MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 4

MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 4

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 4. 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.

MATCHES (EDT)

For detailed stats and odds, check out the MLS Fantasy: Week 4 Cheat Sheet.

Forwards
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Carlos VelaLAFC v. RSL11.8Early favorite for MVP gets what will be one of his friendliest matchups of the entire season? Count me in.
2Adama DiomandeLAFC v. RSL9.8With Christian Ramirez called in to the USMNT, and Josh Perez with the U-23s, Bob Bradley looks like he will be forced to give us our Dio start! He has scored a lot of goals in a short amount of MLS minutes.
3Bradley Wright-PhillipsNYRB v. ORL10.8He's a little expensive for what he brings to the table, but there are far worse things than playing a goal-dependent forward against Orlando.
4Latif BlessingLAFC v. RSL6.9With international callups and injuries ever-present in the LAFC midfield, Blessing could once more be thrust into a midfield role that he excelled in last week.
5Diego RossiLAFC v. RSL9.1Blessing is safer and cheaper but Rossi could pack a much bigger punch. He'll probably be the odd man out in many fantasy lineups this week, but should be in consideration.
6Cristian PenillaNE v. FCC8.5For my sanity, I try to avoid entering the mind of Brad Friedel on a weekly basis, but I'm pretty sure Penilla should be playing more than 45 and 6 minutes in the previous two matches. With his talent, and the lackthereof elsewhere on the roster, Penilla needs to be a focal point each week. I'd like to think Friedel gets him going at home against the expansion side.
7Dominique BadjiDAL v. COL6.5Sometimes he looks like he belongs among MLS forwards. Sometimes he puts the Bad in Badji. The motivation could be here against his former team, though.
8Fafa PicaultPHI v. CLB6.9With virtually zero other options, either Fafa or Accam will have to move in from the wing to the #9 spot (or technically in Accam's case, move from the bench to the #9).
9Dom DwyerORL at NYRB9.5 
10Kei KamaraCOL at DAL9.3Even with Dallas missing their two most defensive midfielders, I'm not keen on the Rapids road attack.
11Teal BunburyNE v. FCC6.7The third forward spot is wide open for whatever catches your eye this week. If you want to leave it open for one of Teal/Agudelo/Caicedo against FCC, I'm cool with that.
12Juan AgudeloNE v. FCC5.5 
13David AccamPHI v. CLB5.3 
14Patrick MullinsCLB at PHI5.5If ever there was an advertisement for Philadelphia defenders...
15Kekuta MannehFCC at NE5.9 
16Andre ShinyashikiCOL at DAL4.7With Rubio gone for the week, we could get another look at the promising rookie.
17Mathias JorgensenNYRB v. ORL6.7 
18Juan CaicedoNE v. FCC8.1 
19Zdenek OndrasekDAL v. COL7.5 
20JJ WilliamsCLB at PHI4.5Better than Patrick Mullins at this point, but Porter will probably opt to start the veteran.
Midfielders
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Daniel RoyerNYRB v. ORL8.0Lacks the upside of Gil, but benefits from not being on a dreadful team led by the MLS version of Jon Gruden.
2Carles GilNE v. FCC9.7You'd like to see more bonus points through three matches from a team's midfield focal point, but against FCC the Revs will have chances and Gil is the best bet to be involved. I wouldn't overthink this one unless you truly find his price to be prohibitive to the rest of your plans.
3Marco FabianPHI v. CLB9.0Rested (because he stepped on someone), at home, and playing a team missing their foundational defensive midfielder and goalkeeper. Fabian was already doing the heavy lifting for Philadelphia and will be tasked with even more this week.
4Lee NguyenLAFC v. RSL8.2It's uncertain whether he will be ready to play, but if he is, the matchup is tantalizing. RSL have a laundry list of absences at all levels of the field and LAFC will be happy to exact revenge on Mike Petke's side for last year's shocking playoff defeat.
