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 | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Carlos Vela | LAFC v. COL | 15.5 | Colorado have been playing well, but Vela is looking to set the goals record and help the team get the points record. |
2 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | LA at HOU | 13.8 | Totally outclasses this Houston defense, but is he motivated at all for this game? |
3 | Diego Rossi | LAFC v. COL | 9.1 | Vela osmosis. (Permit me some creative license, biology majors) |
4 | Jozy Altidore | TOR v. CLB | 10.7 | Has a goal or assist in 5 of 6. TFC are jostling for playoff positioning. |
5 | Raul Ruidiaz | SEA v. MIN | 11.0 | Could be under-owned after the recent flop of a double game week. |
6 | Ola Kamara | DC v. FCC | 8.8 | Rooney is out for this one against a vulnerable opponent. Ola has three goals in three starts. |
7 | Jeremy Ebobisse | POR v. SJ | 6.1 | I 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. |
8 | Carlos Darwin Quintero | MIN at SEA | 8.6 | |
9 | Alexandru Mitrita | NYC at PHI | 9.6 | Peaking 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. |
10 | Kacper Przybylko | PHI v. NYC | 9.4 | |
11 | Chris Wondolowski | SJ at POR | 7.6 | Supporters' 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! |
12 | Zdenek Ondrasek | DAL v. SKC | 6.9 | |
13 | Tesho Akindele | ORL v. CHI | 4.6 | With 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. |
14 | Heber Araujo dos Santos | NYC at PHI | 9.9 | |
15 | Kei Kamara | COL at LAFC | 7.7 | Kei heroics on Decision Day really shouldn't surprise anyone. |
16 | Mauro Manotas | HOU v. LA | 9.7 | |
17 | Sam Johnson | RSL at VAN | 5.5 | RSL are playing for home field in the opening round and Johnson is one goal away from double-digits for the season. |
18 | Gustavo Bou | NE at ATL | 10.8 | Tough matchup but his quality is undeniable. |
19 | Alberth Elis | HOU v. LA | 7.6 | When he gets points they usually come in bunches, so I guess he'd be a decent differential this week. I'll look elsewhere, though. |
20 | Brian Rodriguez | LAFC v. COL | 6.9 |
Midfielders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Sebastian Blanco | POR v. SJ | 10.4 | Healthier, 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. |
2 | Nicolas Lodeiro | SEA v. MIN | 12.9 | With 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. |
3 | Magnus Eriksson | SJ at POR | 10.3 | Call it a hunch. |
4 | Diego Valeri | POR v. SJ | 12.5 | A 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. |
5 | Cristian Pavon | LA at HOU | 11.5 | |
6 | Nani | ORL v. CHI | 10.7 | Nani 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. |
7 | Maximiliano Moralez | NYC at PHI | 11.7 | No motivation here, except to asset dominance over Philly, but if Maxi plays then he has to be a strong consideration. |
8 | Michael Barrios | DAL v. SKC | 9.6 | |
9 | Alejandro Pozuelo | TOR v. CLB | 10.0 | Our memories of Poz are better than the current fantasy version. |
10 | Eduard Atuesta | LAFC v. COL | 11.3 | |
11 | Cristian Espinoza | SJ at POR | 9.5 | San Jose at their best could embarrass the Timbers and they've been fairly fearless on the road all year despite the poor results. |
12 | Pity Martinez | ATL v. NE | 9.9 | |
13 | Vako | SJ at POR | 8.9 | |
14 | Saphir Taider | MTL v. NYRB | 11.6 | Jackson 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. |
15 | Johnny Russell | SKC at DAL | 9.5 | |
16 | Lucas Rodriguez | DC v. FCC | 7.3 | Paul Arriola would work, too. |
17 | Jonathan dos Santos | LA at HOU | 9.5 | |
18 | Felipe Gutierrez | SKC at DAL | 10.4 | |
19 | Carles Gil | NE at ATL | 13.0 | |
20 | Latif Blessing | LAFC v. COL | 8.7 |
Defenders | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Ryan Hollingshead | DAL v. SKC | 9.1 | My favorite mix of offensive and defensive potential this week. |
