Fantasy MLS: Saturday Cheat Sheet

By almost all measures, this is one of my favorite MLS slates of the season. The player pool is diverse, the matches aren't spread out from lunch time until midnight, and with only a handful of matches remaining, playoff implications loom large. Some big roster decisions will have to be made: pay up at goalkeeper, which top midfielders take priority, whether or not to roster David Villa and/or Didier Drogba? Let's dive in!

MATCHES (EDT)

6:00 p.m: Portland Timbers v. Philadelphia Union
7:00 p.m: NYC FC v. FC Dallas
7:30 p.m: Orlando City v. Columbus Crew
7:30 p.m: Montreal Impact v. New England Revolution
9:00 p.m: Colorado Rapids v. San Jose Earthquakes
9:30 p.m: Real Salt Lake v. Houston Dynamo

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Portland Timbers: Jack Jewsbury, Diego Valeri
Philadelphia Union: Tranquillo Barnetta
NYC FC: Andrea Pirlo
FC Dallas: Mauro Diaz
Orlando City: Kaka
Columbus Crew: Mohammed Saeid, Federico Higuain
Montreal Impact: Marco Donadel, Ambroise Oyongo
New England Revolution: Chris Tierney, Lee Nguyen
Colorado Rapids: Shkelzen Gashi
San Jose Earthquakes: Simon Dawkins
Real Salt Lake: Joao Plata
Houston Dynamo: Cristian Maidana

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Nick Rimando, RSL v. HOU: I have my eye on two sets of keepers this week. Both Rimando and Tim Howard are extremely safe and high-priced options. Both have home fixtures against bottom-three goal-scoring sides. Recommending both wouldn't be very useful, so I'm going to plant my flag on Rimando as my preferred option. Houston's maligned attack feels more lively of late and Real Salt Lake boast a poorer defense than Colorado. You might be thinking that suggests we use Howard, but I'm aiming to combine clean sheet odds with save points. Assuming the Dynamo put more activity towards goal than San Jose will, I like Rimando's upside more than Howard's. The odds seem to agree, with Colorado having the best clean sheet odds but only the fourth-highest chances to win their match. I think they see a 0-0 draw or 1-0 match being quite likely. It's worth noting that San Jose do have a playoff hope, while Houston do not, but I'm not certain we can use that to accurately predict which attack will be on the front foot more.

David Bingham, SJE at COL: The second pair of keepers I like are the cheaper options Bingham and Chris Seitz. While Seitz's FC Dallas are the superior team, their outlook on a strange field against a better rested David Villa and company is less certain. On the other hand, San Jose are among the league leaders in fewest goals allowed and Colorado are among the lowest scoring sides. While Colorado are a playoff team and home favorite, I could easily see San Jose pitching a clean sheet and Bingham collecting a handful of saves. We discussed the strange odds for this match above, but one additional bonus to selecting Bingham is that you're likely not going to be playing Colorado's attackers anyway. With Shkelzen Gashi priced insanely high on DraftKings and Kevin Doyle being a boring pick, Marlon Hairston as a cheap midfielder is really the only common consideration. If you're comfortable with the road keepers, take a shot with Bingham and use the savings to buy another talented midfielder or forward.

DEFENDER

Alvas Powell, POR v. PHI: Powell is a top-tier defender at a bit of a discount. Since he missed a big chunk of the season, he hasn't had that big game that prices most decent fullbacks out of consideration. It might come soon, though. The talented young Jamaican international is one of the league's most exciting defenders. He was pivotal in the Timbers' playoff run last season and they're hoping he can step up and reach that level again as this season winds down. Outside of Harrison Afful and Ronald Matarrita, few defenders pose as big a threat as dribblers and creators in the final third as Powell. Sure, Chris Tierney can cross and take free kicks, but for $1,600 less on DraftKings you can grab a more aggressive threat on the wing. Portland should let their fullbacks push upfield to try and pin back Philadelphia's talented wingers who are far less effective defensively than in the attack, and if they take care of business at home, I can see Powell having an outstanding day.

Mekeil Williams, COL v. SJE: Williams actually reminds me a lot of Powell. While he hasn't quite reached Powell's level during his rookie season with Colorado, Williams is on a better defense against a team who likes to bunker. If Colorado activate the attacking fullback as frequently as they should, I envision plenty of crosses and some assist potential. The great thing about Williams is that he's always picking up peripheral points to give us a safe floor, too. He was much more expensive earlier in the year, so take advantage of this discount while it lasts against a poor San Jose side.

Jordan Allen, RSL v. HOU: Hello, old friend! It's been awhile since we considered Allen, the defender-eligible attacker for Real Salt Lake. Oftentimes, he's starting on the attacking wing, but even more common is when he replaces Javier Morales as their no. 10. That looks likely this week, as JaviMo came off injured in Portland last weekend. At $3,600 on DraftKings, we have a great chance at a clean sheet, but get attacking upside as well. In an attack that boasts Joao Plata, Yura Movsisyan and Burrito Martinez, Allen doesn't need to do much to have a chance at accumulating points and meeting value. Given that talent around him, it's unlikely we'll get any set piece, corner kick, or penalty duties out of Allen, but let's not get greedy with a $3,600 no. 10 in our defender spot.

