Fantasy MLS: Wednesday Cheat Sheet

Copa America is in the rearview mirror. The Euros wrapped up on Sunday. Just when we thought we could have a second to breathe during this crazy summer of soccer, MLS drops a six-game Wednesday slate on us! The three late matches look to be particularly intriguing, so if you need to nap during Sporting KC v Chicago Fire, I won't blame you. In fact, I'll probably be joining you.

MATCHES (EDT)

7:00 p.m: Columbus Crew v. Toronto FC
7:30 p.m: New York Red Bulls v. Orlando City
8:30 p.m: Chicago Fire v. Sporting KC
10:30 p.m: Portland Timbers v. Montreal Impact
10:30 p.m: Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas
10:30 p.m: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Real Salt Lake

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Columbus Crew: Mohammed Saeid, Hector Jimenez
Toronto FC: Sebastian Giovinco
New York Red Bulls: Sacha Kljestan
Orlando City: Luke Boden, Harrison Heath
Chicago Fire: John Goossens
Sporting KC: Graham Zusi, Brad Davis, Benny Feilhaber
Portland Timbers: Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe
Montreal Impact: Harry Shipp, Ambroise Oyongo, Ignacio Piatti
Seattle Sounders: Andreas Ivanschitz, Erik Friberg
FC Dallas: Mauro Diaz
Vancouver Whitecaps: Christian Bolanos
Real Salt Lake: Joao Plata, Javier Morales

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Alex Bono TOR at CLB: This isn't really a showing of confidence in Bono as he fills in for Clint Irwin. Frankly, I haven't seen the young keeper be tested enough to comment one way or the other. What I do know, is that outside of Donovan Ricketts or Rais M'bohli, I'd trust nearly any keeper behind this Toronto defense enough to pony up $3,800 for them. Toronto have been allowing some of the fewest shots on target totals in MLS. Meanwhile, in the four matches since Federico Higuain picked up an injury, Columbus have had just 13 total shots on target. To put that in context, the lowest season-long average for SOT/game is 3.3 by the Chicago Fire. Columbus may have a little more juice than that since they're at home, but the quality of what shots they do muster might be lacking. I'm strongly considering using Bono for salary relief and seeing if he and TFC can repeat Saturday's clean sheet.

Luis Robles, NYR v. ORL: If you want a keeper with a home fixture, it might be wisest to pay for the one with the highest price on DraftKings. Jake Gleeson faces a frisky Montreal attack while David Ousted will have to deal with Real Salt Lake's dangerous front three. You're not likely to trust Steve Clark against Sebastian Giovinco or Stefan Frei against a dominant FC Dallas side. The New York Red Bulls are the heaviest favorite on the night, with a wayward Orlando City side visiting without Kaka (calf). Robles has five clean sheets in his past 10 matches and Orlando have been shut out in two straight. Don't overthink this one if you're looking for a safe play.

DEFENDER

Rodrigo Ramos, CHI v. SKC: Ramos has been remarkably consistent for the Fire this year. A peek at his DraftKings game logs shows he has reached nine points in eight out of his last 10 matches. In that span, he's only been aided by two assists and two clean sheets. We shouldn't expect the clean sheets to become more frequent, but the assists could be poised for an increase as Chicago find their footing offensively. Sporting Kansas City are visiting the Windy City for this match, and while I recommended taking a nap during this one above, Ramos in your defender slot may be a nice surprise to wake up to.

Alvas Powell, POR v. MTL: It was a bit of a surprise to see Keegan Rosenberry named to the MLS All-Star fan-vote roster this past weekend, but in reality MLS does not feature many standout right backs. With all due respect to Rosenberry's great rookie year, a healthy Powell likely would have bumped him from the honor. Powell has started two matches, both clean sheets on the road, since returning from injury and has accumulated double digit points in each. He's both very quick and fairly crafty for an outside defender, and I expect Powell to excite the home crowd with a few daring forays into Impact territory in this match.

Laurent Ciman, MTL at POR: Ciman had a good outing in his first match back from the Euros. He drilled a free kick at Nick Rimando that led to Harry Shipp's first goal in an eternity (heck it was Shipp's first shot on goal in over two months!). I wouldn't expect Ciman to be over a majority of set pieces, but it's good to know that it is in his arsenal. Really, most everything is in the Belgian center back's arsenal. He's a robust defender with an above average touch and plenty of aerial abilities when getting forward. While Portland haven't lost in six matches, they also haven't scored in the past two. If they don't get Diego Valeri back in this match, Ciman and Montreal's defense look that much better.