5Marc RzatkowskiNYRB v. ORL7.5Rza put in the work last week with an assist and two key passes, but just as importantly six tackles, seven interceptions, nine recoveries, and six crosses (only two accurate). The bonus point potential coupled with a nice fixture against visiting Orlando make Rza a great value this week. The only problem is figuring out which three Red Bulls to prioritize.
6NaniORL at NYRB9.2His team will likely be dominated, but Nani has shown enough quality to keep a high rank. He only needs a few chances to grab some points.
7Federico HiguainCLB at PHI9.4He's not the fantasy force he once was, but against a Union side missing a couple of pieces, Pipa could certainly turn up with a vintage performance. Visiting Philly has never seemed to affect him in the past.
8Pedro SantosCLB at PHI7.5Caleb Porter and his system already look to have rejuvenated Santos. He could very well prove to have more upside than Higuain most gameweeks.
9Paxton PomykalDAL v. COL6.7He'll be a lock for many lineups thanks to his affordable price. Note that both Gruezo and Acosta are missing from Dallas' go-to midfield trio.
10Michael BarriosDAL v. COL7.6 
11Diego FagundezDAL v. COL6.8The early sub is a constant risk with Fagundez under Friedel but this is a great price for somebody we used to pay 9.0+ for with relative confidence.
12Alex MuylNYRB v. ORL6.7Hustle per $ is off the charts with Muyl, but predicting when his production will come is pretty difficult. If you're cool with a handful of safe points and the price rise, go for it!
13Andre HortaLAFC v. RSL7.5This may or may not be useful, but on the off chance Horta starts (10-25%?) this is where I'd rank him. Coming back from a quad injury and hasn't unlocked his potential in LA yet, but he showed some signs in the preseason and LAFC need some bodies in the midfield - especially if Lee Nguyen isn't ready.
14Santiago MosqueraDAL v. COL7.0 
15Eduard AtuestaLAFC v. RSL6.9It's important to note that these player rankings don't factor in price or opportunity cost. Realistically, using Atuesta in one of your 3 LAFC slots would be pretty foolish this week with attacking upside above him in the lineup and the best clean sheet chances of the weekend behind him.
16Kenny SaiefFCC at NE7.6 
17Haris MedunjaninPHI v. CLB7.8Five bonus points in his only home match of the season. Medunjanin has been exposed on the defensive side of the ball lately, but he can still lasso a handful of fantasy points in the attack.
18Leonardo BertoneFCC at NE7.5 
19Sean DavisNYRB v. ORL7.8*Insert a slightly less strong version of the Atuesta comment above, here*
20ArturCLB at PHI7.9Not all bonus point machines are created equal. Give me some offensive upside if I'm spending 8.0.
Defenders
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Reto ZieglerDAL v. COL6.7Good clean sheet chance and if you have been living under a rock, he's taking their penalty kicks!
2Walker ZimmermanLAFC v. RSL7.3Ticks all of the boxes you want in a fantasy defender.
3Eddie SeguraLAFC v. RSL5.6Holds his own in the bonus point categories, but not quite as dominant as Zimmerman.
4Tim ParkerNYRB v. ORL6.3With Aaron Long on national team duty, Parker will pair up with former Orlando City Lion Amro Tarek. Red Bulls should have a good day, but it's no guarantee these CBs have instant chemistry and grab the clean sheet.
5Steven BeitashourLAFC v. RSL5.9May or may not be ready following his latest concussion. 
6Jordan HarveyLAFC v. RSL5.5A clean sheet play with hope for an assist. Doesn't bring much else to the table.
7Gaston SauroCLB at PHI6.0With a certain price rise and a recent penchant for goalscoring, you could do worse than Sauro. That said, we've got a team on the road missing some key pieces and another goal is unlikely so he's far from a lock.
8Matt HedgesDAL v. COL7.5 
9Amro TarekNYRB v. ORL4.8With Murillo and Long both out for New York this week, we've got a pair of cheap defenders here. Assuming he is the fill-in Tarek will get you safer bonus points and...
10Kyle DuncanNYRB v. ORL5.2...Duncan will bring some attacking upside from the fullback spot.
