This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Lineup No. 1: Villa and Co.
Midweek MLS matches always provide plenty of squad rotation, so it's vital to check the starting lineups in case there are any unexpected values. That being said, we have a little bit of an advantage with the Portland Timbers because they were off this past weekend, the only team on the Wednesday slate to have that luxury. And while they're on the road, they'll face a Revolution side that has struggled considerably to start the season, as their attack has faltered and their defense has allowed five goals in their last two matches.
We'll take advantage of the Revs' struggling goal-scoring form by grabbing goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, who will move into the starting lineup in place of the injured Adam Kwarasey ($3,500). New England has scored multiple goals just twice this season (at Houston and at Orlando, the latter of which included an incredibly poor penalty call late in stoppage time), though they've put 22 shots on goal in their last four matches, giving Gleeson some save opportunities.
Our three-man defense will include another Timbers player, as we'll roll with Zarek Valentin, who is starting for the injured Alvas Powell ($4,200). Valentin played fairly well in his first start back on April 16 against San Jose (Portland's last game), finishing with 10 fantasy points, which included four crosses and four tackles won; not bad for $2,600. The move to the starting lineup has increased his price slightly but it's hardly prohibitive. If
Lineup No. 1: Villa and Co.
Midweek MLS matches always provide plenty of squad rotation, so it's vital to check the starting lineups in case there are any unexpected values. That being said, we have a little bit of an advantage with the Portland Timbers because they were off this past weekend, the only team on the Wednesday slate to have that luxury. And while they're on the road, they'll face a Revolution side that has struggled considerably to start the season, as their attack has faltered and their defense has allowed five goals in their last two matches.
We'll take advantage of the Revs' struggling goal-scoring form by grabbing goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, who will move into the starting lineup in place of the injured Adam Kwarasey ($3,500). New England has scored multiple goals just twice this season (at Houston and at Orlando, the latter of which included an incredibly poor penalty call late in stoppage time), though they've put 22 shots on goal in their last four matches, giving Gleeson some save opportunities.
Our three-man defense will include another Timbers player, as we'll roll with Zarek Valentin, who is starting for the injured Alvas Powell ($4,200). Valentin played fairly well in his first start back on April 16 against San Jose (Portland's last game), finishing with 10 fantasy points, which included four crosses and four tackles won; not bad for $2,600. The move to the starting lineup has increased his price slightly but it's hardly prohibitive. If Valentin doesn't get the start, the Timbers could go with Taylor Peay, who saves us even more money with his $2,300 salary.
On the other side of the field will be another one of our defenders, London Woodberry, who is expected to start for Chris Tierney ($5,900), without a doubt the best fantasy defender in MLS. Don't expect Woodberry to provide Tierney upside, but he should be able to maintain some attacking form, as evidenced by his five crosses in 61 minutes after Tierney left Saturday's match against D.C. United.
Our last defender is a personal favorite and a player we've spoken often about on the fantasy MLS podcast, Ronald Matarrita, who has scored in double figures in all but one match this season. My favorite aspect of his fantasy game is that he's able to produce across so many categories, so if he doesn't send in eight crosses, he has eight-tackle upside. He took over corner-kick duties this past weekend against Philadelphia while Andrea Pirlo was rested, and while Pirlo is expected back, Matarrita's upside increases even more if the Italian doesn't start.
The midfield is a mishmash of floor and upside, with Connor Hallisey a bit of a punt in the hopes of squad rotation. Sporting KC played all their big guns this past weekend, so Hallisey could certainly get the midweek call, as he did two weeks ago when he had 17 fantasy points against the Rapids.
The Impact have been crossing a bit more recently, and we'll try to grab the guys sending them in with Marco Donadel and Maxim Tissot. Donadel has been taking corners, and he's coming off a solid 16 fantasy points again Toronto this past weekend, which included nine crosses. Tissot is expected to start at left back in place of the injured Hassoun Camara. His upside isn't tremendous, but at $2,600 and starting against the NYC FC defense, he's worth a gamble.
For a little more stability in midfield, we'll turn to Cristian Techera, who's been the main corner-taker for the Whitecaps, and Darlington Nagbe, who is expected to return from his ankle injury and start in the No. 10 role for the suspended Diego Valeri. Nagbe is a classic player who is more valuable in real life than in fantasy, but if he can send in even 30 percent of the crosses that Valeri usually does, he'll pay off.