MIDFIELDER

Clint Dempsey, SEA v. FCD: Dempsey is the ultimate boom-or-bust play, but this week I'm leaning towards the former. In his first game back from Copa America, he attempted seven shots and drew a number of fouls while chipping in a trio of crosses. He'll take some set pieces against FC Dallas, whom he always enjoys playing given his Texas roots. Seattle are in some hot waters right now, and it's time that Deuce bails them out while the team works on bringing in reinforcements. Dallas are a very strong team, but who knows how much they put their foot to the pedal for a meaningless road match in Seattle. Dempsey, on the other hand, will have the pedal pushed to the floor.

Jimmy Medranda, SKC at CHI: I've been getting harassed for weeks on Twitter for my indifference to Mr. Money Medranda. Initially, I just was not excited about picking a fullback who takes up a midfield spot and costs as much as some pretty talented offensive options. His boring team, Sporting Kansas City, didn't help matters either. And, just when I thought I had gotten a fade-Medranda week right, Josh Saunders lets in a howler this past weekend from a long-range Money Medranda shot. It's time I face the music. The fact of the matter is, Medranda is the type of player we look for in daily fantasy. He's scoring in a plethora of ways and buzzes all around his area(s) of the field. I still stand by the fact that higher upside options can occupy a midfield spot, but the sheer consistency of Medranda's performances makes it tempting to take the easy points and go for tournament-winning upside in your remaining four attacking spots. I might be too bitter to use him, but you probably should.

Gonzalo Veron, NYR v. ORL: I came up with a list of disappointing Designated Players this week, and Veron is squarely in the middle of it. His potential has shown in chunks of 15 or 20 minutes, and he's been given ample opportunity, but putting it together for a full start just hasn't happened often enough. It's why his price is still so low despite his obvious talent. Last week, the Red Bulls dealt Lloyd Sam to D.C. United, which opens up a huge opportunity that Veron must grab. He looked okay in his first start since Sam's move, but not good enough to be a must-play DFS option. I'm sticking with him if he keeps his spot in the starting 11, mostly because it helps me spend up elsewhere, but also because I believe in the Red Bulls' system and his talent.

FORWARD

Sebastian Giovinco, TOR at CLB: Giovinco is frustrated, having not scored in seven matches. While he took some of the anger out on his poor jersey last match, I think he takes the rest out on the Crew Wednesday night. Columbus just aren't good on defense. Many fans and pundits are critiquing Giovinco for his huge number of poorly chosen shots, and he does need to calm it down a little, but let's not overreact here. He has the talent to hit many of those shots, he just needs to slightly recalibrate. As daily fantasy players, we're okay with bad shots anyway since we're accumulating points for them. Giovinco still has at least 18 fantasy points in five of his seven goal-less streak matches, and though $12,600 is a steep price, his consistency makes it extremely palatable.

Graham Zusi, SKC at CHI: I haven't been a Zusi fan for some time. He's dull, not very threatening and should let other people take set pieces. That said, if he continues to play like he did in his first match back from Copa America, I'll jump aboard the San Zusi train for a short ride. Zusi claims he's re-energized after his stint with the U.S. National Team, and I'm taking his word for it. Sporting need an attacking Zusi to help Dom Dwyer shoulder the scoring responsibilities. He had three shots on target in his last match and should continue to take corners. He was also active defensively, which is increasingly a sneaky important part of daily fantasy scoring. Chicago are a prime target in daily fantasy, and the middle tier of forwards is full of question marks this week, so I recommend that you give Zusi more consideration than normal. However, make sure you check the lineups, as Zusi was a late scratch from this past weekend's match, though the injury is not serious.

Michael de Leeuw, CHI v. SKC: Chicago have been eagerly waiting for de Leeuw to be available since signing him earlier this summer, and I mention him here because he finally played 45 minutes last match. If he earns his first start, the price is almost too good to be true. While DraftKings is learning who this guy is, take a look at his Dutch Eredivisie record: 56 goals in 142 league games. He's clearly an upgrade on the cast-away Gilberto and he's a great bet to push Kennedy Igboananike back to the wing. David Accam will be pleased to have a blue-chip attacking partner, too. Keep an eye on the starting lineup and be ready to adjust your roster if de Leeuw gets the nod.