MLS Fantasy Rankings: Week 2

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Published on March 5, 2020

MATCHES (ET)

Saturday, 1:30 pm: New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire
Saturday, 2:00 pm: Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, 3:00 pm: FC Dallas vs. Montreal Impact
Saturday, 3:30 pm: D.C. United vs. Inter Miami CF
Saturday, 5:00 pm: Toronto FC vs. New York City FC
Saturday, 7:00 pm: Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati
Saturday, 8:00 pm: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United
Saturday, 8:30 pm: Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo
Saturday, 9:00 pm: Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City SC
Saturday, 10:00 pm: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Saturday, 10:00 pm: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Columbus Crew
Sunday, 7:00 pm: Portland Timbers vs. Nashville SC
Sunday, 10:30 pm: Los Angeles Football Club vs. Philadelphia Union

Forwards
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Cristian Pavon	LA v. VAN	12.0	Chicharito drew plenty of attention in Week 1, and it allowed Pavon to shine. Vancouver may not have many solutions on the road, considering they were gouged for three at home.
2	Carlos Vela	LAFC v. PHI	13.8	All LAFC players come with some risk this week - they play their next CCL match four days later, and every other game will be over by the time we know their lineup. Many will find Vela worth the risk, but as of Wednesday night, I'm leaning towards playing it safe with three other forwards.
3	Gustavo Bou	NE v. CHI	11.5	Bou both benefits and is hurt by Carles Gil's absence. He becomes the primary playmaker, but the offense is understandably worse without another star in the lineup. I like him regardless of Gil's status.
4	Chicharito	LA v. VAN	10.8	The Galaxy really struggled to find Chicharito in Houston last week, opting to just bombard the Dynamo with 27 crosses. They're still figuring things out, but the matchup is good enough for me to consider playing both Pavon and Chich.
5	Felipe Mora	POR v. NSH	8.3
6	Alan Pulido	SKC v. HOU	11.0	Pulido had a good, not great, first match and while SKC's 3-1 win on the road is impressive, I'm not sure the attacking three are comfortable yet. Johnny Russell is not nearly as good on the left wing, while Khiry Shelton tucks inside from the right.
7	Diego Rossi	LAFC v. PHI	10.3	Rossi led MLS in week one with four shots on target. If he starts, he'll be a threat once more.
8	Raul Ruidiaz	SEA v. CLB	10.3
9	Jesus Ferreira	DAL v. MTL	8.7	Ferreira is a rising star in the league and I'm pretty sure he'll frequently get ranked over Ondrasek due to his playmaking abilities. The Cobra is far more goal dependent.
10	Heber	NYC at TOR	9.8	With four days rest, I wouldn't be too concerned about the upcoming CCL match.
11	Kei Kamara	COL v. ORL	10.5
12	Zdenek Ondrasek	DAL v. MTL	9.0
13	Jordan Morris	SEA v. CLB	10.5	Morris rarely gets the love he deserves in fantasy circles, but his big outtings are somewhat less predictable and his bonus points harder to come by than many wingers who get on the ball more.
14	Jozy Altidore	TOR v. NYC	9.8
15	Adam Buksa	NE v. CHI	7.3
16	Luis Amarilla	SJ v. MIN	10.5	Ethan Finlay is going to cause defenses a lot of trouble if he keeps playing like he did in week one. The beneficiary of Finlay's right wing dominance will often be Amarilla.
17	Lucas Cavallini	VAN at LA	8.3
18	Robert Beric	CHI at NE	10.5
19	Maximiliano Urruti	MTL at DAL	8.5	He was the primary scorer, corner kick taker, and arguably creator, all at once in the first match. That likely won't continue (not if Montreal want to finish above last place), but headed into a REVENGE GAME, Urruti is worth a passing glance.
20	Jurgen Locadia	FCC at ATL	10.6	Others considered: Mauro Manotas, Ola Kamara, Brian Rodriguez

