Fantasy MLS: Decision Day Cheat Sheet

MATCHES (EDT)

4:00 p.m: Los Angeles Galaxy v. FC Dallas
4:00 p.m: Sporting KC v. San Jose Earthquakes
4:00 p.m: New England Revolution v. Montreal Impact
4:00 p.m: Toronto FC v. Chicago Fire
4:00 p.m: Orlando City v. D.C. United
4:00 p.m: Philadelphia Union v. New York Red Bulls
4:00 p.m: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Portland Timbers
4:00 p.m: NYC FC v. Columbus Crew
4:00 p.m: Colorado Rapids v. Houston Dynamo
4:00 p.m: Seattle Sounders v. Real Salt Lake

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Los Angeles Galaxy: Landon Donovan, Giovani Dos Santos
FC Dallas: Kellyn Acosta, Mauro Rosales
Sporting KC: Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber
San Jose Earthquakes: Anibal Godoy, Simon Dawkins, Alberto Quintero
New England Revolution: Chris Tierney, Lee Nguyen
Montreal Impact: Marco Donadel, Ignacio Piatti
Toronto FC: Michael Bradley, Sebastian Giovinco
Chicago Fire: David Accam, Arturo Alvarez
Orlando City: Matias Perez Garcia, Kaka
D.C. United: Lloyd Sam
Philadelphia Union: Tranquillo Barnetta
New York Red Bulls: Sacha Kljestan
Vancouver Whitecaps: Christian Bolanos, Cristian Techera
Portland Timbers: Jack Jewsbury
NYC FC: Andrea Pirlo
Columbus Crew: Mohammed Saeid
Colorado Rapids: Shkelzen Gashi
Houston Dynamo: Cristian Maidana
Seattle Sounders: Nicolas Lodeiro
Real Salt Lake: Joao Plata, Javier Morales

PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS

GOALKEEPER

Bill Hamid, DCU at ORL: Orlando City have already been eliminated from playoff contention, while D.C. will clinch a first-round home playoff game with a win. A draw and some help from Montreal would do the same, but ultimately United's situation is in their hands. There are 11 starting keepers priced more than Hamid on DraftKings, including opposing keeper Joe Bendik, who is $400 more. Orlando are favored because they are at home, but there's little reason to think they are anywhere close to as good as D.C. United, who are unbeaten (with four wins) in their last six games while scoring a league-high 16 goals over that span. On the flip side, Orlando have one win and four losses in their last six, scoring six goals while allowing 13, tied with the Chicago Fire for most in MLS.

Luis Robles, NYR at PHI: The Red Bulls have all but clinched the top spot in the Eastern conference, but head coach Jesse Marsch already indicated that he won't make many lineup changes, which certainly bodes well for Robles against a Union side that backed into the playoffs despite going winless in their last six (four losses) while scoring just five times. Yes, two of those goals came against the Red Bulls, but with New York looking to make a statement heading into the playoffs, there's little reason to think the Union can match them to the point of making Robles a poor fantasy option.

DEFENDER

Chris Tierney, NER v. MTL: The Revs need to beat Montreal and make up a 12-goal differential with the Union to qualify for the playoffs. Needless to say, it's pretty unlikely. That being said, if they throw out a team to try and do it, Tierney should be incredibly active in the attack, sending in crosses from both open play and corners. He doesn't have tremendous goal upside, but with a high number of crosses, and Kei Kamara in the box, he could pick up a few assists.

Justin Morrow, TOR v. CHI: If you're looking for a high-upside defender who is on a team that actually has something to play for, Morrow makes for an excellent choice. Toronto are currently in third place in the Eastern conference, and a win combined with an NYC FC draw or loss would give them the second seed and a first-round bye. Morrow has scored at least 12 fantasy points in five of his last six games, including one goal and two assists over that span. With Sebastian Giovinco back in the fold, the TFC attack looks significantly more dangerous, giving Morrow additional assist opportunities.

Jack Jewsbury, POR at VAN: Despite scoring 15 points on DraftKings last weekend without a goal or an assist, Jewsbury isn't really a high upside defender (in fact, he's not even a defender for the Timbers). However, he is now fully on corner duty and will be doing so for a Portland side that needs three points to have a shot at a playoff spot.