Our attack will be headlined by two of the three most expensive options in David Villa and Fanendo Adi (Valeri is the second-most expensive, but as mentioned, he's suspended). Villa's high price requires that he score at least one goal, and probably two if the slate was bigger. That being said, he's been firing shots at a ridiculous rate, taking 24 in his last three games, including 10 this past weekend against Philadelphia. With Pirlo, Mix Diskerud and Tommy McNamara expected back, Villa should get better service and find his way to the net.
The last time we saw Adi, he was scoring two goals in just 27 minutes off the bench. His daily upside is as high as anyone's, particularly on this slate, and getting him for less than Didier Drogba, who just played Saturday, is a welcome gift.
Devil's Advocate: We're fading the upper-tier Impact players, who are playing against an NYC FC defense that has allowed five goals in their last two games. We're also avoiding most of the offensive weapons for the Revs and starting the opposing goalkeeper, who is making his first start of the season 3,000 miles from home and playing with at least one backup defender. And, hey, where are all the Sporting KC guys?
Why We'll Win: While the Impact are playing against a weaker defense, Drogba just played three days ago, which was his first start of the season after dealing with a knee issue that "prevented him" from playing on turf. NYC FC are actually much better defensively at home, allowing just two goals in their last three at Yankee Stadium, and our attack is led by arguably the two best goal scorers on the slate. Sporting KC is coming off a very tough match at San Jose this past weekend and the quick turnaround to playing the Whitecaps is hardly an improvement, so we'll let others get 18 fantasy points from Dom Dwyer, Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber ($19,300 combined salary).
Lineup No. 2: Money in the Middle
While we tried to mostly save our money in the midfield in the first lineup, now we can see what happens when we spend up. Instead of trusting a Timbers goalie making his first start of the season on the road, we'll stay at home with the Whitecaps' David Ousted, who has at least a dozen fantasy points in five of his last six, including averaging 17 fantasy points per game in his last three home games. London Woodberry and Zarek Valentin cross over from our earlier lineup, and they'll be joined by Andoni Iraola, who plays opposite Ronald Matarrita. Iraola doesn't have nearly the upside, but he does save us $1,300, which we can use to bolster the midfield.
We've got three of the six highest-priced midfielders on the board, plus the player who could step in for the most-expensive one. NYC FC have been quite vulnerable this season, and instead of relying on Didier Drogba for our fantasy points from Montreal, we'll go with Ignacio Piatti, who started off the season with a bang but has been closer to a whisper over the last few weeks. That being said, he can break out at any moment, and a game at Yankee Stadium could surely provide it.
Speaking of midfielders who have disappointed but continue to have very good upside is the Revs' Lee Nguyen, whose only goal this season came two games ago and from the penalty spot. Nevertheless, he'll get to face off against a backup goalkeeper and at least one backup defender, and if anyone is going to be a part of a Revolution goal, it's going to be Nguyen. We'll stick with Darlington Nagbe with the hopes he can be 50 percent of Diego Valeri and we'll add in the Whitecaps' Pedro Morales, who is expected back from injury, and Nicolas Mezquida. Morales has four goals in five games this season, while Mezquida gets enough playing time and does enough on the stat sheet that he could flirt with double-digit points, which would go a long way on his $3,100 salary.
Our forwards echo the theme of focusing on players ready to break out, with Octavio Rivero, who is still goalless this season, and Charlie Davies, who hasn't started in a number of weeks and hasn't scored since the season opener. Rivero continues to be very active and he's fronting a solid attacking unit that should have playmaking midfielder Pedro Morales back. Meanwhile, the Revolution attack has stalled with Teal Bunbury leading the charge, which should be enough to get Davies back in the starting lineup to provide a spark.
Devil's Advocate: We're banking on quite a few players who are "poised for breakouts," which is another way of saying they aren't playing well. We avoided the Sporting KC attackers again, which could come back to bite us if they all start. We're also expecting goals from our midfielders, who all play on teams with forwards who have big scoring upsides. If David Villa, Drogba or Fanendo Adi bag hat tricks, we'll have a tough time cashing.
Why We'll Win: While everyone will be fighting to fit in Villa and Drogba, we've grabbed midfielders with solid floors who could turn into explosive fantasy plays if they score and/or assist. Even if SKC starts their main attackers, it's very likely they play closer to 60 minutes than 90, leaving our competitors with partial performances.
