The MLS soccer schedule is fairly spread out this weekend including seven games on the slate for Saturday. The first couple of months of the MLS fantasy have given us a strong enough sample size that we have a pretty good idea of what to expect for this week and we have taken the time to break down the matchups to build the best possible lineup to use in this weekend’s fantasy competitions. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings MLS Fantasy Leagues.
GK: Zac MacMath, Colorado
Salary: $4,000
The Rapids sit alone atop the Western Conference standings with a 7-2-2 record and will be in an excellent position to add to their win total this weekend when they host Columbus. Colorado has conceded just eight goals through its first 11 games of the season and there is a good chance MacMath adds another solid performance to his strong start against a Crew side that has struggled to score with just 11 goals through their first nine games.
D: Marc Burch, Colorado
Salary: $3,600
Burch is a strong pick here in big part because of the favorable defensive matchup for Colorado. The Rapids have done an excellent job limiting the opposition attack so far this year and we are banking on that trend continuing when they host Columbus on Saturday.
D: Drew Moor, Toronto FC
Salary: $3,300
D: Bobby Burling, Colorado
Salary: $3,100
It didn’t take us long to turn back to this favorable matchup for Colorado. Burling doesn’t have much offensive upside but he is a strong defender that is hard to resist at just $3.1K since he allows us to save more salary cap space to spend on the forward and midfield positions.
M: Ignacio Piatti, Montreal
Salary: $6,200
Piatti has been one of the top midfielders in the MLS so far this season and we wouldn’t be able to plug him in here if we hadn’t used smart value plays at the defender positions. Piatti has six goals and one assist through his first 10 appearances of the year and he should get plenty of opportunities to add to that total with the Impact taking on Philadelphia on Saturday.
M: Tsubasa Endoh, Toronto FC
Salary: $4,900
Endoh broke through with his first goal of the MLS season in his first start of the year last week against FC Dallas and it wouldn’t be a surprise if TFC turned back to him in this spot hoping that he can deliver a strong encore performance. Endoh is available at a very reasonable price in this spot so he is worth taking a chance on here.
M: Kellyn Acosta, FC Dallas
Salary: $4,000
Acosta is still looking for his first point of the year but he has played in all 11 games for FC Dallas and has registered 11 shots to this point. It’s only a matter of time before he finally breaks through with a big performance and we are banking on that it will be this weekend versus the Seattle Sounders.
F: Didier Drogba, Montreal
Salary: $7,500
Drogba has been on an absolute tear early on this year with three goals and three assists through his first five games. Drogba is coming of a three-point performance in his last appearance versus Chicago and we like him to produce one of the top MLS fantasy scores overall in this Saturday’s DraftKings competitions.
F: Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake
Salary: $6,200
Plata has been outstanding for Real Salt Lake early on this season with four goals and three assists through his first seven appearances. Plata will be in tough to maintain his point per game mark this year but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he stayed hot against the Houston Dynamo this weekend.
FLEX: Chris Pontius, Philadelphia
Salary: $6,200
Pontius has been one of several bright spots for Philadelphia so far this season with four goals through his first nine games. The Union striker is capable of creating for himself up front and with a little help there is a good chance he will find the score sheet again this weekend.
FLEX: Axel Sjoberg, Colorado
Salary: $2,900
With just over $3K left over to spend on our final FLEX spot in MLS fantasy, we have no trouble turning back to another strong value pick from the Colorado defense. The Rapids are 6-0-0 at home so far this year and should be in line for win No. 7 with a good chance they close the door shut on the Columbus attack this weekend.
