VANCOUVER -- Russell Teibert is looking to pick up where he left off with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The 20-year-old midfielder is expected to return to the lineup Saturday as the Whitecaps visit the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Niagara Falls, Ont., native is returning from an illness-shortened stint with the Canadian national team. "The teams been on a high when I was with the national team," he said this week. "So Im excited to be back in the team. "Its a great feeling to see all the guys again after being away for a couple of weeks. It felt like a couple of months, to be honest." Teibert has enjoyed a breakthrough season in his third MLS campaign after playing sparingly in his first two. He has posted two goals and six assists while starting 10 of the 11 games in which he has appeared. The six assists have come in four of his past five games. He left the Whitecaps (9-5-5) to take part in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the U.S., but he was only able to play in Canadas first game, an upset 1-0 loss to Martinique, in Pasadena, Calif. He was felled by an illness that required him to head to hospital for tests in Seattle. As a result, he missed Canadas final two games in Seattle against Mexico, and in Denver against Panama. But he was encouraged by his stint with the rebuilding Canadian squad. "Its always a good thing to play with the national team, and it was my first Gold Cup," he said. "I think its a good experience for me." Teibert had a great experience in Vancouvers last meeting against the Galaxy (9-8-3) on May 11 at B.C. Place Stadium. He he came off the bench as an early first-half substitute, following an injury to Daigo Kobayash, and scored the first two goals of his pro career against the two-time defending MLS champions. Along with red-hot striker Camilo, he has been a catalyst in a run that has seen the Whitecaps post seven wins and two ties in the past 10 games. Teibert has also helped the Whitecaps overcome road woes that, until recently, plagued them throughout their three-year MLS existence. The Whitecaps are brimming with confidence as they attempt to post their third win in five road games -- which would be unprecedented in the clubs brief MLS history. "I think weve always been confident on the road," said Teibert. "Maybe things werent going our way at the beginning of the season, but were on a roll right now. We have to keep that going." The Whitecaps have moved from also-ran status into third place in the Western Conference. With a win, the Caps could overtake Portland for second place, depending how the Timbers do in their game against Philadelphia the same night. But a loss would be costly, because the Galaxy are just two points back of the Whitecaps and can move ahead of them with a win. Teibert could boost a Vancouver offence that has scored just nine goals on the road compared to 23 at home. Prior to a win over the New York Red Bulls in June, the Whitecaps had not won a regular-season road game this year. Goalkeeper Brad Knighton said the Caps have changed their mentality after launching a turnaround following a disappointing tie with Montreal in the second leg of the Canadian championships in May, which gave the Impact the national title. "Weve been very good on the road," said Knighton. "We dont feel like if we get down a goal that were going to lose the game. We always know were capable of being in a game, and we can score two." Coach Martin Rennie said his club is now being rewarded after playing well on the road but not getting points earlier in the season. Vancouver players have also become more focused when playing away from home, and they are not letting their recent success get to their heads. "Were not over confident, but we are playing with a belief in ourselves," said Rennie. "Thats where we need to be, and I think were going to need all that confidence to get a win in the next game, which will be a tough game on the road." Notes: Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks did not make the strip after suffering a knee injury last weekend in a 3-1 win over Chicago. Central defender Andy OBrien, still recuperating from a hamstring injury suffered in June, also stayed home. He has yet to resume full training with the team. ... The Galaxy signed midfielder Laurent Courtois, 34, on Friday, and he is slated to suit up against Vancouver as a substitute or starter. He joins the Galaxy after commencing the season with Chivas USA also based in L.A. He had been with the Goats since mid-2011, and left them June 28. Samuel Pahlsson Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. 