MIDFIELDER

Mauro Diaz, FCD at NYC: I've somewhat staked my reputation on Diaz this week, which is never the safest move given that his playing time is somewhat unpredictable. His talent is just too immense for me to ignore against NYC FC, though. Diaz is cheaper than Diego Valeri, Kaka and Ignacio Piatti this week, and I am convinced that if he plays a full 90 minutes he'll outscore at least two of them. Some smart soccer minds are down on Diaz and FC Dallas given their midweek U.S. Open Cup victory over the Revolution, but I see them continuing their winning ways in New York. In that USOC match, Diaz tallied one goal and three assists! In his last MLS match, he had 10 crosses in just 35 minutes. With Fabian Castillo out of the picture, Diaz has truly put the attacking responsibilities on his fragile shoulders and I can't imagine he slows down anytime soon. People are already whispering about Dallas' chances at a treble (USOC, Supporters Shield, MLS Cup), and few teams in league history have had as good a chance as Dallas do this year. We'll know if Diaz starts fairly early in this slate, and should he be rested, we'll have plenty of options to pivot. Trust me on this one.

Lee Nguyen, NER at MTL: I went against the grain last week and recommended Nguyen, who was both coming off a one-goal, two-posts-hit performance and also approaching the USOC final. He didn't disappoint. Honestly, that feels like a rare thing to say given that most of Nguyen's outings this season have been precisely disappointing, but I'm inclined to trust him again this week. New England are bad, but they have been playing better of late, and I think it's lazy to assume that they will completely tank now that they lost the U.S. Open Cup final. Additionally, Montreal are a team that can only be described as short-circuiting lately. They'll have a great chance to score against New England, but the Revs need a win to keep their sliver of playoff hopes alive, and that will only mean Nguyen has to attack more. He's been playing better, and Juan Agudelo has been a bright spot up top as a Kei Kamara alternative, so I unreservedly recommend considering New England's attack this weekend.

Alex, HOU at RSL: With a lack of obvious cheap starters, it's tough to offer up many true value picks until lineups arrive, but Alex is a player that may be off many fantasy owners' radars. The Houston midfielder has taken a big step forward this year, often posing their most dangerous offensive threat. He has three shots in his last three games, as Houston open up their attack significantly more than earlier in the year, and he also accumulates peripheral points at a desirable clip. He's not likely to kill your lineup if you take a chance on him, but admittedly, you might have to pay attention to one of the league's most boring teams. I'm the furthest thing from a Houston Dynamo fan, but I won't blame you for taking advantage of Alex's form and affordable price.

FORWARD

Didier Drogba, MTL v. NER: Speaking of players and teams I am sour on, but will recommend anyway in an effort to help the readers, I present Drogba. The Chelsea legend looks more like a spoiled brat in Major League Soccer, but he brings fantasy owners a legitimate chance at a hat trick every single time he starts. Not rostering him any given weekend is a risky proposition in and of itself, but particularly when they play New England who defend at a high-school soccer level. No team is within four goals of New England's league worst minus-14 goal differential. Drogba only played 29 minutes last weekend, and Montreal need a win to stay ahead of the pack of teams fighting for the remaining playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, so the stars are aligning for a productive Drogba game. If he's motivated, watch out, but good luck predicting whether or not he will be.

Burrito Martinez, RSL v. HOU: There are truly a handful of really quality forward choices this weekend, but I have to make you all aware of two screaming values. First is Martinez. While Yura Movsisyan is RSL's target forward, and Joao Plata is a poor man's Sebastian Giovinco (and usually on penalty duty), Burrito is their most skilled dribbler. He's not quicker than Plata and not as clinical as Movsisyan, but he aggressively takes on opponents and consistently sets up his teammates. He's capable of dribbling through an entire defense for a goal on his own, especially as poor a defense as Houston's. Salt Lake are the heaviest favorite of the day, and Burrito comes at a huge discount to his attacking teammates. I wouldn't be opposed to stacking two of them in this match, even with a plethora of other enticing options around the league.

Jack McInerney, POR v. PHI: It's worth keeping an eye on the first game of Saturday's slate to see if Fanendo Adi will be left out of the starting lineup with an ankle injury. If he cannot go, McInerney is an enticing option against his former team, the Philadelphia Union. Jack Mac is near the league lead in goals per minute, thanks to his fantastic substitute appearances, but he also has more career goals at a young age than almost anyone in league history. He's highly unlikely to single-handedly vault your daily fantasy lineup to glory, since he's not the all-around threat that can go off for 30+ points, but if he starts you can expect a handful of good opportunities given the talent around him and the home fixture. Portland need this win more than Philadelphia do, and a revenge-seeking McInerney could be well worth the investment if Adi sits.