MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 31

MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 31

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 31. 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

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Carlos VelaLAFC v. COL15.5Colorado have been playing well, but Vela is looking to set the goals record and help the team get the points record. 
2Zlatan IbrahimovicLA at HOU13.8Totally outclasses this Houston defense, but is he motivated at all for this game?
3Diego RossiLAFC v. COL9.1Vela osmosis. (Permit me some creative license, biology majors)
4Jozy AltidoreTOR v. CLB10.7Has a goal or assist in 5 of 6. TFC are jostling for playoff positioning.
5Raul RuidiazSEA v. MIN11.0Could be under-owned after the recent flop of a double game week.
6Ola KamaraDC v. FCC8.8Rooney is out for this one against a vulnerable opponent. Ola has three goals in three starts.
7Jeremy EbobissePOR v. SJ6.1I like Ebobisse, and I'm generally a big Timbers fan, but I'm being careful not to get too sucked in to ranking purely based on motivations and need this week. It's an important factor, but certainly not the only one.
8Carlos Darwin QuinteroMIN at SEA8.6 
9Alexandru MitritaNYC at PHI9.6Peaking at the right time for NYC. Will need to watch the lineup to see if the Pigeons are taking it easy or playing for keeps in this one.
10Kacper PrzybylkoPHI v. NYC9.4 
11Chris WondolowskiSJ at POR7.6Supporters' Section showing last match shows Wondo wants this as much as anybody. Translating that to a win and hopefully some goals will be more difficult than ripping his shirt off, but I believe!
12Zdenek OndrasekDAL v. SKC6.9 
13Tesho AkindeleORL v. CHI4.6With the season lost, Benji Michel could get the nod instead. I'd rank him a few spots lower but still playable as a third forward in this matchup.
14Heber Araujo dos SantosNYC at PHI9.9 
15Kei KamaraCOL at LAFC7.7Kei heroics on Decision Day really shouldn't surprise anyone. 
16Mauro ManotasHOU v. LA9.7 
17Sam JohnsonRSL at VAN5.5RSL are playing for home field in the opening round and Johnson is one goal away from double-digits for the season.
18Gustavo BouNE at ATL10.8Tough matchup but his quality is undeniable.
19Alberth ElisHOU v. LA7.6When he gets points they usually come in bunches, so I guess he'd be a decent differential this week. I'll look elsewhere, though.
20Brian RodriguezLAFC v. COL6.9 

Midfielders

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Sebastian BlancoPOR v. SJ10.4Healthier, better suited to the matchup, and more likely to score than Valeri. Plenty will use both. Many will captain the safer Valeri, but in an unexpected Decision Day twist, I'm leaning Blanco.
2Nicolas LodeiroSEA v. MIN12.9With a tie favoring Seattle in the standings, they may start more defensively, but Lodeiro is too good to pass up for those looking to play it safe. 
3Magnus ErikssonSJ at POR10.3Call it a hunch.
4Diego ValeriPOR v. SJ12.5A calf injury and against an energetic San Jose side that will be sure to try and eliminate him from the game? That's not great. A club legend who is potentially playing his last home game with the team and would end his legacy by missing the playoffs unless he steps up? Pretty sure Valeri will find a way.
5Cristian PavonLA at HOU11.5 
6NaniORL v. CHI10.7Nani should want to cap off a good first season by giving the home fans some rare joy this year, even if it's a small consolation.
7Maximiliano MoralezNYC at PHI11.7No motivation here, except to asset dominance over Philly, but if Maxi plays then he has to be a strong consideration.
8Michael BarriosDAL v. SKC9.6 
9Alejandro PozueloTOR v. CLB10.0Our memories of Poz are better than the current fantasy version. 
10Eduard AtuestaLAFC v. COL11.3 
11Cristian EspinozaSJ at POR9.5San Jose at their best could embarrass the Timbers and they've been fairly fearless on the road all year despite the poor results. 
12Pity MartinezATL v. NE9.9 
13VakoSJ at POR8.9 
14Saphir TaiderMTL v. NYRB11.6Jackson Yueill lacks the same scoring punch, but he needs to be all over the midfield in this match and could accumulate some bonus points as an alternative.
15Johnny RussellSKC at DAL9.5 
16Lucas RodriguezDC v. FCC7.3Paul Arriola would work, too.
17Jonathan dos SantosLA at HOU9.5 
18Felipe GutierrezSKC at DAL10.4 
19Carles GilNE at ATL13.0 
20Latif BlessingLAFC v. COL8.7 

