With a full slate of games on the schedule for Friday and Saturday in the MLS, there will be no shortage of fantasy leagues covering the two days beginning on late Friday night when Houston and San Jose clash at 11 p.m. ET.
Our focus will undoubtedly remain on the most favorable matchup of the week, although one player in particular from that game would be a lock on our team this week regardless of which team he was playing against. Here is a look at our optimal DraftKings MLS fantasy lineup.
GK: Stefan Frei, Seattle
Salary: $5,400
The Sounders had lost four straight games before finally making a statement with a 1-0 win over the best team from the Eastern Conference in DC United. Now they will have an excellent opportunity to string together consecutive victories when they clash with the team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the Chicago Fire. Frei was excellent in last week’s clean sheet win, so we will go back to him in this spot at a reasonable price and with what on paper is a much better matchup.
D: Tyrone Mears, Seattle
Salary: $6,000
Mears’ goal in the 88th minute of last week’s 1-0 win over DC United was the game-winning goal as well as the only goal recorded by an MLS defender last week. Mears isn’t shy to jump in to the rush and contribute off set pieces, and his offensive upside combined with his solid defensive play make him an elite defender option here.
D: Chad Marshall, Seattle
Salary: $4,300
While Mears would be an excellent fit regardless, we will plug in another Seattle defender and bank on the matchup here with Marshall available at just under $2,000 less. Marshall doesn’t have the same offensive potential as Mears but he is a solid option at a reasonable price in this spot.
M: Ethan Finlay, Columbus
Salary: $8,000
Finlay scored both of the Crew’s goals in their 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls to finish with the best fantasy stat line among MLS midfielders a week ago. He has the potential to deliver again this week when Columbus takes on the Montreal Impact. Finlay continues to look more comfortable as a central figure in the Crew’s offensive attack, so look for him to deliver at a reasonable price again this week.
M: Felipe Martins, New York
Salary: $6,000
Martins was all over the field for the Red Bulls in last week’s loss to Columbus but he ended up actually struggling from a fantasy perspective as he was held without a point and docked points for a yellow card. Martins should bounce back this week and considering New England has allowed more goals than any other MLS team, there should be plenty of opportunities for him to find the score sheet.
F: Clint Dempsey, Seattle
Salary: $9,500
Dempsey is the one Sounders player that would be in our lineup regardless of the matchup as he is clearly a man on a mission after his most recent MLS suspension. Dempsey was stripped of the USA captaincy shortly after the suspension but it seemed like added motivation for him when he scored twice in their 2-1 Gold Cup win over Honduras on Tuesday. He will more than likely bring that same swagger and determination to Seattle’s game against Chicago on Saturday. Dempsey is among the elite MLS strikers and he should deliver without forcing us to completely break the bank on him for Saturday’s game against the Fire.
F: Max Urruti, Portland
Salary: $6,400
Portland is coming off a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes but they could have easily won by two or three goals after firing 23 shots – including seven that actually hit the target. Jack Jewsbury finally broke through in the first minute of added time with the winning goal but the need for offense could force the Timbers to bring Urruti off the bench much earlier to help provide a spark against Philadelphia. At a reasonable price, we don’t mind taking a chance on him here.
FLEX: Alvas Powell, Portland
Salary: $4,300
The fact that we have just enough money left over to plug in Powell in this spot makes this roster that much more complete as he has proven to be a valuable fantasy commodity at a bargain price over the past few weeks. Powell has the potential to contribute at both ends of the pitch and his strong defensive play and starter minutes is enough to make him a smart bet here with Portland clashing with the Union on Saturday.
