This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Welcome back to our weekly DraftKings MLS recommendations. We're going to examine two potential winning lineups for this weekend's slate and dive into the strategic side of lineup construction, while still presenting a bundle of great plays to target. Keep in mind that there are countless ways to build a winning DraftKings lineup, and these are just two approaches that I think could pay off.
Lineup No. 1: Houston, We Have a Problem!
What a weekend of fantasy MLS we have on our hands! As the league enters it's sixth month, we are faced with a far larger talent pool and also a far greater uncertainty when it comes to constructing lineups. My title for this lineup alludes to both the Houston-Kansas City match that we'll hope to capitalize on and also the general riskiness of this group. While many of these players are carrying slight injuries, returning from international duty, or flat out new to their teams, it's undeniable that fitting them all into one DraftKings roster has GPP winning potential. This is likely the only time all season we will be able to roster all of this talent under the salary cap.
The lineup was built around two outstanding midfield values in Graham Zusi and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Zusi, who played in his fourth straight All-Star Game on Wednesday, is an enticing way to buy into the Sporting Kansas City attack without breaking the bank. Houston and Kansas City have played twice this season (once in US Open Cup, but with fairly full-strength rosters) and there were 12 goals scored in total. SKC have been a good attacking team all year, but are even more adventurous at home, and Zusi should relish the opportunity to play in front of his home fans again after being away at the Gold Cup. The veteran winger had an impressive 45 minutes in the All-Star Game, and should he carry that form into the second half of the MLS season, he'll be a terrific value at just $5,800. Teammates Dom Dwyer, Krisztian Nemeth and Benny Feilhaber are all good options, but their price has me looking elsewhere this weekend when I can grab Zusi for such a bargain.
Meanwhile, Wright-Phillips joins his brother, and prolific scorer, Bradley Wright-Phillips in New York. Last Premier League season with lowly QPR, Shaun was at one point a playable daily fantasy option thanks to his crossing ability, and he could prove a dangerous option from the get-go against Philadelphia. I'm not entirely sure he starts, but I'm planning to use him heavily at his $5,000 price tag if I see him get onto the team sheet. These two might not be the Lee Nguyen, Ignacio Piatti or Javier Morales types that lead their team offensively each week, but for $10,800 I'm optimistic that we have two of the week's better value plays and still get a high ceiling of potential.
This allows us to invest up top in two of Major League Soccer's best fantasy options. Clint Dempsey is returning to Seattle for his first MLS match with the team since June 13. It's a Cascadia Cup rivalry game against Vancouver, and Dempsey will surely be hungry to help his team get back on track after floundering without their captain and Obafemi Martins. Any time we see a motivated Dempsey, I want to get him into my team. He also comes at a $2,400 discount to Sebastian Giovinco (heel) and $900 less than Kei Kamara, both of whom are on the road. Robbie Keane is the other forward I am targeting this week. The entire Galaxy team had a rough outing last week against Houston, and it would be shocking if they dropped another game to a lousy team in Colorado this weekend. Keane held himself out of the All-Star Game on Wednesday with a shoulder ailment, but I expect him to be good to go. Before his last match, he had a five-game stretch averaging over 28 fantasy points per game. In a week when Giovinco carries some uncertainty, Keane is a perfect alternative.
Many players got consideration for the flex spot, but I ultimately landed on Erick (Cubo) Torres. Houston manager Owen Coyle is toying with the idea of playing a 4-3-3 with Giles Barnes, Cubo, and Will Bruin all featuring up top. Finally, Houston has a chance to be an exciting team again. Cubo had 15 goals last season on an atrocious Chivas USA squad and is now surrounded by far greater talents. While I can't guarantee he will start, I can guarantee that Owen Coyle is crazy if he doesn't unleash Cubo. Kansas City have a tough defense at home, but Houston have shown they can score on SKC this season and the value with Cubo is too good to overlook.
We have enough salary left for the defense that you can grab whatever keeper you want and go from there. I don't think there is a clear option this weekend, and it's difficult to bank on Donovan Ricketts starting for the Galaxy when they play in a late game without many (or any) similarly priced alternatives. By the way, I also don't think Ricketts is very good any longer, but I'll always consider the Galaxy keeper behind their strong defense. I ended up taking Stefan Frei who should return from his separated shoulder. As mentioned previously, the Sounders are desperate to get back on track and before their many player absences they had one of the best defensive records in the league. $4,200 for Frei is a steep discount to what he cost prior to his injury.
Taking a discounted Frei allows me to buy premier MLS defender Chris Tierney at $5,800. This is a luxury I don't often have in my lineups, and could be a differential that sets us apart in a week with plenty of costly attacking options. Toronto are missing Michael Bradley and possibly Giovinco, so a clean sheet is possible in New England. Abdoulie Mansally rounds out the defensive group. He's a former attacking winger turned fullback for Real Salt Lake who has yet to show his true offensive potential. For $3,200 I like the gamble.