Defenders

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Ryan HollingsheadDAL v. SKC9.1My favorite mix of offensive and defensive potential this week.
2Frederic BrillantDC v. FCC9.9DC should outclass Cincy this week and with Rooney out, many players could favor taking three pieces of their clean sheet chances.
3Reto ZieglerDAL v. SKC9.1 
4Steve BirnbaumDC v. FCC7.8 
5Jorge MoreiraPOR v. SJ9.2Good defensive and great attacking potential but probably not both at once. Portland will likely focus on not conceding initially, but if scored upon will push forward in droves.
6Omar GonzalezTOR v. CLB6.4Toronto may be going overlooked against a Columbus team without much to care about this week.
7Leandro Gonzalez PirezATL v. NE8.5Revs may be reluctant to show Atlanta all of their cards with a potential playoff rematch looking likely (win or lose).
8Miles RobinsonATL v. NE9.0 
9Eddie SeguraLAFC v. COL7.3I think the likeliest scenario for this game is LAFC score first, Colorado need to push for three points, and eventually get a goal but probably after LAFC bury a few.
10Walker ZimmermanLAFC v. COL5.8 
11Joseph MoraDC v. FCC6.7 
12Matt HedgesDAL v. SKC7.5 
13Justen GladRSL at VAN9.1Tripling down on RSL defense, especially if Lennon starts, would be a good differential if you're chasing in the standings.
14Larrys MabialaPOR v. SJ8.3Set piece threat may need to come up big in an important match.
15AuroTOR v. CLB8.4 
16Reggie CannonDAL v. SKC5.2 
17Chris MavingaTOR v. CLB4.8 
18Brad SmithSEA v. MIN6.5Metanire in the same match could make some sense, too.
19Franco EscobarATL v. NE7.1 
20Kim Kee-HeeSEA v. MIN6.4 

Goalkeepers

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Bill HamidDC v. FCC8.6Best fixture of the week for a team that will have to rely on defense in the playoffs.
2Jesse GonzalezDAL v. SKC6.8SKC would love to spoil Dallas' season, but I think Luchi and company take care of business.
3Alex BonoTOR v. CLB4.7Make sure he starts, but the price is nice if so.
4Brad GuzanATL v. NE7.5 
5Tyler MillerLAFC v. COL6.5Another option you'll have to make sure is starting. 
6Nick RimandoRSL at VAN8.4Last regular season match ever for one of the best keepers, and best humans, we've had the pleasure to cheer on in MLS.
7Andre BlakePHI v. NYC5.7 
8Stefan FreiSEA v. MIN7.1 
9Brian RoweORL v. CHI6.6I'm leery of taking defenses in games with little meaning. 
10Steve ClarkPOR v. SJ8.2It's just hard for me to believe San Jose end the year with a 0-goal whimper.

Value Rankings

(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Diego PalaciosLAFC v. COL5.2One of the week's best values if he starts again.
2Joevin JonesSEA v. MIN5.5 
3Jesus FerreiraDAL v. SKC6.5 
4Victor RodriguezSEA v. MIN6.6 
5Paxton PomykalDAL v. SKC7.2 
6Andy PoloPOR v. SJ5.2Whoever starts in the Portland attack in place of Fernandez, probably Polo or Asprilla, would be worth considering just for the stakes of the game alone.
7Billel TuilomaPOR v. SJ5.4 
8Chris MuellerORL v. CHI4.1Young players starting in the meaningless matches are sure bets to be low-owned, but finding the right one could really bolster a lineup and save you some cash. 
9Dominique BadjiDAL v. SKC5.0 
10Danny HoesenSJ at POR4.9 

Captain Rankings

RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Carlos VelaLAFC v. COL15.5At risk of an early substitution, but if you're comfortable in your standings or playing head to head, I think Vela is the overwhelming favorite this week.
2Zlatan IbrahimovicLA at HOU13.8Just saying...a hat-trick would see Zlatan break the scoring record and surpass Vela (if he blanks) on the year.
3Sebastian BlancoPOR v. SJ10.4Portland may be a trap entirely, but there are too many juicy scenarios where one of Blanco or Valeri have a big day.
4Nicolas LodeiroSEA v. MIN12.9 
5Diego ValeriPOR v. SJ12.5 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JD Bazzo
JD is a former RotoWire contributor. He was a finalist for the 2017 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year award. JD had been writing for RotoWire since 2015. He is a proud Pittsburgh native, purveyor of fantasy sports, and likely the first Penn State Basketball fan you've ever met.
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