Midfielders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Sebastian Blanco	POR v. NSH	9.8	Valeri is safer due to his penalty kick and set piece duties, but Blanco's ceiling from open play is significantly higher in my opinion.
2	Pity Martinez	ATL v. FCC	8.3	Without Josef, this is Pity's chance to step up and carry the team. Everything I've seen and heard from him so far makes me think he'll do it.
3	Alejandro Pozuelo	TOR v. NYC	12.0
4	Joao Paulo	SEA v. CLB	9.5	This ranking largely assumes Lodeiro will miss once again, but Paulo is top20 even if Lodeiro starts.
5	Ezequiel Barco	ATL v. FCC	9.5
6	Michael Barrios	DAL v. MTL	8.8	Montreal have the least rest of any upcoming CCL team and Dallas look like an attack with plenty of potential. If the Impact don't trot out their A-Team, then Barrios is looking at a great matchup.
7	Diego Valeri	POR v. NSH	10.4
8	Lucas Zelarayan	CLB at SEA	10.5	Few midfielders will still crack the top 10 when playing at Seattle, but Zelarayan is the real deal.
9	Rodolfo Pizarro	MIA at DC	9.3	I wasn't terribly impressed by Pizarro in week one, but he was clearly the Miami focal point, and it's tough to judge him too harshly in the franchise's first game against the league's best team (sorry Sounders).
10	Daniel Royer	NYRB at RSL	9.5	Both Royer and Valot had more action and impact than Kaku, but I would consider all three. Royer stands above the others due to his increased goalscoring chances while still maintaining playmaking potential.
11	Latif Blessing	LAFC v. PHI	10.6	I think Blessing gets rested or subbed off early, simply because he's looked like LAFC's second most important player this year (just my opinion). Also, Eduard Atuesta should be high in the rankings if he starts, but he is working back to fitness and I'd guess he sits too.
12	Cristian Roldan	SEA v. CLB	10.5
13	Albert Rusnak	RSL v. NYRB	8.8
14	Jonathan dos Santos	LA v. VAN	9.5	JdS seemed close to playing in week one, so I think he could be back this week. The Galaxy desperately miss his midfield presence.
15	Julian Gressel	DC v. MIA	11.0	To some's surprise, he started in the #10 role. Offensively, he often shifted right while Edison Flores came inside, but focused more centrally in defense. I wouldn't say it was a rousing success, but potential is there for plenty of bonus points if this continues.
16	Gadi Kinda	SKC v. HOU	8.0	Peter Vermes is going to have some incredibly tough decisions when all of his midfield are healthy, but Kinda made a case to be a first-team lock in week one.
17	Cristian Espinoza	SJ v. MIN	10.0
18	Kevin Molino	MIN at SJ	9.0
19	Jack Price	COL v. ORL	9.5	Price will be a popular pick this week after serving up 15 crosses, assisting five shots, and overwhelmingly commanding the play for the Rapids. Those bonus points are great, as are the assists, but be wary! Price has only scored two goals in his 57-start MLS career and picks up yellow cards about every third match.
20	Jamiro Monteiro	PHI at LAFC	7.8	Others considered: Hany Mukhtar, Edison Flores, Alexandru Mitrita, Alvaro Medran, Johnny Russell, Florian Valot

Defenders
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Reto Ziegler	DAL v. MTL	7.0	Penalty duty and one of the week's best clean sheet chances.
2	Jorge Moreira	POR v. NSH	5.3	Until shown otherwise, we should assume Portland will foolishly keep pushing numbers into the attack with reckless abandon. Nashville may not be able to take advantage of their defensive vulnerabilities, so that gives Moreira great potential for points at both ends.
3	Fernando Meza	ATL v. FCC	5.9	Atlanta control the game through their back line, and Meza's passing looks up to par. With those 1-2 bonus points pretty much guaranteed, he'll be near the top of the rankings in every appealing matchup.
4	Ryan Hollingshead	DAL v. MTL	7.0
5	Dario Zuparic	POR v. NSH	5.9	Zuparic also projects to have good passing point returns, but in a worse defense. Nashville are still figuring their offense out, though.
6	Emiliano Insua	LA v. VAN	5.9	If the Galaxy insist on bombing crosses into the box each week, Insua is one of the primary fantasy beneficiaries. He had a pretty impressive debut.
7	Luis Martins	SKC v. HOU	6.0	From the left back spot, Martins led SKC in touches! Playing through the wings is a clear focus for SKC and Martins attacking potential complements that very well.
8	Matt Hedges	DAL v. MTL	7.0
9	Kyle Duncan	NYRB at RSL	6.0
10	Tristan Blackmon	LAFC v. PHI	6.5	Blackmon's role as a right back that can often push into the defensive midfield in possession, but also make runs up the right flank, has been fun to watch so far. If he plays prior to CCL this week, I am keen on his fantasy potential.
11	Eddie Segura	LAFC v. PHI	7.0
12	Anton Walkes	ATL v. FCC	5.5
13	Oswaldo Alanis	SJ v. MIN	7.0	Surely you've seen his free kick goal from last week, but if not go find it. He did not monopolize set pieces, but could very well be the team's penalty taker too. We'll monitor his role moving forward.
14	Larrys Mabiala	POR v. NSH	6.0
15	Rolf Feltscher	LA v. VAN	4.1
16	Brooks Lennon	ATL v. FCC	5.3	If Atlanta have to play a little slower without Josef Martinez, and cross a little more into the imposing Adam Jahn, then Lennon may actually benefit from the superstar's absence in terms of fantasy output.
17	Lalas Abubakar	COL v. ORL	5.7
18	Reggie Cannon	DAL v. MTL	6.5
19	Steve Birnbaum	DC v. MIA	5.4	Birnbaum had more touches in the Colorado box last week than Ola Kamara, indicating he remains a large focus on attacking set pieces, and he's playing a new team that struggled to find a solution at striker in week one.
20	Milton Valenzuela	CLB at SEA	6.5	Others considered: Keegan Rosenberry, Vito Wormgoor, Xavier Arreaga, Kelvin Leerdam, Zach Brault-Guillard