Devil's Advocate: There's a lot of uncertainty with this lineup. Will Frei, Wright-Phillips, Keane and Cubo all play? While there are options to pivot to should one of these guys not start, it's not optimal to have to change our plans mid-contest! We also did not grab a single piece of what should be a high scoring Orlando-Columbus match. Ultimately, we're betting on a lot of guys who we haven't seen play many MLS matches lately and no matter the talent, that's a slight concern.
Why We'll Win: This is one of the most flexible and talent-filled lineups to ever feature in this column. Dempsey may be overlooked for options more recently in our opponents' DFS minds. Should we need to adjust the lineup, we have plenty of options like changing Keane to Dwyer, Chris Tierney to a cheaper defender, etc. Further, a lot of our players seem to be entering this week with either some added motivation or extra hop in their step. As long as we make sure our five attacking players are starting, I'm pretty confident that this group has both a high floor and plenty of potential to reach the upper echelon of a GPP!
Lineup No. 2: Captain Kaka
There seem to be more ways to build a great lineup this week than usual. I wanted to offer a second grouping that goes off the beaten path a bit. While we will be missing out on Dempsey, Keane, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kamara, I think there's a strong possibility that we're buying into the two offenses with the highest scoring potential: Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City.
Let's get our stacks set first. I'm pairing Zusi and Dwyer in hopes that Kansas City continue to torment the Dynamo defense. Dwyer has nine shots in the past two matches and offers a nice discount over the top strikers while maintaining a great chance to score. Zusi was mentioned above as a player in form and at an outstanding value. I'm also tacking on Marcel de Jong in the Kansas City defense. He's proven to be a valuable asset on the defensive wing for SKC and is one of the better distance shooters and crossers among MLS fullbacks.
Next, Orlando City are a really appealing group and I planted my flag on the Kaka/Clye Larin combination over Kamara/Ethan Finlay on this week's Fantasy MLS Podcast. Orlando have grown a strong dislike for Columbus in their first season and not only will want to avenge their prior defeat, but also need to get back to their winning ways in general. Kaka appeared to be the best player on the pitch in the MLS All-Star Game for either side. I'm not often ponying up $10,000+ for him, but in this home match against a pedestrian Columbus defense, I'm buying in. Larin bagged a hat trick against NYC FC last weekend and is proving to be one of the most impressive rookies we've seen in some time. He's fairly goal dependent, but I think he grabs at least one in this game. Given the extra motivation for Orlando City, I'm also taking a long look at Tally Hall in goal. The Lions haven't been particularly stellar defensively, but I think they have a promising back line that will get back on track sooner rather than later. Columbus typically fire off plenty of shots, and Hall is capable of gobbling up a healthy dose of save points for our lineup if we're willing to take the risk.
We're left with very little to spend on a midfielder and defender. I'm inserting Mansally once more as one of the few playable options in his low price range. The DC United vs. Real Salt Lake match feels like it'll have multiple goals, and Mansally could push up the wing if RSL go down early. I'm also grabbing Thomas in the midfield for just $4,000. He'll finally get a full 90 minutes (hopefully) with Dempsey, and their playing styles seem like they will be simpatico. While not an ideal way to buy into the Seattle attack, Thomas gives us a cheap connection to the potential that a Dempsey-led offense presents.
I left us a bit of cash on the board, and I encourage you to tinker with this setup to fit your desired level of risk. Sebastian Lletget is a good alternative to Zusi for an extra $100 if you want to diversify the attack. Other intriguing gambles at forward are Luis Solignac ($4,900), Alvaro Saborio ($7,700) and Fernando Aristeguieta ($4,700). In the midfield, Nguyen is tough to pass up once more against a weak Toronto defense. At $8,400, he could save some salary as a Kaka alternative. Dempsey only costs $800 more than Dwyer, and if I weren't buying heavily in Kansas City, I'd be making that upgrade all day!
Devil's Advocate: We didn't buy any of the premier forwards, and that is a concern. It's highly unlikely that at least one of them has a great week, and we're relying on Dwyer and Larin to grab multiple goals to keep up. Hall is far from a safe option in goal. Lastly, a midfielder in the flex spot never feels quite as ideal as using a third forward.
Why We'll Win: We're stacking two offenses that could light up the scoreboard but have low ownership numbers. Kaka and Zusi looked tremendous in the All-Star Game, while Dwyer and Larin are familiar friends with the back of the net. If you believe in picking only players at home, these stacks also suit your needs. Hall is a risk, but often a winning GPP-lineup needs to grab the highest scoring keeper and he presents one of the higher ceilings given all the saves he should get. It's a riskier lineup than this column's first option, but it could reap the rewards for bold DraftKings players.
