DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Sunday MLS Picks

DraftKings Fantasy Soccer: Sunday MLS Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.

For detailed odds and stats, check out the Fantasy MLS: Decision Day Cheat Sheet.

MATCHES (All begin at 4:00 p.m. EDT)

Real Salt Lake v. Sporting KC
Atlanta United v. Toronto FC
San Jose Earthquakes v. Minnesota United
Seattle Sounders v. Colorado Rapids
Portland Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps
Philadelphia Union v. Orlando City
D.C. United v. New York Red Bulls
New York City FC v. Columbus Crew
Houston Dynamo v. Chicago Fire
Montreal Impact v. New England Revolution
FC Dallas v. Los Angeles Galaxy

GOALKEEPER

Stefan Frei, SEA v. COL ($5,900): Sunday is likely the day to experiment at goalkeeper. It is MLS Decision Day, and most of the matches should be tightly contested. Seattle is at home against a team that was eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago. Frei has picked up a clean sheet in each of his last two home games, and he is expected to get his third in as many games Sunday.

DEFENDER

Joevin Jones, SEA v. COL ($5,800): A great attacking defender to stack alongside Frei is Jones, who has played as a left midfielder for many games this season, and if he does so again his value rises considerably. However, he is still capable of reaching value as a left fullback. He has a lower chance of scoring if he starts as a defender, but he'll likely swing in more crosses. Victor Rodriguez has impressed on the left side of midfield, so he'll likely start, which means Jones is more likely to start in defense.

Kofi Sarkodie, SJ v. MIN ($4,400): Sarkodie has featured as a wingback in recent games, but he will likely start at right-back Sunday. San Jose has a good chance of earning a clean sheet, and Minnesota should let the Earthquakes' defenders get highly involved in the attacking third.

Hector Jimenez, CLB at NYC ($3,700): Jimenez's price is simply too low. He came into the league as a midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy as an attacking option for a few years. Then former Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena moved him to the back line after a couple years of inefficiency on the attacking end. Long story short, Jimenez is an attacker-turned-defender, which means his instinct is to get up field. He loves to swing the ball into the box, and in a game where Columbus has nothing to lose but everything to gain, expect Jimenez and the Crew to go for the upset.

MIDFIELDER

Diego Valeri, POR v. VAN ($10,500): Have you taken a peek at Valeri's game log recently? He has scored 12 goals in his last 12 league games and has only failed to score in one of those outings. Valeri needs to score to hit value these days, but he has done so for the entire season.

Blerim Dzemaili, MTL v. NE ($8,000): Dzemaili's buzz has faded mightily over the past month or so, but most of that is due to tough matchups. He faces the Revs on Sunday, which should be a walk in the park compared to facing the midfield of Toronto and Portland. He put up 15 fantasy points last game against the Revs in Massachusetts, and his price is $200 cheaper than that day. At $8,000, Dzemaili has a great chance of hitting value, and he allows you to fit in other studs as well.

Tomas Martinez, HOU v. CHI ($6,400): Another player who will be against a strong midfield is Martinez when he faces the Chicago Fire. However, Bastian Schweinsteiger is returning to full health and likely won't start, while Juninho is also nursing knock and is questionable to play. Martinez takes all of Houston's set pieces, and he will have more room to run with two key midfielders out for the Fire.

FORWARD

David Villa, NYC v. CLB ($10,400): El Guaje lost out on the Golden Boot race due to injury, but his motivation is to win MLS Cup this season. Columbus is going to play to win, as a loss does not affect them, while a win could put them in second place of the Eastern Conference. Columbus' risky approach should play right into the hands of Villa, as he is lethal on the break.

Alberth Elis, HOU v.CHI ($8,000): Elis' activity rate is too high to write off. He doesn't take set pieces, but he still contributes crosses and takes plenty of shots on goal. Not to mention, his playmaking ability makes him one of the key creators in the attack. He should come up against Brandon Vincent, who is no slouch, but Elis has shown in the past that a tough matchup is not going to stop him.

Danny Hoesen, SJ v. MIN ($6,900): Hoesen is the wildcard play of the day. His price has risen slowly over the past few weeks, but rightfully so, as he had three straight home games with double-digit fantasy points. He now faces a porous Minnesota defense, so he should make it four in a row. It's just a matter of whether he goes for 10+ or 20+ fantasy points.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Evan Morter plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: MeccaWorld.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Evan Morter
Evan was a soccer writer for RotoWire. He is from the Los Angeles area and has played fantasy soccer since the days when season-long leagues were relevant.
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