Goalkeepers
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Jesse Gonzalez	DAL v. MTL	7.0	With CCL looming, Montreal may not trot out a first-choice XI. Dallas kept a clean sheet against a better team last week.
2	Brad Guzan	ATL v. FCC	6.3	Cincy may actually have a formidable attack (I thought Regattin was impressive in addition to Locadia), but I think it'll take a few more weeks.
3	David Bingham	LA v. VAN	7.0	He won't be assisting many goals like he did in week one, and the defense in front of him is still suspect, but this matchup is favorable.
4	Steve Clark	POR v. NSH	5.3
5	Clint Irwin	COL v. ORL	6.0	If you watched Orlando last week, I'm impressed you're reading this and not still asleep from that snooze-fest! The Lions still won't have Nani, so Colorado is a decent play defensively.
6	Kenneth Vermeer	LAFC v. PHI	7.0
7	Tim Melia	SKC v. HOU	6.3	Houston will be more dangerous than they were in week one, presuming Alberth Elis and Darwin Quintero are back in action, so I'd try to stick with the top 5 or 6 keepers here.
8	Bill Hamid	DC v. MIA	5.7	Miami played hard in week one, and I'm not betting on them to get shut out two weeks in a row. Still, they clearly are not a finished product up top.
9	Stefan Frei	SEA v. CLB	5.7
10	Luis Robles	MIA at DC	7.0	Also considered: David "Ball Cap" Jensen.

Value Rankings
(forwards and midfielders under $7.5, defenders under $6.0; not ranked above)
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Adam Jahn	ATL v. FCC	4.8	Jahn led the USL in goals last year for a dominant Phoenix Rising side. Now sandwiched between Pity and Barco until reinforcements arrive, he shouldn't be as bad as many fear. Please use him from the bench if you opt to take a chance on him, though.
2	Mark McKenzie	PHI at LAFC	5.4	If LAFC rest a bunch of starters, McKenzie is the defender you'll want to use.
3	Tsubasa Endoh	TOR v. NYC	6.3	Endoh may have flown under the radar as one of the brighter surprises in week one.
4	Joevin Jones	SEA v. CLB	5.7
5	Adrien Perez	LAFC v. PHI	4.5	If Perez, Bryce Duke, or for a bit more Francisco Ginella, get a spot start in place of some rested stars, they are worth a look. Look for these players as a last resort if your three bench guys didn't put up a good score for your switcheroo.
6	Sergio Santos	PHI at LAFC	6.3
7	Memo Rodriguez	HOU at SKC	5.7
8	Nick DePuy	LA v. VAN	5.5	DePuy should be good for 2-3 bonus points per game and has a clean sheet chance here. It looks like Steres will be out again, but monitor the lineup to make sure DePuy starts.
9	Cristian Dajome	VAN at LA	6.8	Vancouver actually had more expected goals than SKC last week, and I think their attack has some potential.
10	Khiry Shelton	SKC v. HOU	6.4

Captain Rankings
Rank	Player	Matchup	Price	Notes
1	Cristian Pavon	LA v. VAN	12.0	Unless Vancouver goes all-in on suffocating Pavon and taking their chances with Chicharito, I can't see a scenario where the Argentine doesn't get plenty of chances.
2	Sebastian Blanco	POR v. NSH	9.8	Nashville's defense appears solid, but I'm still going to try and pick on them to start the season. Blanco was aggressive in week one, and loves to shoot from anywhere in the attacking third.
3	Pity Martinez	ATL v. FCC	8.3	It's ok to be leery of Atlanta sans Josef, but Cincy allowed three goals to a team fronted by Brian White last week.
4	Gustavo Bou	NE v. CHI	11.5	With Chicago still integrating new pieces, New England are a pretty good bet to find goals at home.
5	Carlos Vela	LAFC v. PHI	13.8	Captaining Vela is risky considering the looming CCL match and this being the last game of the week. I'd rather play it safer, but won't blame anyone who is willing to risk if for the league's biggest fantasy force.