2 | Frederic Brillant | DC v. FCC | 9.9 | DC should outclass Cincy this week and with Rooney out, many players could favor taking three pieces of their clean sheet chances. |
3 | Reto Ziegler | DAL v. SKC | 9.1 | |
4 | Steve Birnbaum | DC v. FCC | 7.8 | |
5 | Jorge Moreira | POR v. SJ | 9.2 | Good 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. |
6 | Omar Gonzalez | TOR v. CLB | 6.4 | Toronto may be going overlooked against a Columbus team without much to care about this week. |
7 | Leandro Gonzalez Pirez | ATL v. NE | 8.5 | Revs may be reluctant to show Atlanta all of their cards with a potential playoff rematch looking likely (win or lose). |
8 | Miles Robinson | ATL v. NE | 9.0 | |
9 | Eddie Segura | LAFC v. COL | 7.3 | I 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. |
10 | Walker Zimmerman | LAFC v. COL | 5.8 | |
11 | Joseph Mora | DC v. FCC | 6.7 | |
12 | Matt Hedges | DAL v. SKC | 7.5 | |
13 | Justen Glad | RSL at VAN | 9.1 | Tripling down on RSL defense, especially if Lennon starts, would be a good differential if you're chasing in the standings. |
14 | Larrys Mabiala | POR v. SJ | 8.3 | Set piece threat may need to come up big in an important match. |
15 | Auro | TOR v. CLB | 8.4 | |
16 | Reggie Cannon | DAL v. SKC | 5.2 | |
17 | Chris Mavinga | TOR v. CLB | 4.8 | |
18 | Brad Smith | SEA v. MIN | 6.5 | Metanire in the same match could make some sense, too. |
19 | Franco Escobar | ATL v. NE | 7.1 | |
20 | Kim Kee-Hee | SEA v. MIN | 6.4 |
Goalkeepers | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Bill Hamid | DC v. FCC | 8.6 | Best fixture of the week for a team that will have to rely on defense in the playoffs. |
2 | Jesse Gonzalez | DAL v. SKC | 6.8 | SKC would love to spoil Dallas' season, but I think Luchi and company take care of business. |
3 | Alex Bono | TOR v. CLB | 4.7 | Make sure he starts, but the price is nice if so. |
4 | Brad Guzan | ATL v. NE | 7.5 | |
5 | Tyler Miller | LAFC v. COL | 6.5 | Another option you'll have to make sure is starting. |
6 | Nick Rimando | RSL at VAN | 8.4 | Last regular season match ever for one of the best keepers, and best humans, we've had the pleasure to cheer on in MLS. |
7 | Andre Blake | PHI v. NYC | 5.7 | |
8 | Stefan Frei | SEA v. MIN | 7.1 | |
9 | Brian Rowe | ORL v. CHI | 6.6 | I'm leery of taking defenses in games with little meaning. |
10 | Steve Clark | POR v. SJ | 8.2 | It's just hard for me to believe San Jose end the year with a 0-goal whimper. |
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 | Diego Palacios | LAFC v. COL | 5.2 | One of the week's best values if he starts again. |
2 | Joevin Jones | SEA v. MIN | 5.5 | |
3 | Jesus Ferreira | DAL v. SKC | 6.5 | |
4 | Victor Rodriguez | SEA v. MIN | 6.6 | |
5 | Paxton Pomykal | DAL v. SKC | 7.2 | |
6 | Andy Polo | POR v. SJ | 5.2 | Whoever 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. |
7 | Billel Tuiloma | POR v. SJ | 5.4 | |
8 | Chris Mueller | ORL v. CHI | 4.1 | Young 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. |
9 | Dominique Badji | DAL v. SKC | 5.0 | |
10 | Danny Hoesen | SJ at POR | 4.9 |
Captain Rankings | ||||
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Rank | Player | Matchup | Price | Notes |
1 | Carlos Vela | LAFC v. COL | 15.5 | At 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. |
2 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | LA at HOU | 13.8 | Just saying...a hat-trick would see Zlatan break the scoring record and surpass Vela (if he blanks) on the year. |
3 | Sebastian Blanco | POR v. SJ | 10.4 | Portland may be a trap entirely, but there are too many juicy scenarios where one of Blanco or Valeri have a big day. |
4 | Nicolas Lodeiro | SEA v. MIN | 12.9 | |
5 | Diego Valeri | POR v. SJ | 12.5 |