Fantasy MLS: Saturday Cheat Sheet

MATCHES (EDT)

3:00 p.m: Seattle Sounders v. Los Angeles Galaxy
7:00 p.m: Philadelphia Union v. D.C. United
7:30 p.m: New England Revolution v. Columbus Crew
7:30 p.m: Toronto FC v. Chicago Fire
10:00 p.m: Real Salt Lake v. Montreal Impact
10:00 p.m: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Colorado Rapids

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Seattle Sounders: Andreas Ivanschitz, Joevin Jones, Erik Friberg
Los Angeles Galaxy: Steven Gerrard
Philadelphia Union: Tranquillo Barnetta
D.C. United: Fabian Espindola
New England Revolution: Chris Tierney, Lee Nguyen
Columbus Crew: Hector Jimenez
Toronto FC: Sebastian Giovinco
Chicago Fire: John Goossens
Real Salt Lake: Joao Plata, Javier Morales
Montreal Impact: Kyle Bekker, Ambroise Oyongo, Ignacio Piatti
Vancouver Whitecaps: Christian Bolanos
Colorado Rapids: Shkelzen Gashi

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Andre Blake, PHI v. DCU ($5,100): This match could be a goalkeeping duel at its finest. Both Bill Hamid and Blake are in the upper echelon of MLS netminders and I wouldn't be breaking any news by telling you Hamid remains criminally underpriced on DraftKings at $3,800 (Seriously, did he slash the tires of the DraftKings salary determiner's car?). That said, Blake is playing for the better team and he's at home. The Union carried a clean sheet into the 95th minute last week thanks to Blake's stellar performance, before a tremendous Houston free kick exploded their scoreboard goose egg. This week, Philadelphia could repeat as they have the best clean sheet odds of the day. Only one team scores fewer goals per game this season than D.C. United have (Seattle) and their recent acquisition of Lloyd Sam likely came too late in the week to pay dividends in this match. Hamid gives you the all-important salary relief, but if you want to get an equally high ceiling at a lower ownership rate, pay up for Blake.

Sean Johnson, CHI at TOR ($3,400): Few of my fantasy MLS cohort will agree with me here, but I'm gravitating towards Johnson this week. Of the keepers on the road, Hamid and Tim Howard ($4,100) both project to be great options, but Johnson is even cheaper and faces a one-man attack in Toronto. If Chicago can stop Sebastian Giovinco, lineups trusting Johnson should be set. In their last six matches, Toronto have one win. In that same stretch, they've scored more than one goal just once. Johnson has collected two clean sheets in six starts this season, including the Fire's most recent match against San Jose. This team isn't good, but they can park the bus when called upon and regular readers know I'm not always scared to go against the grain when it comes to Giovinco.

DEFENDER

Chris Tierney, NER v. CLB ($6,800): Take your goalkeeping savings and pour them right into the most expensive defender. Tierney doesn't often make my rosters due to his price and lately-inconsistent production, but this week I'm buying in where I can fit him. Tierney has 24 crosses in the past two matches and remains lethal on set pieces. Kei Kamara has undoubtedly been pleading with every teammate who will listen to get the ball into the box in the air, which Tierney has never hesitated to do. One pause for concern is that Tierney could be pinned back on the flank by Ethan Finlay's speed, but I'm not going to dwell on that much. For all of his speed, Finlay gives back in a lack of defensive acumen. Tierney pairs quite well with this slate's attacking darling Kamara, and stacking them both may prove to be the winning strategy.

Steven Beitashour, TOR v. CHI ($4,100): While I sided with Sean Johnson in goal above, the reality is that Toronto are the day's top favorite according to the odds. Beitashour has patrolled the fullback spot admirably for TFC this season as they are near the top of the league in fewest goals allowed. He's been earning fantasy owners a handful of crosses each match, and brings an element of consistency that few other defenders promise. On the flip side, his upside is not near most of the defenders priced ahead of him. Rostering Beitashour is a concession that a few points short of a dozen would make you happy with a defender spot, but that's not always bad thing if the price is right.

