This article is part of our DraftKings Fantasy Soccer series.
Lineup No. 1: Toothless Lions
Thanks to the international break, we have a plethora of players missing for a four-game slate with three clear favorites, and another match that could have a clean sheet for either side. Picking the proper back line will be key to success this weekend. Many will favor San Jose above all others, but they could be a let down defensively without many of their key midfielders. I'm first looking in New England's direction defensively. The Revolution have won four of their past five, keeping three clean sheets in that stretch. Meanwhile, spiraling Orlando City will be missing their three most dangerous players in Kaka, Cyle Larin and Carlos Rivas. Chris Tierney has three straight matches with at least 10 fantasy points on DraftKings, while Jeremy Hall should patrol the opposite flank. Hall's upside is limited, so I'd suggest diversifying your exposure for cash games, but in tournaments I'll mostly be stacking defensive teammates.
I've selected two under-valued players for our midfield. While I love Lee Nguyen's potential this week, and most weeks, his price would hamper our other attacking choices. Therefore, we'll be first looking to Harry Shipp of the Chicago Fire, who travel to face the Montreal Impact who will be missing key pieces of their back line and midfield along with debuting a new manager. Shipp must grab a hold of the opportunity left by Shaun Maloney if the Fire have any hopes of making the playoffs, and this game is primed for a re-emergence of the talented playmaker. Admittedly, nothing in Shipp's recent matches has suggested he's a lock for a good performance, but the talent we've seen in the past is still difficult to ignore given the matchup. Our other midfield pick is Herculez Gomez. With Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco missing for Toronto FC, Herc could earn his first start since returning to MLS. The former US Men's National Team forward will likely play in an advanced position, but remains midfield eligible for just $3,500. Although I like Seattle's defensive outlook in this game, it's very hard to pass over Gomez at that price and playing alongside an in-form Michael Bradley.
There are a surprising number of forward options given the limited slate, but Obafemi Martins is as close to a must-play as it gets. A premier MLS striker, Martins has 51 DraftKings points since returning from injury three matches ago. Toronto's defense is middling at best, and dismal at worst. Even a Seattle squad missing several key players should be able to grab multiple goals, and Oba is by far the best bet. After Martins, the next likeliest player to bag a brace may be Kennedy Igboananike. Finally stringing together a handful of 90-minute appearances, Igbo has four goals in four matches. Like Shipp, it's a great matchup, but unlike Shipp, we have recent success reinforcing our confidence with this selection. The fast and aggressive forward costs just $6,300 which is certifiable robbery. Rounding our our three-headed attack is Quincy Amarikwa. While San Jose's defense could be ripe for letdown, their attack will still feature Amarikwa, Chris Wondolowski, Shea Salinas and likely Matias Perez Garcia. Philadelphia travels from one coast to another and will be without their best player (and worst sportsman) in Cristian Maidana. While Amarikwa vs. Wondolowski was explored in depth on this week's RotoWire Fantasy MLS Podcast, we don't have much of a choice here with our salary limitations. Amarikwa's energy is both a joy to watch and a boon to fantasy lineups. The speedy and tenacious attacker should be able to find multiple scoring chances, set up teammates and draw a handful of fouls.
Devil's Advocate: We really like New England at home, so why don't we have one of their attacking players? Diego Fagundez could be a nice pivot from Shipp since we're investing two spots in Fire players on the road. Jeremy Hall remains an underwhelming option and we might be best served picking an attacking fullback from another team.
Why We'll Win: It's not complicated: we've given ourselves an excellent clean sheet opportunity and rostered some of the weekend's biggest goal scoring threats. If our midfield hits value, we'll be boosting our bankroll!
Lineup No. 2: A Sound Defense
Whereas the last lineup focused on the New England defense, this one keys on my other preferred clean sheet chance. Seattle host a Toronto FC squad that hasn't proven they can get it done without league MVP Sebastian Giovinco. Jozy Altidore will also be absent, which until recently wouldn't have been such a bad thing for Toronto, but nowadays it boosts Seattle's chances that much more. Stefen Frei has been one of the league's strongest keepers this season, while Tyrone Mears remains one of the better attacking defenders. Dylan Remick is no stranger to joining the attack at an opportune time, but will rarely do so in a way that risks his team's defensive posture. Remick's price is quite a bargain while the other two Sounders are simply some of the best at their position, especially this weekend. It's extremely difficult to pick between New England and Seattle when considering a defensive stack, and ultimately I think Seattle's trio have more upside while New England's are safer.
Since we aren't using New England's defense in this lineup, we can look to a value midfield play for Orlando. Eric Avila stands to fill in at the No. 10 spot where Kaka typically anchors Orlando's attack. While New England should have their way in this one, Avila's $4,500 price tag and likely low ownership scream "potential tournament winner." Just like a Herculez Gomez goal would ruin the Seattle defensive stacks in our previous lineup, an Avila goal or assist would help us while hurting opponents' New England stacks.
With four offensive spots left, I'm going to go with two pairs of attacking players. From San Jose, I'll be looking to Chris Wondolowski who remains one of the most reliable scorers in league history. San Jose have been on quite a run of late and Wondo is not the type to rest on his laurels. Shea Salinas is the other player I'm looking to from San Jose. While two recent goals are encouraging, the likelier outlook for Salinas is a solid helping of crosses and great assist potential. Salinas is a terrific crosser and will be searching for Wondolowski in the middle of the box. Philadelphia may have a goal or two in them, but I really doubt their defense will keep the ball out of the net.
For our other two attacking players, we'll head to Seattle. Obafemi Martins remains a fixture in nearly every lineup I've considered this weekend, for the same reasons noted above. Nelson Valdez is the other attacking option I like in this one. Already with a goal during his short time in Seattle, Valdez packs a lot of point-scoring potential into his $5,600 salary. If Clint Dempsey rejoins the lineup, I like Valdez even more since he will have very little attention directed his way. Toronto will be lucky to stop one of Martins or Dempsey, let alone both AND Valdez.
Erik Friberg is another great value at $3,900 but I fear he will be over-owned relative to his scoring potential. Admittedly, the safer play might be to grab Friberg instead of Avila and then re-invest the $6,200 into a forward in a match we aren't yet invested in.
Devil's Advocate: Again, grabbing Avila over Friberg is a risky decision that could pay off or blow up in our faces. There's a legitimate concern that paying up for Wondolowski over Amarikwa isn't worth it, too. Even if Seattle and San Jose do well offensively, we're not guaranteed to have their best scoring players.
Why We'll Win: Our offensive pairings are a great combination of being on favored teams yet still slight differentials. Avila could truly set us apart if he grabs a goal, and at worst should string a few shots, crosses and fouls drawn together. The Seattle back line could really shine, particularly if Mears' deadly right foot gets a look or two at Toronto's goal.
