This article is part of our MLS Fantasy Rankings series.
The rankings below are based on Major League Soccer's official fantasy game and cover all games in Week 29. While they can be used for DFS purposes, they are done with a focus on the league's season-long game.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below, or hit up JD on Twitter @dfsMLS.
Forwards | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Josef Martinez | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 13.9 | 14-game goal-scoring streak? Yep. |
2 | Raul Ruidiaz | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 11.9 | 11 goals in 16 starts but still underrated as a whole by MLS fans and fantasy managers. |
3 | Brian Fernandez | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 9.5 | Similar scoring clip to Ruidiaz, just overcoming a stomach virus, and now Portland need points. Even if he has spurned you in recent weeks, holding a grudge may only hurt your team this week. |
4 | Jordan Morris | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 10.0 | JoMo is playing well and a fine alternative to Ruidiaz. I think that many people will prefer Morris outright, which doesn't really make opting for him a great way to gain ground. |
5 | Zdenek Ondrasek | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 6.5 | Packs the scoring punch of the top three and allows you to save some salary. Dallas also are desperate to push into the playoffs. Unfortunately, these are two tough fixtures. |
6 | Carlos Vela | LAFC v. TOR | 15.5 | Toronto plays in the Canadian Championship (leg 1) midweek while LAFC get to rest and formulate a plan to dismantle them. |
7 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | LA v. MTL | 12.8 | Montreal also play in the Canadian Championship midweek. The Galaxy aren't really one for well-oiled plans and executing them, but Zlatan & Co. are feeling their oats lately. |
8 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 5.6 | BWP is finally back in the swing of things and looking for his first goal. Only the most desperate of fantasy managers should look to him as a differential though (and I would stack other NYRB attackers with him, if so). |
9 | Jeremy Ebobisse | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 5.6 | Always a chance he doesn't start both, but I think he will and could be a sneaky alternative to Fernandez. |
10 | Jesus Ferreira | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 7.1 | Yellow card warning? |
11 | Gustavo Bou | NE v. RSL | 10.7 | |
12 | Kekuta Manneh | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 5.3 | |
13 | Diego Rossi | LAFC v. TOR | 9.3 | |
14 | Dominique Badji | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 5.8 | Yellow card warning? |
15 | Nemanja Nikolic | CHI at FCC | 7.8 | |
16 | Mauro Manotas | HOU v. ORL | 9.6 | |
17 | Hector Villalba | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 6.8 | If he starts Wednesday night, I would be intrigued enough to consider him just below the Ondrasek/BWP range of differentials. Chances seem slim for him to start both, though. |
18 | Kacper Przybylko | PHI at NYRB | 9.6 | |
19 | Wayne Rooney | DC v. SEA | 9.2 | |
20 | Kei Kamara | COL at SKC | 7.2 |
Midfielders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Diego Valeri | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 13.5 | Portland need points. Portland want home field advantage. Valeri usually comes through. |
2 | Nicolas Lodeiro | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 12.8 | Lodeiro is a volatile bonus point earner, but I think these two matchups bode well for his numbers all around. |
3 | Pity Martinez | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 9.4 | Pity has rounded in to a very good contributor of late. The shots are there, but the goals haven't quite followed yet. |
4 | Julian Gressel | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 9.6 | |
5 | Daniel Royer | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 8.7 | Royer loses out to Gressel for #4 just because of the tougher fixtures. He's still a quality option this week. |
6 | Cristian Roldan | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 10.0 | Roldan has been on fire, but VRod's potential return could keep him grounded in the defensive midfield just a little more. |
7 | Michael Barrios | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 10.5 | Dangerous both on the dribble and at creating chances for others, Barrios could come in handy this week. Dallas are barely outside of the playoffs and can't afford to come away with less than four points this week. |
8 | Kaku | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 8.8 | Good player, but for fantasy he is far more risk than reward. He hasn't produced a single double-digit fantasy match this year, but has served up a healthy number of duds. |
9 | Sebastian Blanco | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 9.7 | Just back from an injury. I'd love to trust him, but think I'll use my Portland spots a safer way. |
10 | Emmanuel Ledesma | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 8.7 | One yellow away from suspension, I believe. Two home games, one hard and one easier makes him mildly appealing though. |
11 | Marc Rzatkowski | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 7.6 | |
12 | Paxton Pomykal | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 7.2 | No guarantee he starts both, unfortunately. |
13 | Diego Chara | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 8.9 | 5+ points in each of the last 7 games. Strictly based on averages and projections he should be higher in the rankings, but the lack of attacking upside at a time when everyone is chasing high returns factors in, too. |
14 | Darlington Nagbe | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 8.4 | |
15 | Josh Sims | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 6.7 | Currently one of the bench options I am most considering. Have to see if he's in the lineup on Wednesday. |
16 | Allan Cruz | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 7.9 | Yellow card warning? |
17 | Frankie Amaya | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 4.8 | Could be the key to unlocking some salary. Should be good for 7-9 points. |
18 | Bryan Acosta | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 7.0 | |