Diego Martinez, NYC v. CLB: With Ronald Matarrita dealing with an ankle injury, Martinez could get the start after coming on for the Costa Rican last weekend against D.C. United. Martinez was quite active in his 45 minutes, finishing with one shot on target, one cross, one tackle and three interceptions. If he can keep that kind of production up for a full 90 minutes, he'll greatly pay off his $3,500 salary on DraftKings.

MIDFIELDER

Nicolas Lodeiro, SEA v. RSL: Both teams need a win to clinch a playoff spot, which obviously can't happen. That being said, that doesn't mean they won't both being going all-out to score at least once, since you need to score to win (see, soccer can be easy!). Lodeiro has been a fantasy star in MLS, as he takes shots, scores goals, sends in crosses and draws fouls. He has arguably the highest upside of any midfielder, and it makes it even better that he's playing in a must-win game.

Lloyd Sam, DCU at ORL: Sam has scored at least 12 fantasy points on DraftKings in four consecutive games, including two over 20. His role on corners keeps him incredibly active in the attack, as he's assisted on three goals in his last two games, which was preceded by goals in back-to-back matches. The D.C. United attack has a number of excellent fantasy options, with Patrick Mullins (three goals in four games) and Luciano Acosta (two goals and seven assists in his last nine) also quite attractive, but Sam may be the safest play at the cheapest price.

Armando Cooper, TOR v. CHI: Cooper has been extremely effective since joining the starting lineup, scoring 10, 16 and 13 fantasy points on DraftKings in his last three games, respectively. He's not a big crosser but actually gets most of his value through drawing fouls, which he's done 14 times during his run of starts. Toronto are the biggest favorites of the entire slate, and Cooper provides solid exposure to their attack without spending up for Sebastian Giovinco (which you should anyway) or Jozy Altidore.

Diego Chara, POR at VAN: Chara's upside isn't terribly high, which is why you can get him on DraftKings for a relative discount versus most other starting midfielders. He's a peripheral stat machine, racking up 17 fouls drawn and 16 tackles won over his last four games. He has only taken two shots over that span, and he's highly unlikely to score a goal, but he could rack up enough other stats to pay off his low salary, which allows for significant spending elsewhere. Teammate Darlington Nagbe was a little more aggressive in the attack last week (taking five shots), but he's more likely to score four fantasy points than 14.

FORWARD

David Villa, NYC v. CLB: Villa has three goals on 11 shots in his last two games and will lead the line for a NYC FC side that is projected to score the most goals on the slate. Villa is only one goal behind Bradley Wright-Phillips for the Golden Boot, and with the former needing a win to lock up a first-round bye, there's plenty of things going in Villa's favor for a monster game Sunday.

Sebastian Giovinco, TOR v. CHI: Choosing between Villa and Giovinco will be an incredibly tough decision, though with a few teams having nothing to play for, it's possible we could get a number of very cheap options to help afford both of these star forwards. Giovinco returned from a multi-week absence last Saturday against Montreal, finishing with nine shots (three on target), one assist and three fouls drawn. If there is one small nit to pick it's that Michael Bradley took all five of Toronto's corners, and if he keeps that role, Giovinco's crosses won't be quite as high.

Graham Zusi, SKC v. SJE: Sporting KC will book their spot in the playoffs with a win, which means they'll be attacking the Earthquakes as much as possible. Luckily for them, the Earthquakes after been awful on the road this season, allowing 68 percent of their total goals away from Avaya Stadium. Zusi's role on corners gives him a decent floor, and while he doesn't take a ton of shots, he could be put into good assist positions if Dom Dwyer continues to take a high number of shots.

Adam Jahn, CLB at NYC: Jahn has been in excellent form since taking the starting job from Ola Kamara (who has apparently been dealing with some knee soreness), scoring three goals on nine shots in the last two games. NYC FC are heavily favored, and while the Crew have already been eliminated from playoff contention, NYC's struggles defensively this season, particularly at home, are worth trying to exploit one last time.