Fantasy MLS: Monday Cheat Sheet

There may or may not be plenty of scoring on this slate, but you won't get any fireworks puns from this RotoWire writer. The Colorado Rapids have a knack for coming up big on the Fourth of July, if you believe in that sort of thing, and they're also debuting a man some consider the quintessential American soccer player, Tim Howard. Elsewhere, Los Angeles look to jump start their attack with Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes returning from international duties.

MATCHES (EDT)

9:00 p.m: FC Dallas v. Orlando City
9:00 p.m: Colorado Rapids v. Portland Timbers
10:30 p.m: Los Angeles Galaxy v. Vancouver Whitecaps

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

FC Dallas: Mauro Diaz
Orlando City: Kaka
Colorado Rapids: Marco Pappa, Dillon Powers
Portland Timbers: Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe
Los Angeles Galaxy: Steven Gerrard
Vancouver Whitecaps: Christian Bolanos

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Tim Howard, COL v. POR: The contrarian in me is screaming, "Do not jump on the Tim Howard bandwagon this week!" However, the former Everton man has a lot going for him, namely Diego Valeri's injury possibly keeping him out of the match. Watching most of Copa America from the bench will not sit well with Howard, and I imagine he is fired up to get back between the sticks. He has often been considered the quintessential American soccer player, and on a quintessential American holiday, we're likely to see a big time performance. At the least, we'll get an upgrade on the forlorn Zac MacMath.

Chris Seitz, DAL v. ORL: Regular readers know I love a good underpriced goalkeeper on the road, but none jump out to me. Ultimately, the road teams are deserving underdogs this week and Los Angeles are missing Jelle Van Damme (suspension), Ashley Cole (suspension) and Robbie Rogers (ankle) along their back line. This leaves two keeper options I'm comfortable with and Seitz is the second. FC Dallas and Orlando have both been on fairly good runs of form, but one is an MLS Cup contender and the other is still a developing side. FC Dallas are one of four MLS sides allowing under a goal per game in their past six matches, and though Orlando are one of four teams scoring at least two per game in that span, I think the former prevails.

DEFENDER

Mekeil Williams, COL v. POR: Other Rapids might get more recognition for their work in turning the team around this season, but Williams deserves some credit as well. The exciting young fullback is an influential part of the team's buildup down the right flank and hasn't been afraid to take on opponents in the attacking third. With Jermaine Jones and Shkelzen Gashi back in the fold, Colorado's attack should prove quite dangerous and Williams should be expected to get involved, too. In fact, Williams reminds me a lot of the opposing right fullback in this match, Alvas Powell, who has established himself as a premier defender in MLS. With Powell and Brek Shea playing on the road against stout defensive teams, Williams may be the top option out of the expensive tier of defenders.

Ryan Hollingshead, DAL v. ORL: Hollingshead has become one of my favorite under-the-radar defensive plays on DraftKings. Much like cult-hero Jimmy Medranda, Hollingshead scores points in just about every way possible. In a pinch, he can play the attacking wing, or he can shut down the opposition's best winger. He's also a threat via the air on set pieces. Orlando City are an inconsistent road side and could be overwhelmed if FC Dallas play to their full potential. As with most defenders, don't expect a huge haul of points, but if you have the spare change, Hollingshead will deliver far more often than not.

Dave Romney, LAG v. VAN ($2,500): The Galaxy are missing their three best defenders, which should mean some action for Mitt Romney's distant cousin. Romney has seen time with the U.S. U-23s and should be earning far more time with the Galaxy's senior team than he has thus far. He's no Cole in terms of attacking talent, but we're looking at $2,500 for a likely fullback playing at home. That said, Romney can also play in the center of the defense, so it's worth checking out the formation when it's released. Using Romney will be a massive help when stockpiling attacking talent in our lineups.

MIDFIELDER

Mauro Diaz, DAL v. ORL: Diaz had a bicycle kick assist last week, and that probably isn't even on the extended highlight reel of Diaz's best MLS assists in his young career. When fit, Diaz is Major League Soccer's best pure No. 10 and it's not particularly close. Orlando City lead the league in expected goals allowed per game and Diaz leads the league in expected assists per minute (of players playing more than 300 minutes). This isn't a selection to overthink, and while it's fair to consider an in-form Kaka over Diaz, there's a strong possibility you can fit both into your lineup.

Darlington Nagbe, POR at COL: With Diego Valeri looking likely to miss Monday's match, Nagbe gets a big fantasy boost. When Nagbe is tasked with being the team's primary playmaker, he typically rises to the occasion. As an added bonus, it's quite possible he assumes at least some set piece duties. The quiet and calculating Nagbe spent much of Copa America watching Jermaine Jones, who can often be caught out of position in MLS action, and I think he'll find some space among a scrappy Colorado midfield. As an added bonus for my fellow narrative lovers, this is Nagbe's first Fourth of July as a United States citizen!

Erik Hurtado, VAN at LAG:Octavio Rivero is almost surely on the outs in Vancouver, and it appears manager Carl Robinson sees Blas Perez as more of a super-sub than a regular starter at this point in his long career. Until a summer transfer, or Masato Kudo returns from injury, that means we'll likely see Hurtado continuing to get significant minutes atop the Whitecaps' formation. On one hand, it's tough to pass up on a midfield eligible player that is playing in the forward spot and only costs $3,800. On the other hand, Hurtado is defined far more for his hustle than his scoring ability. He's no guarantee to put a shot on target let alone score a goal, but against a depleted Galaxy back line, I think he's worth the dart throw. You might not need the savings, but if you're buying some pricey forwards, Hurtado is nearly a must-play.

FORWARD

Robbie Keane, LAG v. VAN: This is a steep price for a player that is becoming more and more goal dependent for fantasy purposes as his career wears on. Thankfully, we've picked some players who give us the luxury of splashing some excess cash at the forward spot, and Keane has some fresh legs returning from the European Championships having played only 23 minutes. Keane has four goals in six MLS starts this season and we shouldn't be quick to forget how dominant he was before the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, David Villa and Kei Kamara arrived on the scene last season. In fact, he sits neck and neck with Villa in expected goals per minute, and only is bested by the unlikely duo of Ola Kamara and Jack McInerney. Vancouver's defense is formidable, but Captain Keano loves a good challenge!

Shkelzen Gashi, COL v. POR: Let's look at another player returning from the Euros with some fairly fresh legs. Before Gashi left to join Albania at the Euros, he amassed 75 fantasy points over four matches. He should step right back into the Rapids lineup along with Jermaine Jones. This team should be buzzing on the holiday they seem to own and with Tim Howard's fire propelling them forward for the first time. Expect Gashi to take both a healthy number of shots and the majority of set pieces. Kevin Doyle is the team's true forward and costs $900 less, but you'll get a higher floor and probably a higher ceiling with Gashi.

Kekuta Manneh, VAN at LAG: Manneh has appeared to be on the verge of a breakout more times than I can count. It makes Fabian Castillo's first few seasons in Dallas look downright consistent. It might actually be happening this summer, though! Manneh has looked confident, dangerous and occasionally undefendable of late. Lacking a true forward, the onus is on Vancouver's plethora of talented wingers to produce, and Manneh has risen to the occasion. He's steadily putting shots and crosses towards goal and I'm not sure the Galaxy have the tools to keep him completely quiet, outside of Nigel de Jong breaking some combination of lower extremity bones. If you have the extra salary space, don't feel like you need to spend it all this week, as Manneh presents as promising an option as many more expensive forwards.