This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Lineup No. 1: Lineup #1: Doubling Down on Deuce, Keeping Faith with Keano
At its heart, MLS Week 3 has one main storyline: the four teams that sit on zero points. Seattle, Vancouver, Columbus and New York Red Bulls surely did not expect to start their campaigns this way and few league observers saw it coming, too. Personally, the most intriguing of these teams to me is Seattle. They are not yet a cohesive attacking unit, but boast plenty of talent. This weekend, they host Vancouver in front of fans that left their home opening 1-0 loss to Sporting KC disappointed. Clint Dempsey is not likely to let them leave disappointed again.
Picking Dempsey at his $6,800 price tag is not a small step onto the ledge, it is a large leap of faith. He has been far from productive in this recent Seattle incarnation, averaging a meager 3.5 DraftKings points through two matches, but he still shows flashes of what he is capable of (see his free kick against Club America from last month). Still, when Deuce says he is going to do something, he tends to back it up and this week he has been pretty vocal about his confidence in this Seattle team finding its form. It may be a hunch, or the memory of a Dempsey that capped off a 10-match point streak less than a year ago, but I'm comfortable taking a shot on him this weekend.
On the theme of winless teams to start the year, I like Federico Higuain to boss the Columbus-Chicago Fire match this weekend. "Pipa" has been an animal to start the 2016 season, and Chicago is exactly the type of team he could feast on. Columbus should dominate possession against a counterattacking Fire team that will only hope to keep pace in what should be a high-scoring affair. On the Fire side, I can't pass up the extreme value of Arturo Alvarez ($3,100). He may no longer be on corners due to the arrival of Johns Goossens, but he is still a productive midfielder who will attack any chance he gets.
For the underachieving New York Red Bulls, I am a strong proponent of goalkeeper Luis Robles ($4,100) this weekend. Houston should be missing their two best offensive players in Cristian Maidana and Giles Barnes. Andrew Wenger and Will Bruin will look very different when they have to bear the weight of the attack rather than benefit from Maidana's creation and Barnes' ability to draw massive attention from opposing defenses. That said, I also can't ignore the value of Boniek Garcia who should step into the attacking midfield role this weekend. At just $3,100, he should give us a good floor even if the Red Bulls hold Houston scoreless. Lastly, in this match, I'm looking to buy into the Red Bull attack. Unfortunately, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Mike Grella, and Sacha Kljestan are a bit pricey for my tastes. Luckily, Gonzalo Veron ($3,500) looks set to start after returning from injury. Veron is one of the designated players you hear the least about in MLS, but the Red Bulls are extremely high on the youngster. His speed on the wing should create plenty of problems for Houston and we have a chance to buy low before the rest of our opponents recognize this incredible value!
At forward, I've selected David Accam and Robbie Keane. It's very difficult to ignore Accam in a daily fantasy lineup these days. The attacker is embarrassing opponents almost at-will. After Giovinco, he is one of the most dangerous players in MLS. $6,500 is a great price for a very safe floor, but extremely high upside. Keane, on the other hand, is well overpriced for his recent production. Like Dempsey, though, I'm banking on the former MLS MVP to step up when his team needs him. At home, in a rivalry match with San Jose, the Galaxy will be desperate to get back on track after a one-shot performance in Colorado. If both Dempsey and Keane are too much risk for you, Keane's price tag allows you to pick any other forward outside of Kei Kamara. I like Fanendo Adi as an alternative forward option if you left your cojones at home and want to bail on Captain Keano!
Let's address our final three spots in defense. Defender pricing is getting sharper as the season progresses, and promising fullbacks aren't available for cheap. With this in mind, I've saved cash and picked four players who are capable of earning points in several different ways. Walker Zimmerman ($2,600) may not get upfield much, but he is always involved in defensive actions. Jordan Allen ($3,000) could reprise his role from last week in the Real Salt Lake midfield, or step in somewhere else if Javier Morales returns. Finally, Zarek Valentin ($2,600) will hope to improve on a decent first MLS outing. His box score doesn't show it, but he was willing to push up field for Portland when necessary and they will be at home this week rather than on the road.
Devil's Advocate: With so many other options on the board, it's possible we are taking on too much risk with this lineup, even for tournament play. Our back line has very little chance of setting us apart from the pack in a positive way. We might be better suited in downgrading Keane and grabbing one more blue chip midfielder.