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Its another challenging week with six teams on a bye again, plus some other notable injuries to contend with. Your lineup may look far from ideal this week, but the same holds true for others in your league.If you deftly worked the waiver wire and are well informed, you should be set up well during Week 9. But if you are still struggling to roll out an adequate fantasy crew, well get you in position to win as every victory now becomes magnified in terms of determining playoff positioning.FILLING IN FOR PATSThe Patriots are on a bye, which means you have to fill in for Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and LeGarrette Blount. At quarterback, you can consider Colin Kaepernick, who faces the Saints 28th-ranked pass defense and can at least give you adequate production because of his rushing potential. A good statistical result would be if he throws more than one TD pass or runs in a score. He is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league and anything he can additionally provide you with in the passing game in a friendly matchup will be a welcome bonus. Dak Prescott takes on a Browns team that has allowed an NFL-high 19 TD passes and Ryan Tannehill opposes the Jets, who have the leagues lowest-ranked pass defense.TIGHT END REPLACEMENTSIn addition to finding a sub for Gronkowski this week, fantasy owners may also have to replace Jordan Reed, Tyler Eifert and others at tight end. St. Louis Lance Kendricks is a quality one week play (or streamer) against a Panthers defense that allows 12.2 fantasy points per game to the position according to FantasyPros.com, second-most among all teams. The Browns allow 11.7 FFPG to tight ends, third-most in the league, and while Jason Witten is not the fantasy producer he used to be, consider plugging him in as well.RUNNING BACK UNCERTAINTYBlount is possibly the most dependable TD producer in the game right now, and David Johnson is widely regarded as the best RB overall in fantasy. There is also uncertainty about whether LeSean McCoy and Spencer Ware has been declared out. Many fantasy owners are digging deep for help at the position. Consider Seattles C.J. Prosise in point-per-reception formats, as he has big-play potential and can also be a safety target for Russell Wilson, who is hindered by injury. Tim Hightower saw more work last week and faces the 49ers, who have the leagues worst run defense by far. If you picked up Hightower, dont hesitate to use him. Miami has been vulnerable to RBs this year, so you can use Bilal Powell in PPR formats.WIDEOUTSSome top wide receivers on a bye include A.J. GGreen and Larry Fitzgerald.dddddddddddd. Very deep options include Torrey Smith, who could get a downfield shot or two to make some significant statistical contributions against New Orleans, and Kenny Stills against a Jets secondary that is very prone to giving up big plays. Kenny Britt opposes the Panthers, who have the worst pass defense in the NFC, and Darrius Heyward-Bey moves into the starting lineup against a Ravens defense that has allowed 14 TD passes.BIG BEN RETURNSBen Roethlisberger (knee) is expected to return this week, and should boost the outlook of those involved in the Steelers passing game. Fantasy owners will not need to worry about the production of Antonio Brown, and Sammie Coates can be returned to lineups as a third starting wide receiver. Tight end Ladarius Green is not quite ready to come back from an ankle injury, though, so expect Brown, Coates and Heyward-Bey to be the main receiving producers for Pittsburgh.CHARGERS INJURIESThe San Diego WR corps continues to deal with injuries, as Travis Benjamin has a sprained PCL and Tyrell Williams has a knee issue, but is expected to play. Look for Dontrelle Inman, a unique combination of size and downfield potential, to possibly see a larger role in the offense beginning this week. He may still be a free agent in some leagues.PHILLY RUNNERSThe running back situation in Philadelphia appears to be unclear. Darren Sproles is too small to carry a full load, but Ryan Mathews has been dealing with fumbling issues. Keep using Sproles as a flex player in a PPR league, because his pass-catching skills always make him relevant, but keep Mathews benched for now if you are not dealing with bye or injury issues. This situation could remain fluent.CARR VS. DENVERDerek Carr threw for a Raiders record 513 yards and four TDs in Week 8. His reward? A date with the leagues best pass defense this week as he takes on the rival Broncos. Denver tends to be more vulnerable to the run, so the Raiders may lean some more on their ground game and this could be a lower-scoring affair between familiar divisional rivals. Carr totaled 425 passing yards and two TDs in the two games prior to his explosion last week, so dont assume he is surefire starter based on momentum. He may not be a top 10 fantasy QB this week and it would not be crazy to use Kaepernick over him.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com ' ' '