11Edgar CastilloNE v. FCC5.6Not a bad fallback if you haven't gotten your bench clean sheets by the week's final match, but New England haven't done much to suggest they can keep a clean sheet. Cincy are missing Adi, Mattocks, Cruz, and Waston though.
12Ryan HollingsheadDAL v. COL5.8 
13Marquinhos PedrosoDAL v. COL4.6Reggie Cannon is back in training, but Pedroso may start one more week and the savings would be nice for the switcheroo.
14Antonio DelameaNE v. FCC5.4 
15Michael MancienneNE v. FCC6.0 
16Harrison AffulNYRB v. ORL7.7 
17Connor LadeNYRB v. ORL4.5 
18Nick HagglundFCC at NE5.6With Waston out, it makes sense for FCC to target their other elite set piece threat. Hagglund is nearly as imposing as the Costa Rican.
19Auston TrustyPHI v. CLB5.6 
20Jonathan MensahCLB at PHI6.9After starting his MLS career with some rough patches, Mensah has been a high-quality player for an entire year now. The bonus points don't come as frequently as you'd like, though, so it's hard to justify the cost when Sauro is less.
Goalkeepers
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Tyler MillerLAFC v. RSL5.7The only problem with Miller is that he's limiting you to two LAFC field players.
2Luis RoblesNYRB v. ORL5.9 
3Jimmy MaurerDAL v. COL4.5An ideal first part of a keeperoo thanks to Jesse Gonzalez's call-up.
4Brad KnightonNE v. FCC4.7 
5Joe BendikCLB at PHI4.5I trust the Columbus defense, even minus a few pieces, on the road over Philly at home. Bendik doesn't bring an ideal skill set but he's logged minutes in this league and has a shot at a cheap clean sheet.
6Carlos CoronelPHI v. CLB4.5Not 100% certain he will fill-in for Andre Blake over Freese, but either will work here.
7Tim HowardCOL at DAL5.9 
8Spencer RicheyFCC at NE5.3Deserved his team of the week nod for some heroics against the Timbers. Let's see if he can keep it up.
9Nick RimandoRSL at LAFC6.0 
10Brian RoweLAFC v. RSL4.7 
Value Rankings
(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Vincent BezecourtNYRB v. ORL5.5Everyone in the starting lineup is in play for New York Red Bulls.
2Kellyn AcostaCOL at DAL6.5Revenge game narrative for a player that can tally a few bonus points with offensive upside.
3RobinhoCLB at PHI5.3Deservedly may have usurped Meram on the wing.
4Dillon SernaCOL at DAL6.4Finally healthy, Serna has flashed that promise he had several seasons ago and brought some energy to the Rapids.
5Emmanuel LedesmaFCC at NE6.7Should step into the midfield and be tasked with creating some offense.
6Sebastian SaucedoRSL at LAFC4.9I've long been a Bofo fan, but this is not the ideal time for him to get a start.
7Jacori HayesDAL v. COL4.7 
8Josh WilliamsCLB at PHI4.5Caleb Porter may pull out the 3-man back line he tested in the preseason and that'd make Williams or Abubakar a decent look.
9Forrest LassoFCC at NE4.5Should be stepping into some big Waston-sized shoes, but he's 6'5" too!
10Brandon ByeNE v. FCC4.4He'll be a cheap fallback for a lot of people, and I'm not a huge fan, but his teammates may help him earn a clean sheet.
Captain Rankings
RankPlayerMatchupPriceNotes
1Carlos VelaLAFC v. RSL11.8RotoWire could train a monkey to make the captain pick this week.
2Carles GilNE v. FCC9.7While I ranked Royer higher in the standard midfield rankings, Gil pips him in the Captain rankings because I prefer his upside. If you're going to gamble and keep the armband away from Vela, you're chasing more than a solid Royer outing.
3Daniel RoyerNYRB v. ORL8.0Great way to kickoff his MLS regular season, but let's not let recency bias overreact to one big match.
4Adama DiomandeLAFC v. RSL9.8Could easily have ranked him second if not for playing time concerns. Diego Rossi is also an interesting pivot to a Vela (C).
5Marco FabianPHI v. CLB9.0He's the first guy Philly look to when they have the ball, he's taking set pieces, ripping shots, and already has attempted two penalty kicks this season. He's got the upside you want in a captain.

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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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