MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 1

Written by

Published on February 27, 2020

MATCHES (EST)

Saturday, 1:00 pm: D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids
Saturday, 3:00 pm: Montreal Impact vs. New England Revolution
Saturday, 3:30 pm: Houston Dynamo vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
Saturday, 5:30 pm: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, 6:00 pm: FC Dallas vs. Philadelphia Union
Saturday, 6:00 pm: Orlando City SC vs. Real Salt Lake
Saturday, 8:00 pm: Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United
Saturday, 10:30 pm: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Sporting Kansas City
Sunday, 12:30 pm: Columbus Crew vs. New York City FC
Sunday, 1:00 pm: New York Red Bulls vs. FC Cincinnati
Sunday, 3:00 pm: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Chicago Fire
Sunday, 5:30 pm: Los Angeles Football Club vs. Inter Miami CF
Sunday, 7:30 pm: Portland Timbers vs. Minnesota United

Forwards
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Carlos Vela	LAFC v. MIA	13.0	LAFC are the second-to-last game this weekend, and will have to give their all on Thursday night to try and overcome a 2-goal CCL deficit. Vela probably suits up, regardless of the CCL result, but have a backup plan just in case.
2	Josef Martinez	ATL at NSH	11.5	Atlanta are through to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals (Leg March 10-12) and should be plenty rested to ruin Nashville's MLS debut on Saturday. Josef gets up for games like this.
3	Cristian Pavon	LA at HOU	11.0	Pavon's hype train is full steam ahead in the preseason, but deservedly so.
4	Gustavo Bou	NER at MTL	10.5	Bou does it all. The Revs will be missing Carles Gil, but with Montreal sitting deep, New England's attackers should gather plenty of counting stats.
5	Diego Rossi	LAFC v. MIA	11.0	If he looks bad again Thursday night, you can adjust this down a few spots, but the matchup is extremely favorable here.
6	Chicharito	LA at HOU	11.5	Big things are almost surely ahead for Chicharito in the goalscoring department, but right now Pavon is more integrated with the Galaxy teammates and has better all-around fantasy scoring potential. Playing both this week isn't out of the question either.
7	Heber	NYC at CLB	10.5	I'm not the first MLS analyst in the club here, but if he stays healthy, Heber is my pick for the Golden Boot. Columbus should have one of the league's best defenses, though.
8	Adam Buksa	NER at MTL	8.0	MLS fans have learned to be wary of scoring machines from second-tier European leagues, but I think Buksa, who was leading Poland's Ekstraklasa prior to his transfer, will live up to expectations.
9	Ola Kamara	DC v. COL	9.5	Ola may fly under the radar, but when he has gotten to play his preferred position, the league has seen few better scorers. He has 51 goals in 86 MLS starts and has another great supporting cast this year with Asad, Gressel, and Edison Flores.
10	Gyasi Zardes	CLB v. NYC	10.0	Another preseason darling, because Columbus have been steamrolling their scrimmages, Gyasi will likely have another good year. He's as goal-dependent in fantasy as they come though, so I prefer to only play him in lopsided affairs.
11	Mauro Manotas	HOU v. LA	9.5	Manotas' fade last year was incredibly disappointing. The pieces are there for Tab Ramos to reinvigorate this attack, but I'm not certain how they all fit together, and Houston probably will take some time to adjust.
12	Jozy Altidore	TOR at SJ	10.5	In true Jozy style, he's apparently looking great in preseason but also is already picking up knocks. The buzzing man-marking of San Jose may not be the ideal first matchup.
13	Raul Ruidiaz	SEA v. CHI	11.0	CCL could have an impact here, but it's more likely we're looking at the teams resting players next weekend. If Seattle roll at even 75% strength, they'll find some success...
14	Robert Beric	CHI at SEA	9.5	...On the other hand, if Seattle rotate in some young guys, Chicago have a whole new set of talented attackers that could surprise them at home, including proven goalscorer Robert Beric.
15	Brian White	NYRB v. FCC	8.0	Brian White is far from a flashy DP or TAM signing, but he did score 9 goals in 17 starts last year and showed a penchant for being in the right spots at the right time just like his predecessor.
16	Lucas Cavallini	VAN v. KC	9.0	He has been scoring in preseason and his nickname is El Tanque. Do you need any further analysis?
17	Alberth Elis	HOU v. LA	9.0	Elis against new Galaxy left back Emiliano Insua (formerly of Boca, Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon, Atleti, etc.) should be a fun matchup to watch. Despite the pedigree, Insua (31) will have some challenges against Elis' elite speed and the Galaxy are also likely to be missing starting center back Daniel Steres.
18	Alan Pulido	KC at VAN	10.5	Pulido's low ranking this week could make me look foolish, but I want to see this SKC team before entrusting them with my fantasy fate. At least for this first week, they are likely without their exceptional midfielder Felipe Gutierrez.
19	Zdenek Ondrasek	DAL v. PHI	8.0	The Cobra finished last year strong and Philly will be playing with a new defensive midfielder.
20	Luis Amarilla	MIN at POR	9.5	I have not seen much of Amarilla, but he sounds like he's going to be a massive success in Minnesota. He's the 6th new signing on this Top 20, though, and chances are at least one will be a bust. Let's watch him play before selecting him on the road.