Jeff Larentowicz, LAG at SEA ($2,900): With Nigel de Jong serving yet another red card suspension, Big Red should step into the defensive midfield spot once more. Last match, Larentowicz weaseled his way into a set piece headed goal. I wouldn't expect a repeat performance against Seattle, but it's in the realm of possibility and capable defensive picks can't be found this cheap very often. Seattle are a shell of former Sounders sides and a noon (PST) match on the road doesn't frighten me from picking Galaxy defenders.

MIDFIELDER

Ignacio Piatti, MON at RSL ($7,900): Piatti is no stranger to this section of the RotoWire archives, but since he is head and shoulders the best midfield play on this slate, I have to include him once more. It's a tired narrative, but Piatti really does seem to step up when Didier Drogba isn't stifling(?!) the Montreal attack. Montreal play at Real Salt Lake, who have been allowing two goals per game in their prior six matches, and with all apologies to breakout rookie Michael Salazar, I'm not projecting him for another brace. This should be the last time you can get Piatti for under $8,000, unless he assisted Bill Hamid's car tire caper, so jump on the bandwagon and don't miss out on all of the fantasy points.

Christian Bolanos, VAN v. COL ($6,400): The middle tier of midfielders is a crowded bunch this week, but I prefer Bolanos just a bit more than options like John Goossens, Justin Meram and Chris Pontius. Bolanos is one of the best in the league at cutting in from the wing and playing a perfect ball to Vancouver's central attacker. In his 205 minutes since returning from Copa America, he has 35 fantasy points. Albeit a small sample, that's good for about 15 points per 90 minutes. If Vancouver ever acquire a dominant forward to complement their great wing play, Bolanos could thrive even more. For now, I'll take the strong value he provides, even against a tough Colorado Rapids defense.

Roland Alberg, PHI v. DCU ($4,800): C.J. Sapong is back to lead the Philadelphia Union attack, and I'm excited to see what he can do atop the Union's talented attacking midfield. Alberg let owners down last week, following up a trio of awesome performances with a three-point dud against Houston. I'm sticking with him this week despite Hamid looming in the opposing goalmouth. Realistically, very few cheaper midfielders jump off the page and even if some did, they'd be hard pressed to bring a fraction of the upside Alberg has shown as recently as two weeks ago.

FORWARD

Robbie Keane, LAG at SEA ($10,100): Who makes the smartest attacking runs in the league? Keane is right up there. You don't need me to tell you that Kei Kamara or Sebastian Giovinco are great plays this week. However, you might need me to point out that Keane is still every bit as lethal a goalscorer as those two. Exhibit No. 1 can be found in his perfectly placed goal from last weekend. Keane has a better supporting cast than both Gio and Kei, and while the peripheral points don't come as frequently, he's a far better play than his ownership levels will reflect. It might be worth duplicating your favorite lineup this weekend and entering a lineup that swaps Captain Keano in for one of the other popular picks.

Juan Manuel Martinez, RSL v. MTL ($6,800): Real Salt Lake have been creating a massive number of goal-scoring opportunities lately. Unfortunately, their finishing has not been quite up to par. The dam is going to break sooner or later, and we'll want a piece of the RSL attack when it does. Yura Movsisyan is gaining traction as a viable fantasy option, and Joao Plata was the early season star, but Martinez has been the most consistent threat of the three. The crafty attacker has goals in four of six appearances and is easily one of the most fouled players in Major League Soccer (whether those fouls are called or not is a different story). Montreal are a respectable defense, but Salt Lake will be eager to stop the disappointing stretch of results they've provided the home crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Ola Kamara, CLB v. NER ($6,600): While I prefer the more expensive side of the Battle of the Kamaras, I'll readily admit that Ola could be the better value. Kei has been just average since joining the Revolution, and Ola has been downright on fire since stepping into the vacated Columbus striker spot. He has seven goals in just six starts for the Crew and must fancy his chances against a New England back line that can't figure out how to stop anybody. Buying into a Columbus attack without Federico Higuain has felt like tiptoeing the edge of a cliff these past few weeks, but they have risen to the challenge more often than not. The forward position doesn't have much value in the lower tiers this week outside of Michael Salazar, so Ola could prove the mid-level talent we need to push us over the top in tournaments.