Why We'll Win: Who else is going to pick Keane and Dempsey? These guys have churned out MLS performances in the past several years that most players would dream of. The rest of the lineup should keep pace, but these are the differentials that can bag us the top spot!
Lineup No. 2: Comeuppance for Kamara Doubters
There's really no theme for this lineup. Just a bunch of top picks mixed with great values. Kei Kamara has been a polarizing player so far this season. Some think he looks out of sorts, while some are sticking with the new million-dollar man. I'm not too worried about Kei. If he's shaking off some rust, I don't expect it to last long. Playing a Chicago Fire team that let in four goals on opening weekend could be just the medicine Kamara needs. Yes, $9,400 is an astronomical price, but it follows my favorite strategy of paying up for a top notch differential. Nobody has the ceiling that Kamara does this weekend as multiple goals and a half-dozen shots almost seem likely!
Our other risky pick is Mike Magee of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Everybody had him in Week 2, after a standout substitute appearance in the season opener. They were disappointed. I'm not driving the Mike Magee hype train, but the value is still there at $3,800. Rather than playing on the road at altitude, the Galaxy will be at home in a key rivalry fixture where Magee has historically thrived. I'm not sure that the Galaxy attack gets back on track soon, but the talent is there and our investment is minimal.
On the safe side of our attacking options, I've gone with Ignacio Piatti and Joao Plata. To say both are having great starts to the 2016 season would be an understatement. Piatti looks MVP quality and should continue his dangerous attacking form with or without Didier Drogba in this match. Montreal do play on the road, but FC Dallas may be shaken up after a 5-0 loss to Houston last week. Montreal are twice the team Houston is, by my estimation. Plata has an even tougher matchup against Portland, but gets to play them at a good time as they're without their first choice centerback and leftback. Plata ($5,100) is a nightmare matchup for slow centerbacks like Nat Borchers and Real Salt Lake's attack should look better each game as they acclimate to one another. I'm not shying away from a great value play just because they're playing the reigning MLS Champions.
Speaking of value plays, let's fill out the final three midfielders. Andreas Ivanschitz ($4,800) continues to be a crossing machine with attacking upside. While I think people recognize his value, I'm not certain they realize just how much attacking upside he provides outside of his crossing stat. If anyone is going to jump start the Seattle attack with Clint Dempsey, it's Ivanschitz. Additionally, I'm doubling down on Arturo Alvarez and Gonzalo Veron. If you don't like cheap points (or rather want alternative cheap point options) keep a close eye on players like Mauro Manotas ($3,100), Darwin Jones ($3,100) and Lucas Ontivero ($3,100).
In goal, I had a tough time picking a keeper this week. While Robles is my first choice above, he is expensive. David Bingham ($3,200) and David Ousted ($3,100) are at great prices relative to their talents, but both are on the road against angry teams. Ousted in particular has been let down by the defense in front of him this year. Ultimately, I went with Stefan Frei as a good Robles alternative. He looks set to return from injury, but I'm ok with backup Tyler Miller as well should he start. Seattle's defense has potential to be one of the best in the league and Vancouver's attack has not yet found its form. While I do think the Whitecaps get things together soon, I just don't see the Sounders losing this match at home.
Defensively, I've paired Frei with exciting fullback Joevin Jones ($3,600). This guy is dangerous and when he pushes upfield, he will likely see newcomers Cristian Bolanos and Fraser Aird on Vancouver's right side. Neither are stellar defensively, but Aird in particular struggled mightily in Week 1. Jordan Allen finds his way back into the side as well and weekly favorite of mine Kellyn Acosta should give us a nice floor of points playing as a defensive minded midfielder with attacking potential. Kip Colvey ($2,800) is another option if you want to save a bit of budget.
Devil's Advocate: Kamara eats up so much salary space that he truly does need a big game to justify the price. If we do grab Kamara, does it make sense to use Higuain instead of Piatti? Our three most promising attackers are playing on the road.
Why We'll Win: Individually, each of the players on this list are capable of big scores. While some will be popular plays, I think Kamara, Magee and Veron could be difference makers in this lineup. Additionally, grabbing the Sounders' keeper feels like an unpopular move that could pay dividends. While many will be sour on Seattle and look to save cash with Bingham and Ousted, we'll have a good keeper behind a solid defense.
