The MLS schedule is absolutely loaded for this weekend with two games on Friday night and another five filling up the slate for Saturday. While we don’t mind spending big on the best fantasy players on the board, that’s only possible because there are plenty of value options available. Here is a look at our optimal lineup for this weekend’s DraftKings MLS Fantasy Leagues.
GK: Jaime Penedo, LA Galaxy
Salary: $5,500
Penedo isn’t the top-ranked goalkeeper on the board in terms of overall fantasy production but he has been excellent for the Galaxy and should benefit from a favorable matchup at home against Philadelphia. The Union are one of the league’s lowest scoring teams with just 18 goals in 16 games so far this season. LA can’t afford to drop points at home if they are going to compete with the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps for the top two spots in the Western Conference and with Penedo available at such a good price at home, it makes a lot of sense to plug him in here.
D: Aurelien Colin, Orlando City SC
Salary: $3,700
Colin was excellent for Orlando City SC in their 1-0 win over DC United last week. Combine that with the fact this week’s matchup is against Montreal, that’s not going to scare us off. The Impact had a brief little spurt earlier but now when you evaluate their season as a whole, they have just 14 goals, which is the fewest in the western conference. With Colin coming in at a discount price, he looks like a very reasonable pick.
D: Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC
Salary: $3,300
Toronto FC has looked much better in their own end of late as their 16 goals allowed is tied for the best in the East. That points us to Morgan, who is the type of value play worth investing in with TFC at home. They’ll be hosting a New York City FC team that is still last in the Eastern Conference despite beating Montreal last week.
M: Kaka, Orlando
Salary: $11,400
Kaka is the most expensive midfielder on the board by far but considering his numbers this season, he is definitely worth taking here. A matchup against a Montreal team that just lost 3-1 to NYCFC a week ago is ripe for the taking and if Orlando is going to score some goals, it will be Kaka who stands out as the central figure in their offensive attack.
M: Felipe Martins, New York
Salary: $6,400
Martins has quietly been very good for the Red Bulls and unlike some of the other middle tier midfielders on the board, he is available at a reasonable price. New York is at home against a pretty good Whitecaps team this week but it isn’t enough to scare us away from taking him.
F: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
Salary: $9,200
The Galaxy have to ramp up the urgency and Keane is still their best player up front. Even though they have just 16 goals on the season, they’re capable of much more and he’s still their most lethal striker. David Villa and Sebastian Giovinco might be better pure options in this spot but they are both cost upwards of $10K. Considering the Galaxy’s matchup against Philadelphia, we feel comfortable going with him here.
F: Jack McInerney, Montreal
Salary: $7,000
McInerney follows suit as one of Montreal’s top attacking options and one that is available at a decent price in a relatively favorable matchup The Impact have been very inconsistent all year but McInerney has been good enough for them to take him at a decent price here.
FLEX: Hassoun Camara, Montreal
Salary: $2,900
We don’t have very much money left over to fill our FLEX spot here, so we will take the best starting defender that we can still afford with the money we have left over. The Impact were awful last week but we have to hope they can bounce back with a better effort against Orlando this Saturday night.
