MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 29

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Published on September 18, 2019

The rankings below are based on Major League Soccer's official fantasy game and cover all games in Week 29. 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
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Josef Martinez	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	13.9	14-game goal-scoring streak? Yep.
2	Raul Ruidiaz	SEA v. DAL, at DC	11.9	11 goals in 16 starts but still underrated as a whole by MLS fans and fantasy managers.
3	Brian Fernandez	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	9.5	Similar scoring clip to Ruidiaz, just overcoming a stomach virus, and now Portland need points. Even if he has spurned you in recent weeks, holding a grudge may only hurt your team this week.
4	Jordan Morris	SEA v. DAL, at DC	10.0	JoMo is playing well and a fine alternative to Ruidiaz. I think that many people will prefer Morris outright, which doesn't really make opting for him a great way to gain ground.
5	Zdenek Ondrasek	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	6.5	Packs the scoring punch of the top three and allows you to save some salary. Dallas also are desperate to push into the playoffs. Unfortunately, these are two tough fixtures.
6	Carlos Vela	LAFC v. TOR	15.5	Toronto plays in the Canadian Championship (leg 1) midweek while LAFC get to rest and formulate a plan to dismantle them.
7	Zlatan Ibrahimovic	LA v. MTL	12.8	Montreal also play in the Canadian Championship midweek. The Galaxy aren't really one for well-oiled plans and executing them, but Zlatan & Co. are feeling their oats lately.
8	Bradley Wright-Phillips	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	5.6	BWP is finally back in the swing of things and looking for his first goal. Only the most desperate of fantasy managers should look to him as a differential though (and I would stack other NYRB attackers with him, if so).
9	Jeremy Ebobisse	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	5.6	Always a chance he doesn't start both, but I think he will and could be a sneaky alternative to Fernandez.
10	Jesus Ferreira	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	7.1	Yellow card warning?
11	Gustavo Bou	NE v. RSL	10.7
12	Kekuta Manneh	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	5.3
13	Diego Rossi	LAFC v. TOR	9.3
14	Dominique Badji	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	5.8	Yellow card warning?
15	Nemanja Nikolic	CHI at FCC	7.8
16	Mauro Manotas	HOU v. ORL	9.6
17	Hector Villalba	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	6.8	If he starts Wednesday night, I would be intrigued enough to consider him just below the Ondrasek/BWP range of differentials. Chances seem slim for him to start both, though.
18	Kacper Przybylko	PHI at NYRB	9.6
19	Wayne Rooney	DC v. SEA	9.2
20	Kei Kamara	COL at SKC	7.2

Midfielders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Diego Valeri	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	13.5	Portland need points. Portland want home field advantage. Valeri usually comes through.
2	Nicolas Lodeiro	SEA v. DAL, at DC	12.8	Lodeiro is a volatile bonus point earner, but I think these two matchups bode well for his numbers all around.
3	Pity Martinez	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	9.4	Pity has rounded in to a very good contributor of late. The shots are there, but the goals haven't quite followed yet.
4	Julian Gressel	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	9.6
5	Daniel Royer	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	8.7	Royer loses out to Gressel for #4 just because of the tougher fixtures. He's still a quality option this week.
6	Cristian Roldan	SEA v. DAL, at DC	10.0	Roldan has been on fire, but VRod's potential return could keep him grounded in the defensive midfield just a little more.
7	Michael Barrios	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	10.5	Dangerous both on the dribble and at creating chances for others, Barrios could come in handy this week. Dallas are barely outside of the playoffs and can't afford to come away with less than four points this week.
8	Kaku	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	8.8	Good player, but for fantasy he is far more risk than reward. He hasn't produced a single double-digit fantasy match this year, but has served up a healthy number of duds.
9	Sebastian Blanco	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	9.7	Just back from an injury. I'd love to trust him, but think I'll use my Portland spots a safer way.
10	Emmanuel Ledesma	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	8.7	One yellow away from suspension, I believe. Two home games, one hard and one easier makes him mildly appealing though.
11	Marc Rzatkowski	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	7.6
12	Paxton Pomykal	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	7.2	No guarantee he starts both, unfortunately.
13	Diego Chara	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	8.9	5+ points in each of the last 7 games. Strictly based on averages and projections he should be higher in the rankings, but the lack of attacking upside at a time when everyone is chasing high returns factors in, too.
14	Darlington Nagbe	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	8.4
15	Josh Sims	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	6.7	Currently one of the bench options I am most considering. Have to see if he's in the lineup on Wednesday.
16	Allan Cruz	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	7.9	Yellow card warning?
17	Frankie Amaya	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	4.8	Could be the key to unlocking some salary. Should be good for 7-9 points.
18	Bryan Acosta	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	7.0
19	Cristian Pavon	LA v. MTL	10.7	Squeezing some LA/LAFC guys in at the end since they have good matchups and could certainly outscore many of these DGW players.
20	Latif Blessing	LAFC v. TOR	9.4

