC ($34)
9. Augustine Monroe, AUS ($30)
10. David Stack, BOS ($25)
11. Mathieu Gregoire, AUS ($24)
12. Nik Jablonski, NO ($19)
13. Jake Smith, NO ($15)

If there was ever a week to spend a little extra money on a keeper, this would be the week. Every player in the top 10 has the potential to score plenty of points, both on the pitch and for your fantasy team. Bell put in a phenomenal performance opening weekend; he scored 13 goals and made seven takeaways and two blocks. That stellar performance, coupled with his matchup this week against New Orleans, was enough to secure him the No. 1 ranking. Tyler Trudeau and Jayke Archibald rank at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, and either one of them would be a great choice. They’ll be splitting time at keeper, but both of them will play excellently while on the pitch. Tony Rodriguez and Alex Browne, much like Trudeau and Archibald, will be rotating in and out of the keeper zone for the Los Angeles Guardians, and both should have little trouble dealing with Salt Lake.

At No. 6 through 8, we have Blake Fitzgerald, Dylan Schepers (who will be Detroit’s main keeper as Chris Barnard is left off the roster) and George Williams, the main playmaker for Salt Lake. Each of those players will be their team’s main keeper this week, and that kind of playing time usually results in good fantasy numbers. Augustine Monroe is always a threat to dominate his opponents, and David Stack provides much-needed depth for Boston against New York.