19 | Cristian Pavon | LA v. MTL | 10.7 | Squeezing some LA/LAFC guys in at the end since they have good matchups and could certainly outscore many of these DGW players. |
20 | Latif Blessing | LAFC v. TOR | 9.4 |
Defenders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Leandro Gonzalez Pirez | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 8.6 | The Walking Yellow Card takes top spot thanks to high clean sheet potential this week. |
2 | Jorge Moreira | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 9.5 | Best attacking potential of any defender this week. Portland will have to break down a tough Red Bulls and Minnesota side, and Moreira will push upfield to help. |
3 | Miles Robinson | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 9.3 | Atlanta will be keen to erase back to back games with three goals allowed. Especially Robinson after his ugly own-goal last week. |
4 | Reto Ziegler | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 9.1 | Takes penalties. |
5 | Ryan Hollingshead | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 10.0 | More goalscoring upside than Moreira, less in most other areas. |
6 | Franco Escobar | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 6.7 | Grabbed a whopping six bonus points last week, but he usually isn't at the level of LGP or Robinson. |
7 | Brad Smith | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 5.9 | Bit of a reach for offensive output, but I don't hate the play. |
8 | Claude Dielna | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 7.2 | Portland's centerback pairing is very turbulent right now, with some players just becoming available. Mabiala will step right back in when ready and then I think Dielna has earned at least one of the starts this week. Tuiloma likely plays a role too. |
9 | Aaron Long | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 7.2 | Fixtures are tough, but Long is usually good for 2-3 bonus points. |
10 | Jorge Villafana | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 7.9 | I love that both games are at home, but am admittedly nervous that Portland are going to be vulnerable on the counter against these two teams. We don't have any elite clean sheet options on this slate of games, though. |
11 | Michael Amir Murillo | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 5.9 | |
12 | Kelvin Leerdam | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 4.6 | |
13 | Matt Hedges | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 7.5 | |
14 | Reggie Cannon | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 5.6 | Yellow card warning? |
15 | Kim Kee-Hee | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 5.6 | |
16 | Greg Garza | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 5.3 | FCC has a chance to keep a clean sheet against Chicago, and their fullbacks have some decent attacking potential. |
17 | Kemar Lawrence | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 5.2 | |
18 | Tim Parker | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 5.2 | |
19 | Xavier Arreaga | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 5.0 | |
20 | Andrew Gutman | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 4.0 | FCC has a chance to keep a clean sheet against Chicago, and their fullbacks have some decent attacking potential. |
Goalkeepers | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Brad Guzan | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 8.3 | Concern level is only at like 3 out of 10 after recent bad outings for Atlanta's defense. |
2 | Steve Clark | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 7.9 | Another strong play, near Guzan's level. |
3 | Jesse Gonzalez | DAL at SEA, v. NYC | 5.9 | Neck and neck between Gonzalez and Frei. |
4 | Stefan Frei | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 6.4 | |
5 | Luis Robles | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 6.0 | |
6 | Przemyslaw Tyton | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 5.3 | I think many will have him first in their switcheroo, but I'd almost rather just go with single gamers Room/Willis or something like that if trying to save cash. There's pretty much no chance Atlanta doesn't score. |
7 | Tyler Miller | LAFC v. TOR | 7.4 | |
8 | David Bingham | LA v. MTL | 7.0 | |
9 | Kenneth Kronholm | CHI at FCC | 7.9 | |
10 | Eloy Room | CLB at VAN | 4.9 |
Value Rankings | ||||
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(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above) | ||||
Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Joseph-Claude Gyau | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 4.9 | Higher ceiling, lower floor than Amaya. |
2 | Cristhian Paredes | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 6.6 | |
3 | Cristian Casseres Jr. | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 6.1 | |
4 | Eric Remedi | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 5.1 | Yellow card warning? |
5 | Rashawn Dally | FCC v. ATL, v. CHI | 4.0 | |
6 | Billel Tuiloma | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 5.6 | If he starts Wednesday, he could be the best avenue into the Portland defense, but you're taking a chance on him also starting over the weekend. |
7 | Rece Buckmaster | NYRB at POR, v. PHI | 4.0 | |
8 | Justin Meram | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 6.4 | |
9 | Joevin Jones | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 4.7 | A Wednesday start would put him into my top 20 with ease. |
10 | Victor Rodriguez | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 7.1 | A Wednesday start would put him into my top 20 with ease. |
Captain Rankings | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Diego Valeri | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 13.5 | Two tough teams, but Portland are motivated and should roll this week. |
2 | Josef Martinez | ATL at FCC, v. SJ | 13.9 | Great case for #1, but tough to knock off an elite midfielder playing twice at home. |
3 | Nicolas Lodeiro | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 12.8 | |
4 | Raul Ruidiaz | SEA v. DAL, at DC | 11.9 | I'm ranking Ruidiaz higher, but if you're chasing, I almost prefer Fernandez as the differential (C). |
5 | Brian Fernandez | POR v. NYRB, v. MIN | 9.5 | I'm ranking Ruidiaz higher, but if you're chasing, I almost prefer Fernandez as the differential (C). |