Midfielders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Pity Martinez	ATL at NSH	9.0	Nashville should be a very defensive and organized team this season, relying on the counter to score a majority of their goals. I'm counting on Atlanta to be able to break them down nonetheless.
2	Lucas Zelarayan	CLB v. NYC	9.5	In Caleb Porter's system, and surrounded by as much quality as he is, this former Tigres standout could very well approximate or even improve upon Porter's star attacking midfielder when he led the Timbers to a championship, Diego Valeri.
3	Alejandro Pozuelo	TOR at SJ	11.0	Pozuelo may have faded down the stretch last season, but keep in mind he essentially played a full European season then came to North America for another 4+ months. Rested and with a full preseason, Pozuelo is going to give opponents a ton of trouble.
4	Joao Paulo	SEA v. CHI	8.5	When Lodeiro is fully fit and ready, Paulo will play more of a reserved midfield role. When Lodeiro is out, it's likely Paulo will fill the #10 role, which he already did in CCL with instant success. This guy is good.
5	Daniel Royer	NYRB v. FCC	8.5	Red Bulls are right there with Nashville and Vancouver as having the least flashy roster in MLS. I like this team though. Royer, Josh Sims, Florian Valot, and Marc Rzatkowski all can be valuable fantasy contributions from the wing and whomever starts is definitely in play against what might be a dysfunctional Cincinatti side.
6	Jamiro Monteiro	PHI at DAL	8.5	Monteiro will probably never get the full credit he deserves, because he's not on one of the league's premier teams. Atop Philly's new midfield diamond, he could get similar bonus point production but add some goals and assists to last year's already respectable total.
7	Nicolas Lodeiro	SEA v. CHI	12.0	If Lodeiro was healthy and definitely playing, he could be #1 this week. We can reassess after Thursday's crucial CCL match.
8	Kaku	NYRB v. FCC	8.0	The biggest advantage New York has in this matchup is that their midfield trio should dominate Cincinatti's. Kaku will find plenty of space if Cincy haven't quickly figured out how best to cover for a deep-lying Haris Medunjanin.
9	Eduard Atuesta	LAFC v. MIA	10.5	Atuesta has been nursing some minor injuries and missed LAFC's first CCL leg. I don't imagine he plays both fixtures this week, so keep an eye on Thursday's match. If he suits up against Inter Miami, with the rest of the first team alongside him, he'd a top five midfield play.
10	Ezequiel Barco	ATL at NSH	8.5	Pity is getting all the attention, but Barco looks like he raised his game a notch in the offseason as well.
11	Latif Blessing	LAFC v. MIA	10.0	Check the formation each week to make sure Blessing is playing as an attacker, but assuming he is, he'll likely have no problem producing similar figures to last year's impressive fantasy outputs.
12	Sebastian Blanco	POR v. MIN	10.5	Portland want to be an aggressive attacking team and that will suit Blanco if they can stay faithful to the plan. Their leaky defense may necessitate some changes, though.
13	Maximiliano Moralez	NYC at CLB	11.0	Maxi's fitness does not seem 100% headed into the year, and it may never be this season, but when he's starting he has to be seriously under consideration. New manager Deila is more eager than Dome was to unleash this to notch attacking group.
14	Edison Flores	DC v. COL	10.0	MLS does not get many players like the slippery Flores. Against teams without an athletic defensive midfield, he could wreak havoc. Jack Price will likely have some issues this weekend.
15	Diego Valeri	POR v. MIN	10.5	With two new forwards, the signing of Yimmi Chara, and Jeremy Ebobisse still in the mix, Valeri could easily be the Timbers first sub each game or a super-sub himself.
16	Cristian Espinoza	SJ v. TOR	9.0	It's tough to tell what we're going to get out of Toronto FC, sans Michael Bradley, to start the year. It's also really tough to predict how San Jose will come out of the gate after last year's slow start and horrid ending.
17	Younes Namli	COL at DC	8.5	Namli is a name to watch as Colorado's new playmaker. It will be important to see how his chemistry develops with Colorado's numerous attackers and if he can siphon any set pieces from Jack Price.
18	Rodolfo Pizarro	MIA at LAFC	10.0	At LAFC? Nah. We don't even know who is playing forward for Miami right now - it might even be Pizarro as a false 9.
19	Mauricio Pereyra	ORL v. RSL	8.5	Undoubtedly a quality player, Pereyra didn't threaten goal enough in his limited action last year for me to rank him any higher without getting a good look at him under Pareja this weekend. Remember that Nani is out for the first two matches.
20	Mark-Anthony Kaye	LAFC v. MIA	9.0	With 26 teams and only 20 spots, we're leaving a handful of influential fantasy midfielders off of this list each week. Kaye jumps some high profile names (Rusnak, Russell, Taider, Gressel, Quintero, Katai, Barrios, Eriksson) due to the matchup against a debut franchise still figuring things out.

