The MLS schedule is absolutely loaded heading in to this Saturday with six games on the slate. That will mean plenty of options to choose from when building a winning lineup in fantasy competitions but there are a couple of matchups in particular that stand out. Real Salt Lake will have an excellent opportunity to improve its playoff position when it hosts a Houston side that is buried at the bottom of the Western Conference standings while Orlando City SC will attempt to build a cushion in the sixth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference versus Columbus. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s MLS Fantasy Leagues and surprisingly, we don’t have any players from New York even though their two teams have been among the highest scoring in the MLS this season.
GK: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake
Salary: $5,600
Real Salt Lake has failed to pick up a win in each of its last two games and is now three points back of the LA Galaxy for third place in the Western Conference standings. RSL will have an excellent opportunity to bounce back with a win this weekend at home against a Houston side that has just one win in its last 10 games so Rimado should be a solid option in net.
D: Brek Shea, Orlando City SC
Salary: $5,400
Orlando City is in an even more pressing situation than RSL, coming off a tough loss to the LA Galaxy after they had strung together back-to-back wins. Orlando is now just one point up on New England and DC United for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference so the urgency will be there heading in to this weekend’s matchup with a Columbus side that has fallen to last place in the East standings.
D: Kevin Alston, Orlando City SC
Salary: $3,800
The Crew has some dangerous offensive weapons but Orlando should be able to keep them in check in a key matchup where the urgency will be ramped up. That will put the potential for a clean sheet bonus in play so it makes sense to double down on Orlando with their two best defender options.
M: Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake
Salary: $7,800
Morales has been Real Salt Lake’s best midfield presence all season with four goals and four assists on the campaign. RSL will need to lean on its star players to step up down the stretch in order to improve its position in the Western Conference ahead of the postseason and this weekend’s favorable playoff matchup should provide the perfect opportunity to deliver a strong fantasy stat line.
M: Diego Fagundez, New England
Salary: $5,200
New England sits one point back of Orlando City for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference following back-to-back wins and they will look to capitalize on a chance to close the gap at home versus Montreal this weekend. Fagundez is coming off an excellent performance in which he registered a goal and an assist with five shots in a 3-1 win over New York City FC so we will bet on him to double down with another strong MLS fantasy outing this weekend.
F: Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC
Salary: $9,400
No player should be more excited for Saturday’s favorable matchup than Larin, who leads Orlando City SC with 13 goals and three assists this season. Larin is one of the most expensive striker options on the board but he is definitely worth paying a little bit more for to have in our MLS fantasy lineups this weekend.
F: Chris Wondolowski, San Jose
Salary: $7,700
Wondolowski has registered 10 goals and two assists this season and yet he is still available at under $8K in DraftKings competitions. That makes him an intriguing forward option for this week’s showdown with Colorado as the Earthquakes attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive in a tough road game.
FLEX: Juan Aguedelo, New England
Salary: $5,100
Aguedelo represents another excellent value play from the Revolution with both players listed at under $5.3K. Aguedelo also had a goal and an assist in last week’s win over NYCFC and he fits the bill as the perfect value play at the FLEX position for Saturday’s DraftKings MLS fantasy contests.