Defenders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Leandro Gonzalez Pirez	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	8.6	The Walking Yellow Card takes top spot thanks to high clean sheet potential this week.
2	Jorge Moreira	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	9.5	Best attacking potential of any defender this week. Portland will have to break down a tough Red Bulls and Minnesota side, and Moreira will push upfield to help.
3	Miles Robinson	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	9.3	Atlanta will be keen to erase back to back games with three goals allowed. Especially Robinson after his ugly own-goal last week.
4	Reto Ziegler	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	9.1	Takes penalties.
5	Ryan Hollingshead	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	10.0	More goalscoring upside than Moreira, less in most other areas.
6	Franco Escobar	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	6.7	Grabbed a whopping six bonus points last week, but he usually isn't at the level of LGP or Robinson.
7	Brad Smith	SEA v. DAL, at DC	5.9	Bit of a reach for offensive output, but I don't hate the play.
8	Claude Dielna	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	7.2	Portland's centerback pairing is very turbulent right now, with some players just becoming available. Mabiala will step right back in when ready and then I think Dielna has earned at least one of the starts this week. Tuiloma likely plays a role too.
9	Aaron Long	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	7.2	Fixtures are tough, but Long is usually good for 2-3 bonus points.
10	Jorge Villafana	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	7.9	I love that both games are at home, but am admittedly nervous that Portland are going to be vulnerable on the counter against these two teams. We don't have any elite clean sheet options on this slate of games, though.
11	Michael Amir Murillo	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	5.9
12	Kelvin Leerdam	SEA v. DAL, at DC	4.6
13	Matt Hedges	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	7.5
14	Reggie Cannon	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	5.6	Yellow card warning?
15	Kim Kee-Hee	SEA v. DAL, at DC	5.6
16	Greg Garza	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	5.3	FCC has a chance to keep a clean sheet against Chicago, and their fullbacks have some decent attacking potential.
17	Kemar Lawrence	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	5.2
18	Tim Parker	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	5.2
19	Xavier Arreaga	SEA v. DAL, at DC	5.0
20	Andrew Gutman	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	4.0	FCC has a chance to keep a clean sheet against Chicago, and their fullbacks have some decent attacking potential.

Goalkeepers
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Brad Guzan	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	8.3	Concern level is only at like 3 out of 10 after recent bad outings for Atlanta's defense.
2	Steve Clark	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	7.9	Another strong play, near Guzan's level.
3	Jesse Gonzalez	DAL at SEA, v. NYC	5.9	Neck and neck between Gonzalez and Frei.
4	Stefan Frei	SEA v. DAL, at DC	6.4
5	Luis Robles	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	6.0
6	Przemyslaw Tyton	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	5.3	I think many will have him first in their switcheroo, but I'd almost rather just go with single gamers Room/Willis or something like that if trying to save cash. There's pretty much no chance Atlanta doesn't score.
7	Tyler Miller	LAFC v. TOR	7.4
8	David Bingham	LA v. MTL	7.0
9	Kenneth Kronholm	CHI at FCC	7.9
10	Eloy Room	CLB at VAN	4.9

Value Rankings
(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Joseph-Claude Gyau	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	4.9	Higher ceiling, lower floor than Amaya.
2	Cristhian Paredes	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	6.6
3	Cristian Casseres Jr.	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	6.1
4	Eric Remedi	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	5.1	Yellow card warning?
5	Rashawn Dally	FCC v. ATL, v. CHI	4.0
6	Billel Tuiloma	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	5.6	If he starts Wednesday, he could be the best avenue into the Portland defense, but you're taking a chance on him also starting over the weekend.
7	Rece Buckmaster	NYRB at POR, v. PHI	4.0
8	Justin Meram	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	6.4
9	Joevin Jones	SEA v. DAL, at DC	4.7	A Wednesday start would put him into my top 20 with ease.
10	Victor Rodriguez	SEA v. DAL, at DC	7.1	A Wednesday start would put him into my top 20 with ease.

Captain Rankings
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Diego Valeri	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	13.5	Two tough teams, but Portland are motivated and should roll this week.
2	Josef Martinez	ATL at FCC, v. SJ	13.9	Great case for #1, but tough to knock off an elite midfielder playing twice at home.
3	Nicolas Lodeiro	SEA v. DAL, at DC	12.8
4	Raul Ruidiaz	SEA v. DAL, at DC	11.9	I'm ranking Ruidiaz higher, but if you're chasing, I almost prefer Fernandez as the differential (C).
5	Brian Fernandez	POR v. NYRB, v. MIN	9.5	I'm ranking Ruidiaz higher, but if you're chasing, I almost prefer Fernandez as the differential (C).