Defenders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Aaron Long	NYRB v. FCC	6.5	Long certainly doesn't lead the list in attacking output (although he is an aerial presence), but his consistent bonus point generation and the most favorable clean sheet chances of the slate put him at number one.
2	Ruan	ORL v. RSL	5.5	Depending on Orlando's formation, Ruan may only be a defender by name. The preseason buzz has him playing even more attacking than last year, which was already a lot. I'm sure this will vary by game, but against RSL I think Orlando will have plenty of chances to push upfield.
3	Milton Valenzuela	CLB v. NYC	5.5	Before injury last year, Valenzuela showed his value in the attacking third. He should frequently find himself near or even in the opposition box and with the group around him, I expect that to result in plenty of offensive output, by defender standards.
4	Reggie Cannon	DAL v. PHI	5.5	Dallas has tested a 3-centerback formation this preseason, which would leave Cannon and Ryan Hollingshead as marauding wingbacks. I don't think they break it out for this match, but it's clear Luchi Gonzalez is happy letting his talented fullbacks join the attack.
5	Tim Parker	NYRB v. FCC	5.5	Similar to Aaron Long.
6	Vito Wormgoor	CLB v. NYC	5.5	Columbus project to have one of the league's best defenses, and Wormgoor seems a good candidate for passing bonus points which is one of the most predictable and consistent fantasy stats.
7	Fernando Meza	ATL at NSH	5.5	The same passing factor from above also applies to Meza. Last year's Atlanta centerbacks raked in the passing bonus points and Meza is probably better than both at that skill.
8	Jorge Moreira	POR v. MIN	6.0	He's flat out one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league and Portland are playing at home with some new firepower.
9	Harrison Afful	CLB v. NYC	6.0	Afful never quite generates the fantasy points you would expect by watching him, but he's an incredible asset to Columbus and easily one of the league's best right backs.
10	Ryan Hollingshead	DAL v. PHI	6.0	Philly's narrow 4-4-2 diamond might give Dallas' fullbacks plenty of room to operate on the wing. Few take advantage better than Hollingshead.
11	Eddie Segura	LAFC v. MIA	6.0	Assuming LAFC play their A-Team, Segura is another of the league's finest passers from the center of defense. Inter Miami are still figuring things out up front, too.
12	Reto Ziegler	DAL v. PHI	6.0	Very much in the mix for penalty kick duty again this year, and if not, the Dallas defense is still a top notch unit.
13	Antonio Cunha Capocasali Júnior	ORL v. RSL	5.5	Keep an eye on who is starting alongside Robin Jansson in Orlando. It could be Rodrigo Schlegel instead of Antonio Carlos, which would be roughly equivalent for fantasy.
14	Joevin Jones	SEA v. CHI	6.0	Very much depends on CCL this Thursday, but he could very well start for Seattle at left wing. Don't be fooled into taking the quick but rough and reckless Nouhou instead of Jones.
15	Alexander Buttner	NER at MTL	5.0	Very much on my radar, but I won't pretend to know a ton about him aside from a solid pedigree. How much Bruce Arena will let him push the attack remains to be seen, but the outlook is good against a bunkering Montreal.
16	Frederic Brillant	DC v. COL	6.0	There's little reason to think DC can't be a very good defensive team once again this year. Colorado overachieved last year and won't be intimidating until they prove otherwise.
17	Ali Adnan	VAN v. KC	6.0	There's a chance we're ranking him in the top 10 every week for his offensive talents, but Vancouver's defensive outlook holds him back a bit.
18	Steve Birnbaum	DC v. COL	5.5	A few less bonus points than Brillant, but more set piece headers.
19	Jonathan Mensah	CLB v. NYC	5.5	We'll need to monitor this partnership with Wormgoor to figure out who generates more bonus points (through aggression: clearances, interceptions, etc) and who is tasked with passing out of the back.
20	Dario Zuparic	POR v. MIN	5.5	Zuparic sounds like another quality passer and a steady defender that Portland desperately need.

Goalkeepers
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	David Jensen	NYRB v. FCC	5.0	Make sure this isn't Ryan Meara. I don't hate Cincy's attack, but it seems like many of their exciting new pieces (literally their entire offense) have been working on their visas and either haven't had time to gel or won't be available.
2	Brad Guzan	ATL at NSH	6.0	Nashville also have some exciting pieces, Hany Muktar first and foremost, but I think it's just as possible Atlanta dominates this one.
3	Pedro Gallese	ORL v. RSL	5.5	Immediately one of the best keepers in MLS, playing for one of the best defensive coaches in MLS.
4	Kenneth Vermeer	LAFC v. MIA	6.0	I'm not sure he's as good as the Dutch Eredivisie experience would suggest, but LAFC's keeper is certain to put up good fantasy numbers over the course of a season by default.
5	Matt Turner	NER at MTL	6.0	The Revs defense is their most concerning unit, but not because of the talented Turner. Bruce Arena finds ways to keep the ball out of the net.
6	Bill Hamid	DC v. COL	6.0	Few people can steal a match like shot-stopping extraordinaire Bill Hamid.
7	Eloy Room	CLB v. NYC	5.5	Another top-tier keeper, but NYC have one of the more fearsome offenses.
8	Stefan Frei	SEA v. CHI	6.0	Without the CCL factor, Frei would be top-2 this week.
9	Jesse Gonzalez	DAL v. PHI	6.0	There's a drop off in my mind from the top 8 this week to the next grouping, but I still don't mind Gonzalez or Clark.
10	Steve Clark	POR v. MIN	6.0

Value Rankings
(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Cristian Casseres Jr.	NYRB v. FCC	6.5	Casseres will become a name any half-serious MLS fan knows by the end of the year.
2	Gadi Kinda	KC at VAN	7.0	Good reports out of camp and should have a chance to show his talent immediately, with Felipe Gutierrez likely missing this match.
3	Sergio Santos	PHI at DAL	7.0	Kacper Przybylko just missed my top 20 forwards, but his strike partner Sergio Santos has had a nice preseason and is a full $3.0 cheaper.
4	Tristan Blackmon	LAFC v. MIA	5.5	LAFC felt good enough about him, or about a future signing, to dish Walker Zimmerman to Nashville.
5	Tesho Akindele	ORL v. RSL	6.5	Reunited with the coach that drafted him, Tesho should lead the Orlando attack in Dom Dwyer's absence.
6	Kyle Duncan	NYRB v. FCC	5.0	Like most of his teammates, Kyle Duncan is incredibly underrated. He's certainly not a top fantasy talent, but when the Red Bulls have a clean sheet chance, I think he brings enough attacking potential to the table to be quite rosterable.
7	Thiago Santos	DAL v. PHI	6.5	Santos sounds like he will immediately be one of the league's best defensive midfielders, with both a great defensive game and technical ability as well.
8	Sacha Kljestan	LA at HOU	6.0	Not guaranteed to start, but with Jona dos Santos likely out, there's a chance he joins an already dangerous attack.
9	Diego Palacios	LAFC v. MIA	5.0	A fading fantasy afterthought for two consecutive years, Kljestan appears to have found a second-wind this preseason in Los Angeles.
10	Memo Rodriguez	HOU v. LA	6.0	We should assume the Galaxy defense will still be very poor until shown otherwise.

Captain Rankings
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Pity Martinez	ATL at NSH	9.0	I'll usually have more midfielders on this list, but Pity is the only one I'm quite confident in. With the new Champions League fantasy format (in addition to season-long standings) it may be more beneficial than usual to go for the goalscorers and try to grab a top-50 spot in each "mini-season".
2	Carlos Vela	LAFC v. MIA	13.0	I also don't love that my top three captains all endured a pair of CCL games over the past two weeks, but they're playing the debut teams which boosts their already high potential. For his part, Vela often lobbied to play every match last season, so I'd expect him to be active for the home opener.
3	Josef Martinez	ATL at NSH	11.5	You think Josef would miss an opportunity to sour a new southern challenger's debut?
4	Cristian Pavon	LA at HOU	11.0	Pavon could end the week as my favorite captain if I decide to prioritize fresher legs. I don't love that the Galaxy are on the road and likely to be a mess defensively.
5	Gustavo Bou	NER at MTL	10.5	Also on the road, but he should feast. Montreal had trouble with Costa Rican side Saprissa, getting dominated in possession, and very well could be down two of their best defenders.